What are the Best Tiles for a Fireplace?

If you’re confident and experienced in DIY, tiling a fireplace should be a pretty straightforward task. In essence, it follows almost exactly the same process as tiling a floor – except for a few small (but key) differences in the matter of choosing what tiles to use.

So, to ensure that your fireplace tiling is elegant, durable and fire damage-resistant, our specialists have shared this comprehensive guide to choosing the best fireplace tiles.

The best type of tiles to use for fireplaces

Overall, the best type of fireplace tiles are porcelain tiles. These are, generally speaking, the most highly recommended type of tile to use around or below a fireplace. This is because porcelain tiles offer the highest level of fire-resistance.

As a result of their high density, these tiles absorb heat from the fire, without transferring it to any of the surrounding areas. This means that they can be exposed to these higher temperatures, without the risk of them cracking or discolouring over time.

The benefits of choosing porcelain fireplace tiles

If you’re weighing up a few different fireplace tile options, we highly recommend that you lean towards the porcelain option.

If you haven’t already considered these, the specific benefits that porcelain tiles offer include:

• Porcelain tiles are the most heat-resistant tile type, making them the best for longevity
• Ideal for properties with limited space, or a small pre-existing fireplace surround (more on this below)
• Robust and extremely durable
• Will not discolour over time, and are highly resistant to cracking
• Available in a huge range of colours and design styles, including stone effect, wood effect, brick effect, or a wide variety of patterned styles
• They are significantly more affordable than natural stone tiles (the other most heat-resistant tile option)

Where can you put tiles on your fire?

Fireplaces can have tiles on the base or bottom of the fire, and across the inside of the recess. This creates a sleek, elegant finish, and sets your fireplace as even more of a feature within the room.

It is usually recommended that you position fireplace tiles more than 20cm away from the heat source. If you do so, then most types of tiles can be safely fitted in the surround. However, with porcelain tiles, this distance only needs to be 14cm. As a result, this is the best choice for any homeowners with limited space, or where the existing fireplace surround doesn’t meet the minimum 20cm distance requirement.

But, when choosing your fireplace tiles, you will also need to consider the type of fireplace that you have. As long as the walls are flat and are able to take the tiles’ weight, then you can tile any fireplace. However, if the fire produces heat, then a porcelain tile is the best option. This includes an open fire or a log burning fire.

This is because they are, by far, the most heat resistant type of fireplace tiles. So, by choosing porcelain tiles, you can protect your investment, and ensure that the tiling retains its flawless finish for many years to come.

Alternatively, you might want to consider natural stone tiles. Although they come at a higher price point, these also offer an extremely high level of heat-resistance, and a timeless design style.

If your fireplace is electric and is only fitted with a low heat wattage, or the fireplace is just a feature fire (which doesn’t actually produce any heat), then you can choose any tile type. You don’t need to consider the impact that heat will have, so you can make your choice entirely based on your style and budget.

At the Rotherham Fireplace Centre, we offer a huge range of fireplace surrounds and can advise you on the Tiles that are compatible with your fireplace if you choose that option. What’s more, if you pay our South Yorkshire showroom a visit, a member of our team would be more than happy to assist you in your decision.

So, to find out more about our fireplaces, don’t hesitate to get in touch.