Tile & Flooring Guides

LVT vs laminate UK: which floor should you choose?
LVT or laminate? Our verdict on wet rooms, feel, underlay, underfloor heating and Ark Quick-Step price bands. Read more...
GoPoxy Grout Guide: Colours, Epoxy vs Poly & How to Apply
GoPoxy makes two kinds of twin-cartridge tile grout: No Mess epoxy, in eight colours, and Poly Grout, in White 01. This guide covers which colour and type to choose, how to apply it and how far a tube goes. See the full GoPoxy range. GoPoxy colour guide Ivory 02: soft off-white, No Mess epoxy. Light Grey 03: pale grey, No Mess epoxy. Mid Grey 04: mid grey, No Mess epoxy. Dark Grey 05: dark grey, No Mess epoxy. Stone 06: warm stone, No Mess epoxy. Gloss Black 12: black, No... Read more...
Trade tile adhesive and levelling pallets (UK)
Written by The Ark Tiles team. Prices checked 12 Oct 2026. Ark Tiles sells Larsen tile adhesive, self-levelling compound and screed by the pallet. Prices checked 12 Oct 2026 run from £252.00 (24 × 20kg Trade Fast Set adhesive) to £1,281.02 (48 × 25kg SLC2500). Larsen SLC1550 is £316.51 for 24 bags or £633.02 for 48. Free UK delivery over £499. What's on a trade pallet at Ark Tiles Our trade pallet deals are Larsen building products packed a whole or half pallet at a time. Every listing names the... Read more...
Kitchen wall tiles and splashback tiles buying guide (UK)
Written by The Ark Tiles team. Prices checked 5 Oct 2026. For a kitchen wall or splashback, pick the format, finish and colour: slim 6×25 cm metro, 10×20 cm and 20×20 cm tiles for a classic look, or 60×120 cm gloss porcelain for fewer grout lines. Ark Tiles lists 22 kitchen wall tiles from £18.71 (prices checked 5 Oct 2026). Free cut-size samples, £4.99 delivery (up to 5 per order). The price shown in the tables is the price on the product for that size. It is not a per... Read more...
Stone-effect porcelain tiles buying guide (UK)
Written by The Ark Tiles team. Prices checked 5 Oct 2026. Ark Tiles sells stone-effect porcelain for indoor floors and walls: limestone and travertine looks, soft white and cream stone, warm beige, and cool and deep grey stone. This page lists 29 designs. Prices checked 5 Oct 2026. The price shown runs from £24.39 (Brisa White, 45×45 cm) to £198.72 (Tivoli Beige and Provence Ivory, 120×120 cm). That is the price on the product for that size. It is not a per m² price, except one pack in the first... Read more...
Marble-effect porcelain tiles buying guide (UK)
Written by The Ark Tiles team. Prices checked 5 Oct 2026. Ark Tiles sells marble-effect porcelain for indoor floors and walls: white Calacatta and Statuario looks with gold or grey veining, grey Carrara looks, bold dark marbles, breccia, and onyx marble effects. This page lists 54 designs. Prices checked 5 Oct 2026. The price shown runs from £25.91 (Prism Veins, 60×120 cm) to £679.99 (135×305 cm, on the RAK Ceramics products that sell that size). That is the price on the product for that size. It is not a per... Read more...
Large-format porcelain tiles buying guide (UK)
Written by The Ark Tiles team. Prices checked 3 Oct 2026. Ark Tiles sells large-format porcelain for indoor floors and walls. Here, large format means both sides are about 600 mm or more: 60×60 cm, 60×90 cm, 60×120 cm, 80×80 cm, 90×90 cm, 100×100 cm, 120×120 cm, and, on some RAK Ceramics products, 120×240 cm, 120×260 cm and 135×305 cm. This page lists 103 products. Prices checked 3 Oct 2026. The price shown runs from £25.91 (Prism Veins, 60×120 cm) to £679.99 (135×305 cm, where that size is sold). That... Read more...
Quick-Step laminate buying guide (UK)
Written by The Ark Tiles team. Prices checked 3 Oct 2026. Ark Tiles sells Quick-Step laminate in eight ranges: Capture, Classic, Muse, Impressive, Impressive Ultra, Majestic, Eligna and Creo (90 designs, prices checked 3 Oct 2026). Pack prices run from £28.11 (Creo) to £109.05 (Majestic). Thickness runs from 7 mm (Creo) to 12 mm (Impressive Ultra). Coverage per pack is taken from each product's specification table. These floors use Uniclic and Hydroseal (Quick-Step, 3 Oct 2026) and need a separate underlay. They do not have an attached pad. Cut-size samples... Read more...
Quick-Step LVT buying guide (UK)
Written by The Ark Tiles team Prices checked 3 Oct 2026. Ark Tiles sells Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl LVT in five ranges: Bloom, Blos, Ciro, Illume and Oro (61 designs, prices checked 3 Oct 2026). Pack prices run from £36.59 (Ciro) to £89.14 (one Illume design). Bloom, Ciro and Illume are 6 mm including an attached underlay; Blos and Oro are 5 mm including an attached underlay (Quick-Step technical data sheet, edition 06/2026). Every product page we checked lists Class 33. Cut-size samples are free (£0), with £4.99 delivery, up to... Read more...
Self-levelling compound buying guide (UK): Larsen SLC1550
For a typical indoor floor in the UK, before tile, LVT or laminate, Ark Tiles sells Larsen SLC1550 Rapid Set Pro by the 20kg bag at £13.19, or as a 24-bag pallet (£316.51) and a 48-bag pallet (£633.02). Prices checked 29 Sep 2026. The live product page lists it as single-part, fibre-reinforced, 3–50mm in one pour, BS EN 13813 CT-C25-F7. Plan on about 2 m² per 20kg bag at 5mm. Larsen’s SLC 1550 FLEX datasheet quotes 2.5–3 m², but real floors use more, so our calculator allows extra. Prime first... Read more...
Best tile adhesive for large format tiles in the UK (2026)
For large-format porcelain in the UK (for example 60×120 cm), British Standard guidance points to a cementitious adhesive rated at least C2 S1 under BS EN 12004, solid-bed fixed (BS 5385-3:2024). At Ark Tiles, Larsen’s manufacturer descriptions recommend Fibreflex Standard Set+ C2 S1, Fibreflex Rapid Set+ C2 S1, FiberFlex Semi-Rapid Set+ S1 and FIBERFLEX Ultimate Rapid Set S2. A 20 kg Fibreflex Standard Set+ grey bag is £12.29 (29 Sep 2026) and covers roughly 4–5 m² at a 3 mm bed (manufacturer data on the product page). Prices checked 29... Read more...
Edgy White Glossy Metro 6x25cm bathroom wall tiles from Ark Tiles
How much does it cost to tile a bathroom in the UK? (2026)
What it costs to tile a UK bathroom in 2026: sourced labour, day-rate and tile price ranges, a worked 16 m² example with real product prices, and Coventry and Midlands... Read more...
Best self-levelling compound UK: choose by depth, walk-on and substrate
We sell levelling compound to tilers every day. Here are the five we'd actually recommend in 2026 — and which job each one is right for. Read more...
Best Self-Levelling Compound for Wooden Floors (UK Guide)
Timber moves — so most levelling compounds crack on it. Here's what actually works on floorboards and plywood, and how to prep the floor properly. Read more...
Larsen SLC1550: Drying Time, Coverage & How to Use It
How long does Larsen SLC1550 take to dry, how far does a bag go, and how do you get a perfect pour? Everything installers ask, answered. Read more...
Porcelain vs ceramic tiles UK: which is right for you?
Porcelain vs Ceramic Tiles: Which Is Right for You? Walk into any tile showroom and you'll face the same question almost immediately: porcelain or ceramic? Both are popular, both look great, and both have been used in homes for decades. But they're not interchangeable — and choosing the wrong one can cost you time, money and [...] Read more...
The Best Outdoor Tiles for UK Gardens & Patios
The Best Outdoor Tiles for UK Gardens & Patios Outdoor tiling has seen a huge surge in popularity over the last few years — and it's easy to see why. A well-tiled patio or garden path transforms an outdoor space, creates a seamless indoor-outdoor flow, and adds real value to a property. But outdoor tiling in the [...] Read more...
The Complete Bathroom Tile Buying Guide
The Complete Bathroom Tile Buying Guide Choosing bathroom tiles sounds simple until you're standing in front of hundreds of options. What size? What finish? Glossy or matt? Large format or mosaic? And how many do you actually need? This guide walks you through every decision — in the order you should make them — so you can [...] Read more...
Matching Indoor and Outdoor Tiles UK: 10 Lounge-to-Garden Ideas
Matching Indoor and Outdoor Tiles UK: 10 Lounge-to-Garden Ideas
Your home feels more open and connected when your indoor and outdoor floors match. Many UK homeowners are turning to indoor outdoor tiles UK to create that smooth flow between... Read more...
How to Install LVT on Stairs – Step-by-Step Guide
How to Install LVT on Stairs – Step-by-Step Guide
Why Choose LVT for Your Stairs Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) has become one of the most popular flooring choices across the UK — and for good reason. It’s durable, easy... Read more...