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When working on your bathroom floor tiling, you should always tile the floor first and then refit the toilet afterward. This has both practical and visual advantages—the tile will have a better seal, and the installation will look cleaner.

On the other hand, when you try to cut the tiles to fit around the toilet, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage. It’s a lot more work, it’s hard to be precise, and mistakes or miscalculations can lead to future moisture damage to the tiling, grout, and subfloor.

To make a small bathroom look bigger, choose light-colored tiles in a medium- to large-format size. Lighter colors like white, cream, or light gray help open up a room, making it feel larger and more airy. While it may seem counterintuitive, small tiles can actually make a bathroom look smaller because the increased number of grout lines creates a busy pattern that visually shrinks the space. Instead, opt for medium- or large-format tiles for a more seamless, expansive appearance. For the best effect, pair your tiles with a matching or similarly colored grout to create a continuous surface that enhances the illusion of a larger area. Avoid dark colors, heavy patterns, and contrasting grout, as these can make the space feel more confined.

There are no unbreakable rules of design, but experts recommend against using large tiles in areas with poor subflooring where they’re more prone to cracking, in areas where the floor isn’t entirely level, over raised areas or dips, and in bathrooms where budget is the primary concern. The size of your bathroom shouldn’t be a reason not to use large tiles; in fact, larger tiles, also known as slab tiles, can be a modern and sleek choice for bathroom floors and walls.

Your floors should be completely level for tile, otherwise you risk damaging the tiles in the future. When there are even small gaps or hills in the subfloor beneath the tile, this puts more pressure on the tile when you walk around on the floor. With repeated traffic, the tiles are at risk of cracking, and you’ll have to deal with tile repairs sooner than if the floor was completely level.