Now choosing the right finish for you is dependent on a variety of different factors, if you have a modern home and want to create a sleek and uniform look then you may opt for polished or honed tiles but if you are looking for a more rustic and worn appearance then a tumbled tile may be the perfect one for you. But what is a tumbled finish you ask?

Tumbled tiles are tiles which have essentially been shaken in a machine to create slight chippings in the edges and surface to create an aged appearance. In the next step of the process these chippings are then smoothed down to get rid of any sharp parts. Some tiles are sold with a tumbled edge as described above along with a tumbled surface, if the surface of a tile is tumbled then you will also notice holes and pitting, you can see this in our Lydia Classic Tumbled tiles. The tumbled surface is perfect for creating an aged look, these tiles look as if they have been laid for centuries but look just as breathtaking as if they were laid yesterday.

As well as this you will also see some tiles sold with a tumbled edge but a honed surface. Now this sounds a lot more confusing than it is. So instead of having the holes and pittings, after the tumbling process takes place, the tiles are then placed on a conveyor belt and are then grinded with abrasive pads until they achieve a smooth, flat finish. A great example of this can be seen in our Antalya Cream Tumbled tiles. This may be more suitable for you if you are looking for a more seamless look on the surface but still want to steer away from your tiles looking too modernised.

When it comes to the colour of tumbled tiles, they are generally lighter than honed or polished counterparts. So don’t be shocked if you look at a particular stone in both a honed and tumbled finish and notice a strong variation in colour. With some materials, it can be incredibly difficult to see that they are the same stone when looking at the various finishes. With tumbled stones the finish colouring tends to be pastel shade. Tumbled tiles are also incredibly durable and due to their rustic finish they tend to stay in good condition for much longer than polished tiles.

Now you are all clued up on tumbled tiles, it is probably a fantastic time to introduce you to an exciting new range of tumbled marble tiles we have coming in next week! Available in a range of three colours, this range of tumbled herringbone tiles are incredibly on trend and we are expecting them to be a big hit with our customers. The three marbles they will be available in are the Caria Luna, Ash Blue and Olympus Crème. These three core colours are the perfect backdrop to almost any design scheme and the beauty with these is that the herringbone format is very modern so if you are renovating a cottage or you have opted for a traditional design scheme then maybe this is a format you may have originally dismissed, but as these herringbones are tumbled they still fit seamlessly in a rustic design setting but they also give a gentle nod over to modernisation. What isn’t there to love!