Tile samples from three sources, lined up in the room they're meant for. This is where every tile decision should be made.
The worst tile decision I ever watched a client make took four minutes, on a phone, in a carpool line. The tile looked like sea glass on the screen. In the bathroom it arrived in, it read as swimming-pool aqua, and it went straight back in the cartons. Buying tile online is a wonderful thing, and I do it constantly, but the screen is only the start of the conversation. The rest happens in your room, in your light, with samples in your hand.
So this isn't a ranking. It's how I actually shop for tile online, room by room and finish by finish, and the online tile stores I'd point you to depending on what you're making.
Start with the room, not the retailer
Every room asks something different of a tile, and the room should narrow the field before any website does.
Kitchens
The backsplash is the largest vertical surface in a kitchen that isn't cabinetry, which is why it deserves more thought than it usually gets. Here you can afford character: handmade glazes, zellige, a painterly field tile. It doesn't take foot traffic, so wall-rated material is fine. I've written about where kitchen backsplashes are heading this year, and nearly every direction in that piece leans on tile with a maker's hand in it.
Bathrooms
A bathroom floor needs slip resistance and a material that tolerates standing water. Porcelain earns its place here, and so does honed stone if you'll seal it. The walls can be as decorative as you like. For the full picture of how floors, walls and fixtures work together, my complete guide to bathroom design goes room-wide.
Floors in living spaces
Large-format porcelain and natural stone are the workhorses for entries, mudrooms and anywhere you'd otherwise lay wood. If you're weighing tile against timber, my piece on warm wood floors covers what wood does for a room that stone can't. And whatever you choose underfoot, it will want a rug on top of it eventually. Hard floors are a backdrop, not the whole story.
Finish matters more than color
People choose tile by color and live with it by finish. A high-gloss glaze bounces light and shows every water spot. A matte or honed surface hides wear and reads calmer. Crackle glazes and zellige catch light unevenly, which is exactly their charm. Undertones are the most important aspect of any surface and the hardest thing to get right, and with tile they shift depending on the finish. The same green can read cool on a gloss and warm on a matte. My painter's training taught me to trust that shift rather than fight it, so judge the sample, not the swatch photo.
How I buy tile online
The process is the same whether I'm ordering for a powder room or a whole ground floor.
- Order samples first, always. Look at them in morning light and again at night. Natural stone and handmade tile vary beyond any single sample, so ask how much.
- Know whether you're buying by the box or by the square foot. Coverage per carton varies, and overage for cuts and breakage (I plan on roughly ten percent, more for diagonal layouts) has to come from the same production run.
- Ask about lots. Tile is fired in batches, and shade can move between them. Ask whether everything ships from one lot, and ask for a photo of it before you commit to a large order.
- Compare delivered cost, not the unit price. Freight, taxes and return costs change the math. A lower price per square foot can turn into a higher total at your door.
- Read the return policy before you buy extra. Most retailers take back only unopened cartons inside a set window, and some charge restocking fees. Know the terms before you order that spare box.
- Inspect on arrival. Open cartons, check shade and damage, and photograph anything wrong before the installer starts.
Online tile stores I'd look at, by project
None of these is a tested ranking. They're the shops I'd send you to depending on what you're doing. Confirm current stock and terms with each one before you order.
For a project of any size
Solidshape carries porcelain, natural stone (marble, travertine, limestone, slate) and mosaics in penny round, hexagon and herringbone, plus hardwood and outdoor pavers. What makes it useful for a design project is the support around larger orders: paid samples credited toward later sample orders, large-order support, flat-rate shipping that steps down as the order grows, and a 30-day return window. That combination suits a single bathroom as well as a full renovation, which is rarer than it should be.
For design-led decorative tile
TileBar pairs decorative wall tile, porcelain floors and stone with design assistance and a sample program. It has a generous return window, but check the restocking terms. The Tile Shop offers designer collaborations and free virtual or showroom consultations, which help when you're coordinating finishes across a whole kitchen or bath. Bedrosians organizes its tile into collections and offers a room visualizer, useful for seeing how walls, floors and accents relate.
For handmade and artisan tile
This is where my heart is. Fireclay Tile makes its ceramic tile in California, in a wide palette, and offers color samples. Clé carries zellige, cement and terracotta, with an in-stock section for tighter schedules. Riad Tile handles zellige, cement and terrazzo and takes custom cement and terrazzo orders, though custom runs need real quantity and real lead time. Handmade tile varies tile to tile. That variation is the point, the perfectly imperfect quality that makes a room feel collected rather than ordered from a catalog.
For stone and fine detail
Marble Systems offers marble, limestone, travertine and decorative mosaics, along with moldings and thresholds that finish a stone installation properly. Stone Tile Depot sells marble, travertine and porcelain, including clearance collections. Clearance lots are finite, so buy enough for cuts, waste and future repairs in one order.
For renovations on a schedule or budget
Floor & Decor pairs tile and stone with installation supplies, pro services and pickup. The Home Depot and Lowe's both let you filter by local inventory and pick up the same week, and Lowe's carries brands like Daltile. Wayfair puts many tile brands in one searchable catalog, with filters for sample availability. Tile Club sends sample swatches free by ground and carries porcelain, marble and glass. Tilezz has a room visualization tool and some lovely herringbone and marble-and-brass designs.
Where I'd spend and where I'd save
An investment piece is never overrated if you truly love it, and tile is no exception. Spend on what you see and touch every day: the backsplash behind the range, the vanity wall, the floor of a small powder room where a little goes a long way. Save on large expanses where a good porcelain will do the job quietly, like a laundry room or a basement floor. Clearance stock and porcelain are both honest ways to stretch a budget, as long as you buy enough of one lot.
Frequently asked questions
Should I order tile samples before buying tile online?
Yes, every time. Look at them in your own light at different times of day. Natural stone and handmade tile will vary beyond a single sample, so ask the retailer how much variation to expect.
How do I compare prices between online tile stores?
Compare the same material and coverage, then add freight, taxes and return costs. The delivered total is the only number that matters.
Can I return unused tile?
Often, but not always. Eligibility usually depends on unopened cartons, a set return window, product exclusions and fees. Read the retailer's written policy before you order extra.
The room will tell you
Choose your material first, then your finish, then your store. Order samples, tape them to the wall, and live with them for a week. The one you keep looking at is the right one. A good online tile store makes that easy, and the right one for your project is whichever gets those samples into your hands fastest and stands behind the lot it ships.
