Fluted Tiles

Fluted tiles carry a three-dimensional ribbed profile across the face, producing vertical relief that changes with the angle of light. They are a wall product, specified for reception desks, bar fronts, lift lobbies, column casings and feature walls where a flat surface would read as inert.

Specifying fluted tiles

• Lighting is the specification. The profile is only visible when light rakes across it. Grazing light from above or from the side is what makes a fluted wall work. Flat frontal lighting flattens the relief and wastes the product.
• Setting out the flutes. The rib rhythm has to run continuously across the wall. Set out from the centre or from the dominant sightline so cuts fall at the ends, and confirm how the profile resolves at internal and external corners before fixing.
• Weight and fixing. Three-dimensional tiles are heavier per square metre than flat tiles of the same footprint. Confirm the substrate can carry the load and specify adhesive accordingly, with full bed coverage behind the relief.
• Wall use only. Fluted profiles are not floor products. The relief is a trip and cleaning problem underfoot and the profile is not tested for pedestrian slip resistance.
• Cleaning access. The channels collect dust. Behind a bar or in a food area, confirm the profile can be cleaned to the standard the environmental health regime requires.

See also feature wall tiles and specialist tiles for other dimensional and decorative wall surfaces.

Frequently asked questions

Can fluted tiles be used on floors?

No. They are wall products. The raised profile is a trip hazard, it is not tested for pedestrian slip resistance and the channels are impractical to clean underfoot.

How should fluted tiles be lit?

With grazing light running along the profile, from a linear source above or from one side. This casts the shadow that defines each rib. Frontal or flood lighting cancels the relief and the wall reads flat.

How do fluted tiles resolve at corners?

It depends on the range. Some are supplied with matching trims or corner pieces, others require a mitred cut or a shadow gap detail. Resolve this at design stage, because an unresolved corner is the detail that undermines the whole wall.