Ivory Pearl is an onyx effect porcelain wall and floor tile with a warm ivory-cream background and flowing pearl and pale honey veins. Tiles Paradise sells it in three versions: 60×120cm polished at £27.99 per m², 60×60cm gloss at £24.99 per m² and 60×60cm matt at £24.99 per m². The polished and gloss versions belong on walls and dry floors. The matt version is the one for bathroom and kitchen floors.
Between October 2025 and September 2026, customers ordered 413m² of the 60×120cm polished version. That made it our 16th best-selling product out of 404 by sales value, and the second-best seller among our cream, ivory and pearl tiles. The matt and gloss squares came later, so a buyer who loves the colour can now put it on every surface of a room.
This guide answers the questions that come up most before an order: which finish goes where, which size suits your room, what a real room costs, which grout to pick, and how Ivory Pearl compares with our other cream and pearl onyx tiles.
Ivory Pearl at a glance
| Spec | 60×120cm polished | 60×60cm gloss | 60×60cm matt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per m² | £27.99 | £24.99 | £24.99 |
| Tiles per box / box covers | 2 tiles / 1.44m² | 4 tiles / 1.44m² | 4 tiles / 1.44m² |
| Price per box | £40.31 | £35.99 | £35.99 |
| Thickness and edges | 9mm, rectified | 9mm, rectified | 9mm, rectified |
| Surface | Mechanically polished, mirror shine | Glazed high gloss | Matt, honed-stone look |
| Published slip rating | R9 | Not published (slippery when wet) | Not published (more grip than gloss) |
| Best surfaces | Walls, dry floors | Walls, dry floors | Bathroom, kitchen and hall floors; walls |
| Underfloor heating | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Outdoors | No | No | No |
| Sealing | Not needed | Not needed | Not needed |
Prices as listed on 21 October 2026. Price per box = price per m² × 1.44.
In this guide: What it is · Polished, gloss or matt · 60×120 or 60×60 · Room by room · Real room costs · Fitting · Grout · What goes with it · Compared with similar tiles · Cleaning · Questions
What is an Ivory Pearl onyx effect tile?
An Ivory Pearl onyx effect tile is a glazed porcelain tile printed to look like ivory onyx stone. The tile body is pressed clay fired at high heat, so it is dense, hard and close to waterproof. The 60×120cm polished version has a stated water absorption below 0.5%. That figure places it in the BIa group, the most water-resistant class of pressed tile in the EN 14411 (ISO 13006) tile standard.
The design copies the look of real onyx: a soft ivory ground, veins that move in long drifts, and pockets of pearl and pale honey. It is not stone. Most decorative "onyx" sold for walls and floors is banded calcite. That stone sits at about 3 on the Mohs hardness scale, scratches easily, and etches when acids such as lemon juice touch it. Real onyx also needs sealing. Ivory Pearl porcelain needs none of that care.
There is one honest trade-off. Real onyx is translucent, so it can be lit from behind. Porcelain is opaque, so Ivory Pearl cannot be backlit. Its "glow" comes from the printed depth and, on the polished and gloss versions, from reflected light.
Is Ivory Pearl ivory, cream, beige or pearl white?
Ivory Pearl reads as warm ivory: paler than beige, creamier than white. In practice, the colour words line up like this:
- Pearl white is cool and close to white. Our Ice Onyx Pearl White sits here.
- Ivory is white with a little yellow warmth. Ivory Pearl sits here.
- Cream has more yellow and a touch of beige. Onyx Cream sits here.
- Beige adds grey-brown. Alba Onyx Beige sits here.
Light changes how ivory looks. Warm white bulbs (around 2700K to 3000K) keep it creamy and soft. Cool daylight bulbs (4000K and above) push it whiter and slightly greyer. Order a sample and look at it under your own bulbs at night, as well as in daylight.
Which Ivory Pearl finish should you choose: polished, gloss or matt?
Choose the finish by surface. Polished and gloss suit walls and dry floors. Matt suits any floor that gets wet in normal use, such as a bathroom or kitchen floor. All three share the same ivory print, so you can mix them in one room.
| What you care about | Polished 60×120 | Gloss 60×60 | Matt 60×60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much light it bounces | Most (mirror-like) | High | None |
| Grip when wet | Low (R9) | Low | Best of the three |
| Shows water spots and footprints | Yes | Yes | Rarely |
| Glare under downlights | Some | Some | None |
| Colour reads as | Deepest, most "stone" | Bright | Slightly softer and paler |
| Price per m² | £27.99 | £24.99 | £24.99 |
The Ivory Pearl 60×120cm polished tile is mechanically polished after firing. That gives the deepest shine and the strongest "real stone" effect. The Ivory Pearl 60×60cm gloss tile gets its shine from a glossy glaze instead. Side by side, both read as high-shine ivory onyx. The Ivory Pearl 60×60cm matt tile has no shine at all and looks like honed stone.
What does the R9 slip rating mean for the polished tile?
R9 is the lowest band of the German DIN 51130 ramp test, which suits dry indoor floors. In that test, a person in safety boots walks on an oiled tile while the ramp tilts. R9 means the tile stayed safe between 6° and 10°. R10 covers 10° to 19°, and R11 covers 19° to 27°. UK slip advice often uses the pendulum test instead, where a wet reading of 36 or more means low slip potential. Ivory Pearl's gloss and matt versions do not publish either figure yet. So use the matt for grip, and use a tile with a published R11 rating on a level-access shower floor.
Should you buy Ivory Pearl in 60×120cm or 60×60cm?
Buy 60×120cm for long walls, open-plan floors and any space where you want fewer grout lines. Buy 60×60cm for small bathrooms, en-suites and cloakrooms, where a 1.2m tile would need too many cuts. The size also decides the finish, because the 60×120 comes only polished and the 60×60 comes in gloss or matt.
- Tiles per m²: one 60×120 tile covers 0.72m², so you need about 1.39 tiles per m². One 60×60 tile covers 0.36m², so you need about 2.78 per m².
- Grout lines: a 2.4m × 2.4m wall in 60×120 tiles laid landscape has 9.6m of grout joint. The same wall in 60×60 tiles has 14.4m, half as much again. Fewer joints make the wall read as one slab.
- Layouts: the 60×60 can be laid straight, brick-bond or diagonal. The 60×120 looks best straight or with an offset of no more than one third of its length.
- Floor flatness: a 1.2m tile shows any dip in the floor. A 60×60 is more forgiving on older floors.
- Handling: a 60×120 tile is awkward for one person to carry and lay. The 60×60 is much easier to lift and place.
The 60×120 polished run includes four different faces. Open several boxes before you start and mix the tiles, so no two matching faces sit next to each other. Both sizes have rectified edges, which are ground perfectly straight so the joints can stay tight at 2mm to 3mm.
Where can you use Ivory Pearl tiles, room by room?
You can use Ivory Pearl on any indoor wall, including shower walls, and on any indoor floor once you match the finish to how wet the floor gets. It is not for outdoor use. The table gives our recommendation for each space.
| Space | Best Ivory Pearl version | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom walls | 60×120 polished or 60×60 gloss | Reflects light and wipes clean. |
| Shower walls | 60×120 polished or 60×60 gloss | Non-porous; nobody walks on a wall. |
| Bathroom floor | 60×60 matt | More grip, no water marks. |
| Level-access shower or wet-room floor | None of the three | Use a tray, or a tile with a published R11 rating. |
| En-suite and cloakroom | 60×60 gloss walls, 60×60 matt floor | Fewer cuts in a small room. |
| Kitchen splashback | 60×60 gloss or 60×120 polished | Grease wipes off a shiny face. |
| Kitchen floor | 60×60 matt | Spills make polished floors slippery. |
| Hallway | 60×120 polished, with a mat by the door; or 60×60 matt | Wet shoes come in through the front door. |
| Living room, open-plan | 60×120 polished | Dry floor; few grout lines over a big area. |
| Feature wall, fireplace wall | 60×120 polished | Largest unbroken run of veining. |
| Patio, balcony, garden | Not suitable | Indoor tile; polished faces are unsafe outside. |
For a level-access shower, choose a floor tile from our anti-slip bathroom tiles that lists an R11 rating, and carry Ivory Pearl up the walls. Behind a hob, porcelain copes with the heat of normal cooking. Our guide to porcelain splashback tiles near hobs covers gaps to gas burners and cutting around sockets.
How much do Ivory Pearl tiles cost for a real room?
Ivory Pearl costs £24.99 per m² in 60×60cm and £27.99 per m² in 60×120cm, plus 10% extra for cuts. Pallet delivery costs £39.99 on tile orders under £499 and is free from £499 on the UK mainland, though some remote areas are excluded. Other UK ivory onyx effect porcelains we checked in October 2026 were listed from about £35 to over £80 per m².
These are worked examples with today's prices. Each one adds 10% for cuts and rounds up to whole boxes.
| Project | Area + 10% | What to order | Tiles | Delivery | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloakroom floor, 1.5m × 1.2m | 1.98m² | 2 boxes 60×60 matt (2.88m²) | £71.97 | £39.99 | £111.96 |
| En-suite floor, 2.0m × 1.6m | 3.52m² | 3 boxes 60×60 matt (4.32m²) | £107.96 | £39.99 | £147.95 |
| Bathroom walls, 18m² tiled | 19.8m² | 14 boxes 60×120 polished (20.16m²) | £564.28 | Free | £564.28 |
| Same bathroom: walls + en-suite size floor | 19.8m² + 3.52m² | 14 boxes polished + 3 boxes matt | £672.24 | Free | £672.24 |
| Kitchen-diner floor, 24m² | 26.4m² | Job lot: 75 tiles 60×60 matt (27m²) | £609.00 | Free | £609.00 |
| Open-plan ground floor, 48m² | 52.8m² | Pallet: 150 tiles 60×60 matt (54m²) | £1,149.00 | Free | £1,149.00 |
Adhesive, grout, levelling clips and fitting are extra. For your own room, the tile calculator adds the 10% and rounds up to full boxes. Allow closer to 15% for a diagonal or brick-bond 60×60 layout.
When does the Ivory Pearl job lot or pallet beat buying boxes?
The job lot beats loose boxes once you need 17 boxes or more of the 60×60 (24.48m² including cuts). Seventeen boxes cost £611.76, while the Ivory Pearl matt job lot of 75 tiles (27m²) costs £609 and gives you 2.5m² more. In the kitchen-diner example above, 19 loose boxes would cost £683.73, so the job lot saves £74.73.
The full pallet makes sense from about 48m². At that size the job lot plus 15 boxes costs £1,148.78. The Ivory Pearl matt pallet deal of 150 tiles (54m²) costs £1,149 for 5.4m² more tile. The gloss version has the same job lot and pallet prices. The 60×120 polished is sold by the box only.
Not sure about the colour yet? A cut sample costs £1.99, and our tile sample service explains sizes and limits. The Ivory Pearl job lot and pallet pages say the sample cost comes off your tile order.
How do you fit 60×120 polished Ivory Pearl without lippage?
You fit 60×120 polished Ivory Pearl on a flat base, with full adhesive cover and a levelling system. Lippage is when one tile edge sits higher than the next. On a polished face it catches the light and shows at once. These steps prevent it:
- Check the base. Lay a 2m straightedge in several directions. A common target is no gap bigger than 3mm. Self-level the floor first if it fails.
- Use the right adhesive. Pick a flexible, S1-rated tile adhesive for porcelain. Over underfloor heating, keep the heating off until the adhesive and grout have cured, following the adhesive maker's times.
- Back-butter every tile. Spread a thin coat on the tile back as well as the floor or wall. Aim for at least 95% adhesive contact, with no hollow spots under the corners.
- Use levelling clips. They hold neighbouring edges flush while the adhesive sets.
- Keep the offset small. Stagger 60×120 tiles by no more than one third of their length. A half-bond offset makes any slight bow in a long tile show as a raised edge.
- Keep joints at 2mm to 3mm. Rectified edges allow it, and narrow joints suit the onyx look.
- Protect the face. Keep grit off the polished surface during the job. Clean adhesive off the face before it dries.
- Check before you fix. Open several boxes, check shade and faces in daylight, and report any problem before tiles are cut. Cut or fixed tiles cannot be returned.
For the full floor method, read our guide to laying porcelain floor tiles on concrete and over underfloor heating.
What grout colour suits Ivory Pearl tiles?
A light grey or a warm white grout suits Ivory Pearl best. Both sit close to the tile's ivory ground, so the joints fade and the veining carries across the surface. The table shows what each common choice does.
| Grout colour | Effect with Ivory Pearl | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Warm white, ivory or jasmine | Joints almost disappear | Walls, feature walls |
| Light grey | Faint grid; hides everyday dirt | Floors, hallways, kitchens |
| Bright white | Makes the tile look yellower beside it | Rarely the best match |
| Dark grey or black | Strong grid that fights the veining | Not recommended |
Grout always dries lighter or darker than it looks wet. Make a small test board with a spare tile, let it dry for a day, then decide. Our step-by-step grouting guide covers mixing, joint filling and haze removal.
What goes with Ivory Pearl: metals, wood, paint and worktops?
Warm materials suit Ivory Pearl best, because they share its honey undertone. Cold, blue-white materials make it look more yellow by contrast.
- Metals: brushed brass and warm gold suit it best. Matt black works if you want contrast. Polished chrome is fine but reads cooler.
- Wood: oak, walnut and other mid-tone timbers for vanities, shelves and doors.
- Paint: warm whites, soft greige and muted sage on untiled walls. Avoid stark brilliant white next to the tile.
- Worktops and sanitaryware: warm white or cream quartz, and white or ivory ceramic basins and baths.
- Textiles: linen, oatmeal and caramel towels and blinds pick up the honey veins.
How does Ivory Pearl compare with our other cream and pearl onyx tiles?
Ivory Pearl is the warmest of our pale polished onyx tiles. It is also the only one sold in polished, gloss and matt. The table compares it with the closest pale onyx tiles we sell. For deeper cream tones, our cream onyx tiles collection adds the Emola Cream range in four sizes.
| Tile | Colour | Finishes and sizes | Price per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Pearl | Warm ivory, pearl and honey veins | Polished 60×120; gloss and matt 60×60 | £24.99–£27.99 |
| Ice Onyx Pearl White | Cooler pearl white | Polished 60×120 | £19.99 |
| Onyx Cream | Soft beige and ivory | Polished 60×120 and 60×60 | From £26.95 |
| Alba Onyx Beige | Cream beige, ivory and honey banding | Satin 60×120; matt 60×60 | £22.99–£24.99 |
| Onyx Pearl Grey | Pearl grey, white veins | Polished 60×120 | £22.99 |
If you want a whiter, cooler look, read our Ice Onyx Pearl White guide. If you lean towards beige, the Onyx Cream guide covers a slightly deeper tone. For a soft sheen instead of a mirror shine, look at Alba Onyx Beige in 60×120cm satin. To see every colour side by side, browse our full onyx tiles range.
How do you clean and look after Ivory Pearl tiles?
Clean Ivory Pearl with warm water, a pH-neutral cleaner and a soft microfibre mop or cloth. The tiles never need sealing. A few habits keep the polished and gloss faces streak-free:
- Use very little cleaner. Too much leaves a film that shows as streaks on a shiny tile.
- Buff polished and gloss tiles dry with a clean microfibre cloth after mopping.
- Avoid abrasive creams and scouring pads. Over time they dull a polished face.
- Put felt pads under chair and table legs, and a doormat at entrances. Grit is the main cause of fine scratches.
- Wipe shower walls with a squeegee after use to stop limescale spots on the gloss.
- Clean grout lines now and then. A grout sealer is optional, but it helps light grout resist stains.
For limescale, mould in grout and deep cleans, see our guide to cleaning bathroom tiles and grout.
Ivory Pearl onyx effect tiles: questions buyers ask
Is Ivory Pearl real onyx stone?
No, Ivory Pearl is porcelain printed with an onyx design. It looks like ivory onyx but is harder, non-porous and needs no sealing.
Are Ivory Pearl tiles slippery?
Yes, the polished and gloss versions are slippery when wet, like any shiny tile. The 60×120 polished is rated R9, which suits dry floors. Use the 60×60 matt on bathroom and kitchen floors.
Can I use Ivory Pearl in a shower?
Yes, all three versions can go on shower walls. Do not use the polished or gloss on the shower floor. Use a shower tray, or a floor tile with a published R11 rating for a level-access shower.
Can Ivory Pearl go on a kitchen floor?
Yes, use the 60×60 matt on a kitchen floor. Spills and grease make polished and gloss floors slippery, so keep those for the splashback.
Do Ivory Pearl tiles need sealing?
No, Ivory Pearl is glazed porcelain and does not need sealing. You can seal the grout if you want extra stain resistance.
Will the polished surface scratch?
Porcelain resists scratches far better than real onyx, but grit dragged across a polished face can leave fine marks. Felt pads, doormats and regular sweeping prevent most of them.
Can I lay Ivory Pearl over underfloor heating?
Yes, all three versions suit underfloor heating. Use a flexible adhesive and follow the curing times before you switch the heating on. Our guide to porcelain floor tiles over living room underfloor heating explains the set-up.
Can I use Ivory Pearl outside?
No, Ivory Pearl is an indoor tile. A polished or gloss face is unsafe outdoors in UK rain and frost.
Do the 60×120 polished and 60×60 gloss match exactly?
They share the same print and colour, but the surfaces differ. The 60×120 is mechanically polished and the 60×60 is a glazed gloss. On separate surfaces, such as walls and floor, they read as one range.
Does the matt look different from the polished?
Slightly, yes. Side by side, the matt looks a little softer and paler because it does not reflect light. On a floor below polished walls, the difference reads as a natural change of finish.
How many Ivory Pearl tiles are in a square metre?
About 1.39 tiles of 60×120cm, or about 2.78 tiles of 60×60cm. Every box covers 1.44m²: two 60×120 tiles or four 60×60 tiles.
Can Ivory Pearl be backlit like real onyx?
No, porcelain is opaque, so light cannot pass through it. For a glowing effect, light the wall from above or below with LED strips instead.
Does ivory tile look yellow?
It can look more yellow under cool daylight bulbs or beside brilliant white paint and grout. Warm white bulbs and warm white grout keep it looking creamy.
How is Ivory Pearl delivered?
Tiles travel on a pallet to the kerbside, usually in 2 to 7 working days. Someone must be home to receive it. Check the pallet on arrival and report any damage within 2 working days. Full details are on our delivery information page.
Can I return unused boxes?
Yes, within 14 days of ordering, if the tiles are uncut, in their original boxes and still on sale. A 30% restocking charge applies, and you pay the return delivery.
Is ivory onyx a good choice for a small bathroom?
Yes, a pale, light-reflecting tile helps a small bathroom feel bigger. Use the 60×60 gloss on the walls and the 60×60 matt on the floor, since a 60×120 tile needs many cuts in a tight room. For more ideas, see our article on onyx tiles in luxury bathrooms.
Last thoughts on choosing Ivory Pearl onyx effect tiles
Ivory Pearl gives you the warm, layered look of ivory onyx in a porcelain tile that needs no sealing. The choice comes down to one rule: shine on the walls, grip on the floor. Use the 60×120 polished or 60×60 gloss on walls and dry floors, and the 60×60 matt wherever water lands. Price the job with 10% extra, check whether the job lot or pallet beats loose boxes, and look at a sample under your own lights before you order.