Picking The Right Tile Pattern
If you’re getting new tile in, whether inside or outside, you’ve probably thought a lot about the color, shape, etc. But even once you have the tiles in hand, there are numerous different ways to lay them. Today let’s talk about some of the patterns you can lay tile in.
Straight lay
This is the most basic and widely used, the vanilla of patterns. Tiles are just placed edge-to-edge with other tiles and there are no overlaps. Since it’s so unadorned, it is good for rooms where there are other design statements and you don’t want the tiles to take away attention. You can make this with any rectangular tiles of the same size.
Brick or running bond
In complexity, this is just one step up from straight lay. Each tile lies, as it were, half on one adjoining tile and half on another, the way bricks are laid to give stability to a wall. It’s common for kitchen backsplashes and gives a sense of space, and as the name suggests it also works for outdoor brick. It also involves more cutting than straight lay, but so does almost every other pattern. You can also make this with any uniformly sized rectangular tiles.
Herringbone
This pattern requires brick-shaped tiles with 2:1 dimensions. Two tiles join in an L shape with one being the upright and the other the bottom, and then the rest of the pattern is identical L’s nested into each other. It draws the eyes around the room and can make small spaces look a little wider. It’s best for hallways and bathrooms, but might too frenetic for large rooms or patios. It’s also harder to do right than the first two, so the DIY approach is not recommended here unless you’re pretty confident.
Checkerboard
This is just what it sounds like: alternating black and white squares for a floor that looks like a giant checkers or chess board. But black and white are just the conventional colors; you could change them up if you wanted, say, blue and white or red and white. This too might be too loud for full-sized rooms but works well in foyers or anything smaller. If you lay this down, chalk out the exact center point of the room and lay the joint of four tiles on it, then work outward from there. Lay them dry without grout first to be sure.
Windmill
This pattern is a little fancier and involves two different sizes: squares, and bricks the size of two of the same square linked together. Each side of the square is covered with one of the longer brick shaped pieces, which completely border the small square and make a larger square whole. Being a little more complex, it takes more work to lay. This pattern is interesting without being loud, and should be fine for pretty much any room.
Basketweave
The basketweave pattern is inspired by the Art Deco style of the Roaring Twenties. Two brick style 2:1 tiles come together to form a square, and the line between the two halves changes direction each square. For some of the smaller sizes, manufacturers sometimes supply sheets of tiles already arranged in this pattern.
Diagonal
This is really just a straight lay of same-size square tiles, and the whole thing rotated 45 degrees. You can make them all a neutral color or alternate with a few different ones. Diagonal laying requires more cutting and looks especially good on kitchen or bathroom walls.
Chevron
This is a little like the herringbone except that the tiles are not rectangular, but have 45 degree ends so that a whole row meets on a single line. This the most visually striking of all the patterns we’ve looked at, even if you don’t choose such loud colors as in this picture.
Hexagon
Lastly (for now), the hexagon. Hexagons fit so easily together that they are sometimes found in nature (beehives, quartz crystals). Here again, you can make them all one color or add other colors to form a larger pattern.
There are other patterns, of course, but these are some of the most popular ones right now. If you can’t decide right now, Unique Carpet and Floor in Manassas would be happy to help walk you through more options. Call us at (703) 369-1600, visit us online, or stop by our showroom in Manassas.