Tiling 101 - How to choose tile layouts when renovating your home
So you’re about to embark on that longed for bathroom renovation.
The Pinterest board has been getting a work out, you’ve got samples all over the dining table and you can’t wait to take that first luxurious shower in your new space.
The tiles are ordered, and everything is going well until your tiler asks - so how am I laying these?
Um….sorry?
Vertical stack?
Classic brick lay?
Herringbone? Chevron? Basket weave? Diagonal?
Oh yes…there’s even more!
Tiles are such a beautiful feature of a space, and how they are laid (and grouted!) can really change the overall feel of a space. Today we’re going to break down some common tile layouts, when you should use them and why.
In a matter of minutes you’ll be talking like a professional to your tiler and equipped to make the right decisions.
Let’s start with some current tile trends, namely stacked tiles and large format options.
Stacked Tiles
If you open the pages of any interiors magazine right now, you’ll see a raft of spaces featuring “stacked” tiles, and these can fall into either vertical or horizontal layouts. There are occasions where a stacked tile may help to elongate a space by increasing the sense of height or width of a room, but currently you’ll find them often used to create a contemporary aesthetic. This approach works particularly well with smaller sized rectangular tiles, kit kat tiles (named because they look like kit kats!) and small square tiles for a very modern take as shown below.
By Buildher Collective
By Timber and White
By Flack Studio
Large format tiles
Large format tiles are an effective way to cover a space efficiently, reducing the labour costs for installation and creating a clean look with minimal grout lines. They lend themselves to a contemporary finish whether laid straight in a grid or offset. Key here is considering where your joins will meet if using the same sized tile on wall and floor surfaces - any good tiler will be able to talk you through this or better yet place some tiles in position so you can visually understand the final result. If you are wanting to achieve a streamlined look, then it is highly recommended to use a tile that has minimal “faces” (eg variations) and ensure you closely match your grout colour to the tile.
By Zephyr and Stone
Traditional tile patterns
If classic is more your thing, traditional tile patterns may better suit your style whether it’s Hamptons, coastal, modern farmhouse or more. The most classic pattern of all is the subway tile in a brick lay, famous the world over for its use in subway stations, cafes, butcher shops and pharmacies. A perennial favourite for a reason, you can use either a similar coloured grout or an opposing colour for visual interest.
The subway tile can be laid in what seems like an unending array of patterns, for a classic look we’d recommend either brick lay, herringbone or English bond (where rectangle and square tiles are used) as seen in the below examples.
By The Stables
By The Stables
By Tom Robertson Architects
Key points to consider with bathroom tiling
And finally, whilst we’re talking tiles, let’s not forget a couple of key points specifically for bathroom applications.
First up, consider where you might stop your tiling:
Does it need to go floor to ceiling?
Could it stop halfway up a wall depending on tap locations?
Should you run your floor tile onto your shower walls, or to the mid point of a wall then finish with an alternate tile?
Could you benefit from a nib wall either in the shower or to conceal a toilet?
To shower niche/ledge or not to shower niche/ledge?
Secondly, the debate over shower niches or ledges continues to run hot.
Both are practical and dare I say, necessities in a shower - who wants to go through a bathroom renovation only to end up with an ugly caddy hanging from the shower?
Regardless of which camp you fall into, this must be factored in during planning and will either require adjustments to your wall to allow for the framing, or a small loss of footprint to accomodate the ledge depth.
In either instance, consider what you need to store - don’t just take the advice of your builder or tiler here - they’re won’t be the ones using your shower!
Measure your shampoo bottles or any other items you have in the shower to ensure a neat fit that allows you to use the product without removing it from the shelf.
And please, no metal trims! A good tiler will have no issue mitring the tiles to create flush joins.
By Zephyr and Stone
By Kyal and Kara
Choosing tiles is NOT easy but fear not, it’s one of our specialities - if not outright passions. Our interior design services cover tile selection and so much more - drop us a line and let’s get started!