What different laying patterns are there?

Different laying patterns can often enhance your tiling project and help to create a completely different feel in a space including the illusion of a room’s proportions. Here, we show you the different laying patterns available and how they can transform your tile project.

The most traditional tile laying pattern and reminiscent of its Victoriana heritage, the 50:50 brick bond is suitable for tiles under 30x30cm. This is where tile joints are directly centred to the above tile and can be achieved using a rectangular, brick or square shaped tile.

The tile can be laid horizontally (traditional brick bond) or vertically (stepladder).

When tiling in a brick bond pattern, we recommend allowing 10% extra for cuts and breakages.

For a contemporary feel you can use a staggered brick bond (commonly 70:30) which will help give the appearance of a wider room. Although you can use it for all tile sizes it’s mostly used for tiles larger than 30x60cm to prevent any natural bow in the tile from being noticeable once laid. As with 50:50 brick bond, you can use this pattern for rectangular and square tiles, vertically and horizontally.

Herringbone is a great way to visually alter the proportion of a room. Laid horizontally on either a wall or floor, this laying will draw the eye across helping to widen the space. In the opposite direction, vertical laying draws the eye up creating the illusion of height. You can create a more modern, graphic effect by opting for a block herringbone which feels more geometric. This can be further accentuated with a double block herringbone.

To accommodate any cuts or breakages when using a herringbone pattern, an additional 15% of tiles is recommended due to the cuts required.

Creating ‘stacks’ of tiles adds a graphic, modern feel to a space especially when used with a contrasting grout colour to highlight the edges of the tile. However, it can also create a seamless look when used with larger tiles and a coordinating grout, helping a space feel bigger. Another alternative is to turn a linear square on its side and create a traditional diamond laying pattern, this works particularly well in narrower rooms, much like a herringbone pattern, it gives the illusion of more width.

Mimicking the concept of 1930’s finger parquet, the basket weave creates a fun pattern from the plainest of tiles. To achieve this look, a tile with a rectified edge is best to enable you to use a 1mm grout width. The number of tiles within your design is dependent on the width vs length as your vertical stack should mirror the dimensions of your horizontal stack.

This decorative design uses five tiles from the same range with a full-sized tile cut down to fit into the centre, alternatively you can work out the pattern using two different tile ranges with the correct dimensions to fulfil the rectangular and square parts of the pattern.

For example, if the 4 outer tiles are 10x20cm and you’re using a 2mm grout line, the central tile would need to be cut down to 9.8×9.8cm.

Usually dictated by the tile pack size, the tiles in a modular range sit together in a repeated pattern, typically recreating the look of traditional flagstones.

Our Rhomba tile provides multiple laying options and with the various colours and finishes available you can create a truly unique pattern.

To achieve the diamond pattern, stack the rhombus format horizontally or vertically in a linear pattern. If you turn the rhombus shaped tile to a 45 degree angle you will achieve a repeating chevron. For the cube pattern, start with a central rhombus in a straight and vertical position and work outwards filling each edge with the side of the next rhombus. You can also achieve a star like pattern using the cube layout, however you can make it stand out by highlighting it with a different colour or texture on the outer row of tiles.

Tiles that feature a curve in their design often lend themselves to multiple laying patterns allowing you to create different looks using just the one tile range. Here, our PreKast range has a decorative curved edge which can create a completely abstract pattern however, here are our top five to recreate at home.