Tile Laying Patterns

Click on any laying pattern below and we’ll take you directly to our information and tips. Come back to this index at any time if you need more information.

Horizontal Stack

The most popular and simplistic tiling pattern sees your tiles laid out in straight lines to form a neat grid. Linear looks are hot right now, so if you want to take this tile laying pattern to a whole new on-trend level, then lay them vertically! Why not try Beaumonts white subways to the walls with a contrasting charcoal grout to really accentuate the shape. And because the tiles also line up with the edges of your wall and floor this layout is perfect for a DIY project, especially if it’s your first time.

Horizontal Herringbone

One of the most striking and effective tile patterns for any wall or floor, big or small is herringbone. Perfect for when you want to spice up your space, this pattern is achieved by laying slim rectangular tiles at a 45-degree angle in a V-shape to create a zig-zag or ‘fishbone’ effect. If you’re tiling a wall, the first thing to decide is whether your pattern will run across the wall, or up and down it. If you’re tiling a floor, think about the direction of the room you want to highlight. Do you want to accentuate the length or width of your space?

If you love the herringbone look, but you aren't quite ready to start cutting and laying tiles at 45 degrees, we have some great herringbone mosaic sheets in a range of styles - perfect for DIY tiling but do not compromise on the traditional style and design.

Double Herringbone

As the name suggests, the double herringbone laying pattern involves two tiles at a time - an extraordinary way of elevating the original striking herringbone pattern. Slightly more complex than the standard herringbone pattern, we suggest using a tiler to install your tiles in a double herringbone pattern.  

Just like standard herringbone, double herringbone can be laid horizontally or 45-degree - the choice is yours! 

Offset or Staggered Brick Bond

This pattern choice is the best option for any rectangular tile larger than 300x600 and produces a softer and more natural look.

Tiles are laid out in rows whereby each row offsets by at least one quarter instead of half. Any type of offset between 25-33% works for this pattern and sizes over 300x600.

Staggered brick bond is great if you are looking to lay timber-look tiles in a traditional way as it gives the most realistic timber floor appearance.

Timber-look tiles also look great in herringbone and stepladder patterns.

Vertical Brick Bond 

Like all vertical laying patterns, choose the vertical brick bond pattern when your goal is to make your room feel taller. This pattern is beautiful in larger tiles as pictured here but also works with smaller subway tiles.

If you are hoping to avoid making the room too busy, however, we would recommend using this pattern with larger tiles, or create a small feature with coloured subway tiles and use plain, lighter colour tiles for the rest of the wall.

Just a note, for any rectangular tile larger than 300x600 we recommend a vertical staggered brick bond.

Vertical Stack Alternating 

This laying pattern packs a punch! As you can see from the image of Kyal & Kara's family laundry, they chose a smaller subway tile and relied on this laying pattern to add detail. 

The smaller the tile, the busier this pattern will make your space so keep that in mind and choose your wall tiles accordingly! Of course if you only have a small space to tile such as a splashback, you can have fun with a smaller sized tile and your grout colour.

French Pattern

At first glance, French Pattern may look random, but over time the intricate pattern and careful planning become apparent. Using four different sizes of tiles, this modular pattern is popular for outdoor areas and is often seen with travertine tiles. This pattern often comes as part of an already predetermined pack of modular tiles.

Random Colours

With a random pattern, simply mix different colours of the same tile and arrange as randomly as you like. A random colour mix works fantastically well with subway tiles and especially hexagons - even on floors!

Chevron

Chevron is another close relative of herringbone, but with a small change that makes a big difference to the overall effect. Instead of using purely rectangular tiles, the ends of each tile in this pattern meet the sides at a 45 degree or 30-degree angle. This parallelogram shape creates a more angular and unique layout.

Remember when you’re planning your tile layout, it’s always a good idea to “dry lay” your tiles before sticking them down to make sure you’re 100% happy with the results.

Be sure to share your layout ideas with any of our expert staff when choosing your tiles. Depending on the pattern and tiles you choose we can help you plan out the quantities you need, the cuts and anything else you need for a job you’ll love for many years to come.

Mixed Sizes & Shapes

Another option for adding WOW factor or a point of difference in your design is by mixing sizes. For example, a lot of our smaller tile ranges come in multiple size options such as our Devonshire Superwhite Structured Gloss range which is available in a 150x150mm & 150x75mm size. Order the two and ask your tiler to mix them up as they are laid. You can create your own pattern that's slightly considered or just leave it to be completely random but we recommend you dry lay your mixed size pattern before it's laid. 

If you've fallen in love with a rectified tile that's only available in the one size, ask if your tiler can cut them at random sizes for a funky pattern - we wouldn't advise doing this if your tile has an uneven, handmade look to it as the cut edges will be clean and won't have the uneven edges to them.

It’s also possible to create patterns that mix tiles that are of different sizes and shapes. Because of the added level of intricacy, these patterns are often most effective on larger floors like in living rooms or outdoors. That said, they can also make great features if you get the proportions right.