Tiling Patterns: 5 Things You Should Know

Installing tiles is a great way to enhance the overall aesthetic look of your place. Using one of the many tiling patterns can even further improve the look. Herringbone and Penrose are some of the most used layout options.

This article will teach you the complete procedure for setting out your tiles in a Herringbone design. You will also learn how to create a Penrose design and tile around corners and windows effectively.

How to Set Out a Herringbone Pattern, step by step:

To set your tiles in a herringbone pattern, first find the center point of the surface. Mark the center point on a piece of cardboard and use it to establish a layout. Place a square at a 45-degree angle adjacent to the center mark and lay the first tile along with it. Now start laying tiles at 90 degrees from the first tile, cutting tiles where necessary.

Setting out a herringbone tiling pattern isn’t a complicated task if you follow some simple steps:

● Step 1: Find the Center Point

The first step is to find the center point of the surface. Measure the surface length and divide the number by two and draw a straight line at the given point. Similarly, measure the width of the surface and divide it in half. Draw a straight line at the given measurement, and the point where both lines intersect each other is the center point.

● Step 2: Establish the Layout

Before fixing tiles on the surface, it’s recommended to establish a complete layout by doing a dry test to avoid errors. Since establishing a layout on the wall is quite tricky without the adhesive, lay the tiles on the ground before placing them on the wall. Place a piece of cardboard onto a benchtop and mark the center point from the wall on the cardboard.

Now place a square near the center mark, adjacent to the wall at a 45-degree angle, and lay the first tile along the square in such a way that its corners are lined up with the center mark. Then place the next tile along with the first tile at a 90 degrees angle. Repeat this procedure until you need to cut your first tile.

● Step 3: Mark Tiles to Cut

When placing the tiles for a dry test, make sure to put spacers between the tiles and mark the tiles that need cutting. Using chalk or pencil, draw a line on the tile with a ruler, marking where it needs to be cut. Then cut the tiles on the mark using a tile cutter.

Leave marks on the tiles to help you remember the sequence of how they will lay on the actual surface.

● Step 4: Apply Adhesive

The surface is ready for tiling. Mix the thin-set carefully according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After two or three mixings, the thin-set is ready, and you can move to the next step.

Spread the adhesive evenly on the surface using a trowel, level the adhesive using the flat edge of the trowel. Remove any excess and lay the first tile on the wall surface so that its corner is lined up with the center mark. Then place the next tiles with spacers between them to maintain equal grout joints. Push the tiles into the surface to make sure that they stick into the adhesive and tape the top and bottom end of tiles using painter’s tape to secure them in place.

If you need to cut the tiles from the corners, you can use a grinder instead of the tile cutter. Hold the tiles firmly and cut them using the angle grinder, and sand the corners smooth using sandpaper.

The thin-set usually takes 24 hours to dry. After 24 hours, remove the spacers and painter’s tape and mix the grout if it’s not premixed. Apply the grout between the joints and let it dry. Then clean the surface of the tiles using a damp sponge to eliminate any adhesive and grout on the tiles.

Tiling Herringbone Wall, some helpful tips:

Dry fit the tiles on the wall and lay the first tile at a 45-degree angle with its corner at the center point. Place the following tiles at a 90-degree angle adjacent to the first tile and continue to do so until you reach the edge of the wall. Sometimes, at the corners or at the end of the surface, the general tile size can’t be fitted. Cut it according to the given space with a cutter and place it in the gap.

Tiling a herringbone pattern on the wall provides a more aesthetic look to your place. When choosing the tiles, ensure that tiles have a rectangular shape, with half the length. Before installing tiles on the wall, you need to find the center point of the wall. Find the height and width of the wall and divide the measurements in half. Draw two straight lines using the measurements, and where both lines intersect is the center of the wall.

In order to cut these tiles properly, mark them using a pencil and cut them using a cutter or angle grinder. When cutting the tiles, number them to help you remember the order of tiles in the pattern.

Lastly, prepare the adhesive by mixing it with water and apply it to the wall surface evenly, using a trowel. Level the adhesive over the wall and start laying tiles on the wall surface, starting from the center. After placing all the tiles in order, wait until the adhesive dries. The adhesive will take 24 hours to dry, so after 24 hours, remove the spacers and apply the grout between the tile joints.

How to Make a Penrose Pattern, some helpful tips:

One general rule to make a Penrose pattern in tiling is labeling the corners using two different colors. Do this in such a way that the fitting edges corners are the same color. Similarly, you can also make a Penrose pattern by drawing arcs and joining the arcs of the same color at the edges.

● Tiling Penrose Pattern: periodic and aperiodic

There are two types of tiling patterns, periodic and aperiodic. A periodic tiling pattern is defined as setting tiles in the same manner at regular intervals. An aperiodic tiling pattern refers to setting tiles in a non-specific manner on the surface, like Penrose tiling. No matter how these tiles are arranged, periodic tiling cannot be achieved.

Penrose tiling can be achieved in a number of ways. One way is to arrange many tiles using a matching rule. Following this rule, you will reach a point where no further matching will be possible, and then you need to follow another rule.

● Tiling Penrose Pattern: the substitution method

You can also make a Penrose design by following the substitution method, which basically means tiling the surface using four different triangles and then substituting larger triangle tiles with smaller ones by cutting the larger tiles.

● Tiling Penrose Pattern: kites and dart-shaped tiles

The kites and dart-shaped tiles can also be used for tiling in a Penrose style. When these tiles are put together, they form an aperiodic pattern on the surface. The rule for joining the kite and dart-shaped tiles is to color the corners of the tiles using two different colors. Then lay the corners of the same shape together so that the corners of the same color go together.

When tiling in a Penrose design, the best approach is to lay the first tile at the center of the surface and then start fixing tiles around the first tile, expanding radially outward. Lay the kites and dart shape tiles according to the requirement, and then at the corners, fix the unforced tiles. Continue tiling in the same way, and you will end up tiling in a non-periodic Penrose pattern.

Tiling Brick Pattern Around Corners, some helpful tips:

In general, dry-fit the tiles on the surface with spacers between them to see how much of the tiles need to be cut. If you need to cut more than half of the tiles to place them at the corners, adjust the starting tile position. Repeat the same process vertically and shift the position of tiles vertically to adjust full or more than half tiles at the corners.

Before mixing the adhesive and placing tiles on the surface, design a complete layout to ensure that your surface is prepared for tiling. Slide the straightedge over the surface to see if it’s level. Find the low spots on the surface and fill them using a compound filler. For the high spots, grind them with the angle grinder to level them with the surface.  

If the tiles you choose are 8 inches wide, shift the starting line 2 inches off-center and draw a straight vertical line 4 inches from the first line. Adjusting the layout in this manner increases the width of the corner tiles; thus, creating a more aesthetically pleasing look.

When the surface is ready for tiling, prepare the mortar, spread it over the surface using a trowel, and remove any excess thin-set from the surface with the flat edge of the trowel. Place the first tile at the starting point over the adhesive and complete the whole row in the same manner. Push the tiles into the surface and move the tiles slightly back and forth to make the substrate adhere the tiles to the required spot.

Tiling Brick Pattern Around Window, some helpful tips:

In general, install support for the tiles before placing them. This prevents the tiles from slipping when the thin-set dries.  Begin your project by placing tiles from the bottom corner of the window and continue adhering the tiles up to the left side of the window. Cut the tiles where necessary and fit them around a window. Move towards the top of the window and place tiles in a row to establish a straight line above the window. Ensure that the tile joints are in line with each other and maintain an equal distance between all the tiles.

Tiling around windows adds a beautiful look to any place, but it is the most difficult part of tiling. For a good result, planning the job is essential.

Before installing tiles, prepare the surface by filling any holes and cracks with filler and remove any loose paint or wallpaper. Smooth the surface using sandpaper and clear it from any dust and debris using a damp sponge. Wait until the surface is dry and apply painter’s tape at the edges of the window. This prevents the mortar from ruining the surrounding surfaces.