Ceramic floor tile can visually expand narrow rooms, elongate wide rooms, and hide a room’s imperfections, if you simply use the right pattern. Ceramic floor tile also uniquely offers wide versatility in how your floor is installed, a versatility not possible in other flooring options. Imagine how any of the the following 15 patterns can transform your project and protect your investment.
1. Straight Lay Floor Tile Pattern
Because of its simplicity, the straight lay tile pattern blends easily with a room’s other design patterns, giving you maximum flexibility to mix and match with any type, color, or texture of ceramic floor tile. Choose a monochromatic scheme for a clean and straightforward appearance or use the straight lay tile pattern to highlight a more decorative tile design. The straight lay pattern complements any tile size, from mini-grid mosaics to large-format panels, and is the perfect match for ceramic tile that looks like natural stone.
2. Diagonal Grid Floor Tile Pattern
The diagonal grid tile pattern turns the straight lay tile pattern on its head 45 degrees, shifting the focus of any small room with the pattern’s widening angles. If you want a little more visual interest with the same ease of installation as the straight lay tile pattern, the diagonal grid tile pattern will do the trick. Use this arrangement to open up a tiny bathroom, expand a smaller kitchen, or create flow-like movement through a straight hallway.
3. Running Bond Floor Tile Pattern
Draw eyes away from minor flaws in a room with the running bond tile pattern. Simple to install yet visually stunning, this staggered configuration is often used to help hide crooked walls or to break up the pattern of existing decor. You can also tilt the pattern at a 45 degree angle to give your flooring an intentional “traffic” flow.
Running bond floor tile patterns use a 33 to 50 percent row offset from tile to tile. (Note: a 50 percent offset is often called “brickwork.”) Using wood-look ceramic floor tile, these irregular offsets create a look indistinguishable from hardwood but with all the benefits of ceramic floor tile’s waterproof, stain, scratch, and fade resistant features. Discuss your ideas with a WhyTile flooring expert to ensure you end up with the look you want.
[Related: The Complete Guide to Kitchen Floor Tile]
4. Checkerboard Floor Tile Pattern
The checkerboard floor tile pattern is a timeless and versatile option that can equally complement a modern farmhouse, classic revival, ranch redo, or urban loft. The black and white version of this ceramic flooring design is classic. Mix it up by installing your pattern on a diagonal, offsetting the grid slightly, adding bold colors, or simply checkerboarding the same floor tile with two different finishes (matte and gloss). All you need are two different floor tiles of the same size!
5. Chevron Floor Tile Pattern
The chevron floor tile pattern forms a zigzag design by combining rectangular floor tiles into angled ends. This is a beautiful choice for elongating or widening angles in a space. Like the running bond floor tile pattern, the chevron pattern can carry your line of sight along an intended path or toward a focal point.
Despite its intricate appearance, the installation of the chevron floor tile pattern is quite simple and only requires one tile size and type. For a more dramatic look, you could alternate floor tiles with different colors for each V shape to create a striped zigzag.
6. Herringbone Floor Tile Pattern
The difference between the chevron floor tile pattern and the herringbone floor tile pattern lies in the zigzag — the chevron floor tile pattern has an uninterrupted zigzag and the herringbone floor tile zigzag is offset because the ends are not angled.
The herringbone floor tile pattern creates a V-shaped design by placing rectangular tiles in alternating 45 degree angles. This flooring pattern features widening angles that work well in smaller rooms, but the numerous grout lines may seem overwhelming in larger spaces. Like the chevron floor tile pattern, this tile design can purposefully lead you through a space. Enjoy the ability to create fairly intricate-looking floor designs with one tile shape and size!
7. Octagon and Dot (Diamond) Floor Tile Pattern
The octagon and dot (diamond) floor tile pattern has been popular since before the Victorian era as a mosaic tile design. Today, octagon and dot mosaics are available on sheets for ease of installation and you will see large-scale octagon and dot floor tile patterns more often in larger spaces.
Like with the checkerboard tile pattern, the black and white octagon and dot combination is most classic. Try these variations to create a unique look: Reverse the dominant color (black octagons and white dots), change the tile colors altogether, use the same color for both tile shapes, or use a contrasting colored grout.
[Related: Black and White Tile Designs for Every Space]
8. Basketweave Floor Tile Pattern
The basketweave pattern gets its name from baskets woven from fibers at 90 degree angles. Rectangular or square floor tiles forming this pattern creates a beautiful feature and focal point. This pattern is especially impressive on a wall or across the entire surface of a floor and can be achieved with large or small tiles (although large tiles show off the design and craftsmanship of the pattern). The basketweave floor tile pattern looks complicated, but it’s simply a trick of the eye and is rather straightforward to install.
9. Diamond Rug Floor Tile Pattern
The tile rug pattern creates the illusion of a rug in tile flooring. The diamond rug floor tile pattern is the most popular. This design inserts a bordered diamond grid into the surrounding tile pattern (usually a basic straight grid) to resemble a rug.
The diamond rug pattern is great for differentiating certain spaces in your home or creating a unique focal point. Consider this floor tile pattern for entryways to mark the change from outdoor to indoor space, as well as hallways, living rooms, and bathrooms (we love this pattern on a shower flooring tile or wall).
10. Crosshatch Floor Tile Pattern
The crosshatch floor tile pattern shares the complex broken grid look of the herringbone floor tile pattern, but is much less overwhelming on large floor spaces.
To create this design, lay pairs (or multiples) of alternating stacks of tiles in a perpendicular pattern. For large floor spaces, increase the number of tiles in each stake. This flooring design also creates a natural flow of leading occupants into the next rooms.
This is a simple installation process requiring only one size and shape of tile.
11. Windmill Floor Tile Pattern
The windmill floor tile pattern is formed using four rectangular tiles to create a frame around a center square tile. You can use this floor tile pattern in a wide range of sizes. Mosaic windmills are attention grabbers and are best suited to smaller areas, such as bathroom tile, paired with a simple decor scheme. Many manufacturers are now mounting mosaic windmill patterns on strips and sheets, making them much easier to install.
Large-scale windmill patterns offer excellent opportunities to showcase unique tiles, such as tile printed with a Mexican Talavera design. Use the unique tile in the center position and monochromatic rectangular tiles to frame it.
[Related: Colorful Bathroom Floor Tile Ideas]
12. Hopscotch Floor Tile Pattern
The hopscotch floor tile pattern is made up of a combination of large and small square floor tiles that create a playful, interlocking design. Stick with a consistent color scheme to give the pattern itself all the attention, or center the design by using a contrasting tile color for the small squares. You can also introduce rectangles into this grid for a modified hopscotch tile pattern. See our tile layout pattern template for reference.
This floor tile layout requires some careful planning. We suggest that you lay out the entire area (dry fit without adhesive) before installing so that you can see how the pattern will work in your space.
13. Vertical and Horizontal Grid Floor Tile Patterns
A straight grid using vertical or horizontal rectangles creates a modern, minimalist surface that works equally as well in large-format ceramic tile as it does mosaics. The simplicity and elegance of this tile pattern make it ideal for tiles with texture. Color plays a significant role when using this grid, shifting easily from serene to dramatic depending on the color choice. Using verticals or horizontals in a straight grid installation gives one of the easiest installation patterns pizazz without complexity.
14. Corridor Floor Tile Pattern
The corridor floor tile pattern is named because of the repeating “walkways” that it creates. This is basically a floor tile pattern that is divided by columns of smaller rectangular or square tiles. You can make each “corridor” into divisible tile sizes for the creative example we’ve shown. If you want an interesting backdrop for a monochromatic color scheme, you’ll find a friend in this tile design.
15. Parquet … Surprise! Floor Tile “Pattern”
This intricate floor pattern is actually created in large-format square ceramic tiles (in this flooring example, they are laid in a diamond grid pattern). This classic, exquisite look is achieved through a manufacturing advancement that bakes the texture and tones of wood into the ceramic tile.
Of the many advantages of ceramic floor tile, its durability and to stand up to wear without damage is one of their best — no high heel dents like you might see in traditional wood floors! Ceramic floor tile is highly resistant to scratches and scrapes and won’t fade from the sun (confidently redecorate and move your furniture around). Additionally, you can use this look in every room of your home, including the bathroom and kitchen, where water-prone wood dares not to go. (Also note in this photo the vertical grid pattern on the wall with ceramic floor tile wood-look panels.)
Ceramic tile brings easy elegance and durability to any room. Choose one of these popular floor tile patterns or go for your own unique design — only ceramic tile gives you such wide options to express your personality. Reference our template of tile layout patterns for additional patterns and then add your personal touch for a beautiful, durable floor that will stand up to years under your feet.
For more tips on floor tile selection and planning your project, download our Tile Buying Guide. If your project involves tile for a kitchen or bathroom floor, also enjoy our special guides on ceramic kitchen tile and ceramic bathroom tile.
