Whether you’re looking to re-tile your home or simply give your space a refresh, there are a number of interesting tile styles and shapes you can consider to give your home a unique look. Whether you’re partial to ceramic, glass, stone, or another material, tiles for your home or wholesale tiles, we’ve outlined four of the most popular tile shapes and styles for you to considerfor your next tiling project.
1. Mosaic Tiles Mosaic tiles have a rich history rooted in the ancient world and continue to be a popular choice of tile today. They can be found in a wide variety of colours and textures and can be used as beautiful accent tiles in any room of your home. Traditionally, mosaic tiles take the form of small squares measuring about 2” square or smaller, going down to 0.5” square. Given their small size, they can be extremely versatile and used to create several patterns for borders or even tiled murals, which can serve as a work of art. Using mosaic tiles to create borders can help define zones within your home, and opting to create a mural can serve as a beautiful focal point. Mosaic tiles are also great for creating texture given the prominence of their grout lines, which can be coloured to blend in or stand out depending on your preference.
2. Subway Tiles These tiles were en vogue in the early 20th century when they were used to line the walls of New York City subway stations. Since then, these tiles have become ubiquitous throughout homes and commercial spaces because of their simplicity, versatility and understated elegance. A standard rectangular tile, subway tiles usually come in widths of 1″, 2″, 3″ and 4″, with lengths of 4″, 6″, 8″, and 12″. While they are traditionally used for wall tiling, namely within kitchens and bathrooms, they can also be used for flooring applications. Given the versatility of this tile, different patterns can be created for stacking tiles for a contemporary look, alternating grout lines for a classic look, or opting for a herringbone pattern for an elegant look.
3. Square Tiles The most common tile shape, square tiles come in many standard sizes including: 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 12″, 16″, 18″, and 24″ square. Larger square tiles are great for floor applications, so long as they’re 6” or larger, and great for wall applications as long as you opt for a smaller size. Square tiles also have the advantage of being extremely easy to work with since they have no orientation. This makes it easy to mix these tiles with other styles, as well as calculate how many you need for your space.
4. Penny Tiles The penny, or circle, tile is a relatively modern tile design that is quickly growing in popularity. Originally popular in the early 20th century in black and white patterns, the penny tile has made a comeback and is now available in a wide selection of colours, materials, and finishes. This style of tile is easy to install, economical, and an especially good choice if you’re looking to tile curved walls. This is because these tiles come installed to a sheet that’s easily maneuverable. Given their small size and curved edges, they do require more mortar and grout than other tile shapes, but this also means that they’re more visually interesting as well as slip-resistant (which is important if you’re using them for your bathroom floor!) compared to other tiles.
Whether you’re partial to any (or all) tiles on this list, or have another style in mind – such as hardwood flooring – be sure to contact the experts at your local tile supplier to find the best tiles for your home.
