9 Types of Floor Tile Patterns To Consider

9 Types of Floor Tile Patterns for Your Tallahassee Home

When you’re remodeling your home and choosing tile for your kitchen or bathroom floor, one big decision you’ll have is deciding what type of floor tile you want. Porcelain or ceramic? or maybe Natural stone?

But an equally important decision when it comes to what your floor will look like is choosing the right floor tile pattern.

There are a lot of options including mosaic tiles, that come pre-cut on a sheet. In this post though we want to go over floor tile patterns that can be created from simple shapes.  Most of these pattern can be created from combining square and rectangular tiles. 

Popular Floor Tile Patterns in Tallahassee

Number 1: The Diagonal Floor Pattern

• • Tiles are laid at a 45-degree angle to one another
  • Adds interest and movement to the floor
  • Makes the room appear larger by shifting focus to the tile spread

If you’re using square tiles, you could lay them straight in the room…or you could add more interest to the space by laying them at a diagonal.

For this look, tiles are laid at 45-degree angles to one another. This design adds a sense of movement to the space and makes the room seem bigger.

It shifts your focus to the tile spread and your eyes follow the lines to the corners of the room. It also lends the room a more modern feel than laying the tiles straight. Our tile vendor Bedrosians Tile has lots of options to chose from. 

These floor tiles were made to create a diagonal pattern but you can acheive the same look with two square tiles of different color. 

Number 2: The Octagonal with Dots Pattern

• • Similar to diagonal pattern, but adds accent tiles at intersections
  • Creates a focal point between tiles
  • Breaks up the criss-cross pattern

This style uses octagonally-shaped tiles and smaller accent tiles. It’s a similar pattern to the diagonal layout, but it adds accent tiles at all the intersections.

The accent tiles serve as focal points between the octagonal tiles, making the layout more interesting.

This design is fun and dynamic. Because the accent tiles contrast with the octagonal tiles, the common criss-cross tile floor design is absent here.

White octagonal tile with a black square ‘dot’ in between them is a classic look. 

Number 3: The Basketweave Pattern

• • Rectangular tiles appear like the texture of a woven basket
  • Ideal for natural stone tiles
  • Best for small spaces

This design is for rectangular tiles. They’re laid in such a way that they appear to be the texture of a woven basket (two or three tiles stacked horizontally, and then the next two or three vertically).

This layout is visually interesting and appealing, and it works especially well with natural stone tiles. Because it’s a fairly busy pattern, it’s best for small spaces.

Classic basketweave mosaic tile.

This pattern can be mimmiced with rectangular tiles. 

Number 4: The Windmill Pattern

• • 4 rectangular tiles surrounding a square tile resembles a spinning windmill
  • Excellent as a border pattern or back-splash
  • Use a 2:1 length-width ratio for rectangular tiles; the square should equal rectangle width
  • Try a darker tile for the rectangle center for eye-catching accent

This layout is especially interesting. You begin with a square tile and then surround it on all four sides with rectangular tiles that resemble the spinning arms of a windmill.

This design is excellent as a border pattern around your floor (or even as a backsplash!). You’ll want to use a 2:1 length-to-width ratio for the rectangular tiles to get a perfect fit.

The sides of the square tile should be equal to the width of the rectangular tile. For an eye-catching accent, try using a darker tile for the center square. This pattern is fun and complex–give it a try.

Windmill pattern created with 1 square and 4 rectagular tiles. 

Number 5: The Pinwheel Pattern

• • Larger tile should be roughly double the size of small tiles
  • Stick to 2 colors to give visual accent and avoid busy appearance
  • Excellent way to combine different types of tile for a dynamic look

A similar–but more complicated–version of the windmill pattern, the pinwheel uses two square tiles next to a rectangular tile.

Put together, the two small squares and the long rectangle form a single square. This square is rotated as it is laid so a complex pattern emerges.

Keep in mind that for this layout to work, the larger tile needs to be the size of the two smaller ones combined. Stick to two colors of tile to give the design accents but also avoid a too-busy appearance.

This is an excellent way to combine different types of tiles for a lively and dynamic look.

Number 6: The Checkerboard Pattern

This pattern is exactly what it sounds like: you alternate two different tile colors in a checkerboard pattern.

The result is eye-catching and classic. You can use a straight-lay pattern or a diagonal layout, depending on how much movement you want.

Make sure to keep the rest of the room’s color patterns simple and complementary to the tile, so you don’t overwhelm the space.

Checkboard pattern can be done in different colors to create a different feel. 

A running bond or ‘brick’ pattern with a 50/50 overlap

Number 7: The Running Bond Pattern

• • Tiles are laid in rows, with the tile seams offset from the row above
  • Resembles the pattern of a brick or stone wall
  • Excellent for hiding uneven surfaces and other imperfect errors by creating a unified appearance

Also called stagger layouts or “brick” pattern, in this classic and appealing pattern the tiles are laid in rows with the tile seams offset from the row above.

The result is a pattern like you’d find on a brick wall. You can offset the tiles by ½ the length of the tile, ⅓ the length, etc… or even stagger them randomly depending on the look you’re going for.

This design is excellent for hiding uneven surfaces and other imperfections by creating a unified appearance.

Number 8: The Zig-Zag or Herringbone Pattern

• • Places rectangular tiles on a perpendicular arrangement to one another for a zig-zag look
  • Can make a small or narrow room or hallway look larger
  • Avoid using in large rooms as it can be very busy

In this design, rectangular tiles are used, and each one is placed perpendicular to the one next to it, leading to a stairstep or zig-zag look.

This layout can make small, narrow rooms and hallways look larger–which can be especially good in bathrooms.

But when used in large rooms, the effect can be rather busy. It’s an intricate and lovely design that will always be on-trend.

A running bond or ‘brick’ pattern with a 50/50 overlap

Number 9: The Modular Patterns

• • Uses 4 different sizes of tiles for a “controlled chaos” appearance
  • Attractive to the eye with a graceful elegance—both classic and modern
  • Great for use outdoors with natural stone tiles
  • Look for tile kits that have been specifically designed for this layout

Also known as the French Lay or Versailles design, this layout uses four different sizes of tiles for a “controlled chaos” appearance.

Large, medium, and small tiles are arranged in a design that looks random but is actually well-planned. It’s a great choice for outdoor areas with natural stone tiles.

You can get tile kits that are specifically designed for this type of layout, which makes the design easy to implement.

‘French Lay’ tile patterns are often done with natural stone tiles. 

Popular Choices for Your Tallahassee Home

Any of these patterns could be the right choice for your home. If you need help making a decision, talk to your contractor about your personal preferences, your home’s style, and what look you’re going for.

Or come check out our showroom to see tile options in person and discuss the best layout. We serve Tallahassee, Florida neighborhoods like Killearn Lakes, Golden Eagle, and more. 

Great, on-trend tile choices for your Tallahassee home include:

• large rectangular tiles that look like wood, laid in a running bond pattern.
• large square tiles in either a diagonal or straight pattern.
• the Herringbone pattern with tiles made to look like rustic bricks.
• a modular pattern with monochromatic tiles.

This Lakeshore whole home remodel showcases many of these styles if you want to see them in action. Or check out this kitchen update.

If you see something you like, give us a call. We’d love to help you remodel your kitchen, bathroom, basement, or whole home, and make it the perfect place for your family.