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Original Ceramic tiles showcase handmade qualities with unique variations in color, crazing, and finish.

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2024 residential full usage 4x4 terre verte satin red jasper satin indigo satin 2x2 red jasper satin bathroom checkerboard straight set 6x12 cove base indigo satin Pluck Architecture Leonid Furmansky FC796720 2

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Visualize our tile in your space with our comprehensive design packages.

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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
Blog
  • All Blog Posts
  • Design + Inspiration
  • Project Spotlight
  • Tile School
Gallery
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Where Color Meets Craft Original Ceramic Tile

Where Color Meets Craft: Reintroducing Original Ceramic Tile

See Featured Blog →
New traditional bathroom floor subway green tile 3

Nicholas Potts: Historic Primary Bathroom

See Featured Gallery →
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  3. Tile School: Grout Lines and Tile Patterns

Know Before You Buy

Tile School: Grout Lines and Tile Patterns

By Kali Gibson

3X6   Tile   Whitewash

So you’ve chosen your perfect tile, and found a beautiful pattern to install it in–now let’s talk about grout lines. Although this detail may seem small, using the correct grout joint size is crucial to a successful installation, and since you’ll be looking at your tile for years to come you’ll want to ensure that your install is as perfect as possible!

For standard patterns like offset or straight set, we recommend a 3/16” grout joint size. If you’d like a tighter install,1/8" is the absolute minimum size we suggest. However, if you want to install a more intricate pattern like parquet or herringbone, you may have to use a larger grout line.

Grout Lines Tile Patterns Herringbone Wine Cellar

Tile: 2x6 Halite | Design: HIR Architecture | Image: Kevin Scott, HIR Architecture

Our conversion factors use the standard 3/16” grout joint size to calculate the amount of tile for an order, and we always recommend that you order 15-20% overage or attic stock to ensure that you don’t run out of tile. If you choose to proceed with a smaller grout joint than we recommend, we strongly advise you to add an additional 2-3% overage to the recommended 15-20% to cover cuts and waste.

If you want to be on the extra safe side, don’t hesitate to add a little more to your order. Tile layout circumstances vary widely and all calculations are estimates, so we can’t always guarantee you will have enough tile for your unique installation.

Have a look at this beautiful bathroom by Claire Thomas in our 3x9 tiles below for reference. You can see that for the parquet pattern, the grout line is not significantly larger than the vertically stacked pattern next to it; the size of the grout line just gives the tile the right amount of room to create a clean, even parquet.

Grout Lines Tile Patterns Parquet Shower

Tile: 3x9 Daisy + Sea Glass | Design: Claire Thomas | Image: Stephanie Todaro Photography

It's important to remember that because our tiles are handmade with recycled materials, they’re not modular; with handmade tiles, sizing is variable. A wider grout line may be required in certain patterns for the width of the tile to fit within the length of the tile.

Whether you’re installing your tile yourself or working with an installer, it’s important to review our Tile Specification and Installation Guides as grout lines vary between our materials. Read more about what grout lines we recommend for our different materials here.

Grout Lines Tile Patterns White Herringbone Backsplash

Tile: 2x8 White Wash | Design: Brownstone Boys | Image: Brownstone Boys, Bridget Badore

Below is an installation of 2x6 tiles set in a herringbone pattern. If you look closely you can see that the grout line varies between roughly a 3/16 and 1/8 grout line to adjust to the tile size. The 3/16 grout line is by no means thick and leaves a perfect amount of room for the natural variation of the size of the tiles.

This is also an example of a very clean, well-done installation. When looking for a tile installer, be sure to ask if they have experience with installing handmade tile to ensure you're happy with the final result.

Grout Lines Tile Patterns Grey Herringbone

Tile: 2x6 Mist

You can see in the bathroom floor install below that grout lines had to be expanded to accommodate a timeless subway tile parquet pattern.

Grout Lines Tile Patterns Parquet Bathroom Floor

Tile: 3x6 French Linen | Design: Alison Designs Co. | Image: Luke Gibson

Grout lines can be an elemental part of your design in the best way–not only are they good for your tile, but they’re also a great way to show off the pattern of your choosing. If you've opted to go for a pattern like herringbone, parquet, or basketweave, make sure to keep the grout line in mind.

Grout Lines Tile Patterns Basketweave Floor

Tile: 6x12 Morning Thaw + Sea Glass, 3x3 Hunter Green | Design: Hudson & Sterling | Image: Stylish Detroit

If you’re worried about the pattern being too bold with a wider line, just go for a grout color that most closely matches the color tile you've chosen. Using tonal grout can help disguise wide grout lines or joints that are slightly different sizes.

Have more questions about grout? Learn how to choose the right grout size for your tile here, or discover how to choose the right grout color for your tile here. But most importantly, know that we're here to help and advise you if you have any questions along the way!

Grout Lines Tile Patterns Purple Herringbone Bathroom

Tile: 3x12 Evening Glow | Design: Erin Fetherston | Image: Elizabeth Messina | Installer: Hoopes Vineyard

Contact Us For Free Design Assistance

We’d love to help you design your dream installation with free samples, renderings, estimates, and more. Fill out the form below and one of our friendly tile experts will be in touch shortly.

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    Lead 2017 Img Hi Res Rights Q4 Karen Tsay Personal David Tsay Photo Kitchen Backsplash Padma Black And White Motif French Linen 3X6 Foundations Offset Backsplash Fc203681 4 2

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