Material ledger / Format & setting out
Geometry before grout
A pattern is a network of joints, edges and cuts. Choose that network with the room in view, not just the centre of a sample board.
03 / Read the geometryTile shapes influence how a surface is read and how it is installed. A simple square can look quiet with matching grout or highly graphic with contrasting joints. A complex mosaic can appear almost continuous from a distance if the colours are close. Size alone does not determine visual busyness.
Before ordering, draw the actual room and include doors, drains, outlets, niches and exposed ends. Use the product's working size and planned joint width, not just its nominal label. A small difference repeated across a wall can change the position of the final cut.
Stacked grids: calm, but not forgiving
Aligned square or rectangular tiles create continuous horizontal and vertical joints. This makes the layout legible and can complement simple cabinetry. It also makes drift easy to see. Uneven corners, inconsistent tile sizes or a wall that is not square become more apparent when the eye can trace one uninterrupted line.
A vertical stack changes the direction of emphasis without changing the material. Long narrow rectangles may encourage the eye upward, but this is a visual tendency, not a promise that a room will appear taller. Review the relationship to the mirror, window head and countertop before deciding on orientation.
Offset rectangles: check the tile's curvature
Running-bond layouts stagger the ends of adjacent courses. They can soften the appearance of a rigid grid and work well with familiar brick-like proportions. The offset must still suit the actual tile. Long rectangles may have allowable curvature, and placing one tile's high centre beside another's lower end can make lippage more noticeable.
Follow the manufacturer and relevant installation guidance rather than assuming that a half offset is suitable. A smaller offset may be recommended for a particular product. Joint width, substrate flatness and installation tolerances all interact; levelling clips are not a substitute for a correctly prepared surface.
On a splashback, look closely at the last piece in each course and the return around corners. Alternating slivers can undermine an otherwise balanced layout. A dry layout or dimensioned drawing makes these issues visible before adhesive is mixed.
Herringbone and chevron: similar movement, different parts
Herringbone uses rectangular pieces meeting at right angles. Chevron uses angled ends that meet to form a continuous point. They are not interchangeable names, and standard rectangles do not become a true chevron without the necessary cuts or purpose-made pieces.
Both introduce strong direction and can draw attention to a feature wall or a floor axis. They also create perimeter cuts that need careful planning. Ask the installer to identify the pattern's centreline, starting point and termination details, especially where the layout passes through a doorway.
A bold directional pattern can compete with veining, multi-coloured cabinetry or strongly patterned worktops. If the geometry is meant to lead, a quieter face and a restrained grout contrast often make the result easier to read. Test a panel large enough to show several repeats rather than a single attractive junction.
Mosaics and hexagons: count the joints
Small squares, penny rounds and hexagons create a fine-grained field with many joints. This can be visually rich and may help a layout follow certain formed or sloped surfaces, where the product and assembly permit. More joints can also mean more areas to collect soap residue, cooking deposits or outdoor dirt.
Sheet-mounted mosaics save handling time but do not eliminate setting-out work. Gaps between sheets must blend with gaps inside each sheet. Check several sheets together for colour distribution, piece alignment and obvious repeating seams. Circular pieces are especially revealing where one sheet is spaced slightly differently from the next.
Hexagonal tiles introduce angled perimeter cuts and junctions that do not align like a square grid. Around fittings and corners, these cuts can be intricate. Ask to see how the pattern will finish at a visible threshold or an open wall edge, not only across an uninterrupted field.
Large formats: fewer lines, higher preparation demands
Large tiles can make a surface feel more continuous, but a room does not become calm merely because the joints are farther apart. Strong printed veining, bookmatching, gloss and visible perimeter cuts can be more dominant than grout frequency.
Large pieces also demand appropriate handling and substrate preparation. In a shower, the drain design and slope geometry must be compatible with the format. A small central point drain and intersecting slopes may require envelope cuts or a different tile size; consult the system designer and installer.
Finish the comparison with a marked plan showing joint width, movement accommodation and cut locations. Keep spare tiles from the selected batch where practical. Later repairs are easier when colour, size and surface variation are not left to chance.