Horizontal Vs. Vertical Bathroom TileS, Which Style Should You Choose

(Choose the Right Style for Your Tile!)

What do magicians and tile contractors have in common? 

No, tile contractors don’t typically go around pulling rabbits out of their hats or making their assistants disappear. 

I’m talking about them both using the “magic” of optical illusions! 

Professional magicians, such as David Copperfield and David Blaine, have always known that the human mind doesn’t always perceive things as they really are. 

This is a trick of the trade as old as the performance art itself. 

And when you know some basic facts about how human perception works, you can use this knowledge to your advantage as well. 

Visual trickery can be used to fool one’s mind into thinking a space is bigger or smaller than it actually is. 

So how can we take advantage of this knowledge when doing tile installation? 

The answer to this question is actually pretty simple. 

Just by choosing tiles that are a certain size, shape, and laying them a certain way, we can create the illusion that a room is wider or higher than it really is. 

You see, our minds aren’t always great at judging the size of the space that we’re in.

So if you want to create the impression that a room has more height than it actually does, just lay some rectangular bathroom tiles vertically. 

This works especially well if you have large walls but a limited amount of floor space. 

Let’s say, for example, you’re working on a house where the old tile floor wasn’t removed and the new floor was laid right on top of it. 

This is surprisingly more common than one may think as it saves the additional expense of removing the old tile floor. 

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with this practice, but it does reduce the height of the bathroom. 

This would be a good opportunity to use lay some rectangular tiles vertically and opt for larger tiles instead of smaller ones because having too many grout joints in this scenario might make the bathroom appear cramped.

And as you might have already figured out, laying rectangular tiles horizontally has the exact opposite effect. 

Tiles that are fitted horizontally can create the illusion that your kitchen or bathroom looks wider than it really is. 

This particular layout is suitable for kitchens and bathrooms that aren’t very big yet have a good amount of height. 

This tactic works especially well when using moderately sized tiles rather than bigger ones. And it can be a plus for shower tile.

You could also enhance the false sense of width even further by using a color contrast combination or a mosaic. 

All of this creates an illusion of having a wider space due to the fact that our brain cannot perfectly process the depth. 

So while having a clever layout doesn’t make any difference to the actual space, it can *magically* affect the visuals of your bathroom or kitchen. And you don’t even need a top hat or a magic wand! 

Ok, but what are some popular tiling layouts?

Let’s go over a few of them right now.

The Checkerboard Pattern

Up until now, we’ve been talking about tiles that are rectangular in shape, but there’s another option. 

If you use square tiles, you can opt to have a checkerboard pattern. 

It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Just lay your tiles like you would when creating a checker board. 

The tiles can be laid out in either a straight pattern or a diamond pattern. Both are perfectly fine. 

This layout works particularly well for black and white tiles or other contrasting colors. 

And if you opt for colors that aren’t black and white, you can get really creative and make something very fun and visually stimulating.

But what about the “magic” of creating an optical illusion? What about all that talk of vertical vs. horizontal tiles? 

Alright, fair enough. Let’s talk about some tiling layouts using rectangular tiles.

The Straight Lay Tile Pattern

This is a perhaps the most basic tile layout of them all.

When using this pattern, the tiles are simply laid in a straight line.

You can either go for a simple and clean grid look or play around with the grout to add a bit of contrast. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even use contrasting colors and incorporate the previously discussed checkerboard design except with rectangular tiles instead of the traditional square tiles. 

This layout is actually the easiest to install and is also the most versatile. 

Both vertical and horizontal tiles are often set in a straight lay pattern. This can be a great option for your next space be it shower tiling or any other type of project.

This is a very simple option for those times when you don’t want anything too fancy or overly complicated. 

The Brick Tile Pattern

The brick tile layout has been around for a long time and is very popular. 

Just like the name suggests, this tile layout follows the pattern of a brick wall, where each row of tiles is offset by half of a tile’s width. 

The horizontal pattern is the most common, but it can also be done vertically to create the illusion of height mentioned earlier. 

This layout works especially well when using a contrast grouting to emphasize the division between the tiles. 

The Herringbone Tile Pattern

This is an interesting tile pattern because it is both new and old at the same time.

Allow me to explain.

Although most tile contractors have only recently started using this pattern on a regular basis, its historical roots go back hundreds of years in building brick roads.

The herringbone tile pattern is achieved by laying the tiles in a zigzag formation.

It’s kind of like the brick layout in a way, except this pattern needs some extra cutting to make the edges compatible with one another. 

The extra work means an increase in the cost of tiles. 

However, the end result is worth it as it creates a pretty interesting and sophisticated look. 

Once again, high contrast grouting is recommended here to make the tiles stand out. 

The Mosaic Pattern

This pattern typically involves the use of smaller tiles regardless of texture and colors. 

A common tile in a mosaic pattern is only one inch tall and one inch wide. 

These tiles often come in sheets as it is very time consuming and expensive to install each tile individually. 

However, the final result can be very interesting as the mosaic pattern can create some of the most complex and exotic looking bathroom and kitchen walls that are out there. 

There are literally THOUSANDS of different tile colors, sizes, sheet sizes, and textures in existence. 

If you have the time and money to create something truly special, the mosaic tile pattern can be a very exciting option. 

The Basketweave Pattern

One final tile pattern that is worth mentioning is the basketweave pattern. 

While it’s not one of the more common or popular tile patterns, it is an interesting choice that some people really enjoy. 

The idea behind this pattern is to create the appearance of stitching together a woven basket. 

This is achieved by laying two or more rectangular tiles together to create a square.

First, you lay the one set of tiles horizontally, then you lay the next set of tiles vertically and repeat the process again to create a textured look.

And once again, the basketweave pattern requires contrast grouting to emphasize the pattern and make it stand out. 

This tile pattern is a bold choice for homeowners who want to do something a bit different and unique. 

At Joseph & Sons we are your LA tile experts. We have done many tiling projects utilizing patterns such as these in Los Angeles, CA as well as in local cities like Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Burbank, Encino, Santa Monica, Culver City and Glendale.