Tile layout in the bathroom: methods and options

Most often, the bathroom is tiled. This material is durable, hygienic and easy to clean. But the cost of such repairs is considerable, therefore they are trying to arrange everything so that the bathroom looks the best way over a long period of time. To solve this problem, they carefully choose a collection, select colors, a layout method. About what options for laying tiles in the bathroom exist, how they are perceived - in the article.

General principles and rules

Everyone knows that light walls visually make the room more spacious. Nobody is going to argue with this and this fact is taken into account when choosing options for laying tiles in the bathroom. But there are a few more interesting points, the knowledge of which will help to avoid mistakes when drawing up a layout and selecting a tile color, its location, grout color.

Light walls make the room more spacious

Vertical and horizontal layout

Recently, rectangular tiles are more often laid on the walls. In this case, the first thing to decide with is to place tiles horizontally or vertically on the walls. It is believed that the horizontal layout visually makes the room wider, and the vertical one - higher. In fact, on colored, bright tiles, the seams between which are filled with grout of the same or similar color, the difference is very small (in the photo there are a couple of pictures below). In this case, the direction of styling has almost no effect on perception. In this case, you can choose the options for laying tiles in the bathroom based only on your preferences.

The difference in vertical and horizontal laying is only noticeable on light tiles with contrasting seams

This effect is more pronounced when using light tiles with a contrasting grout (top pictures). In this case, the gaze "slides" along the seams, creating the desired visual changes. In this case, the vertical or horizontal layout really affects our perception.

Guide strips

To expand the room or raise the ceiling, when choosing a layout, vertical or horizontal "guides" are made. These are stripes of tiles of a different color, along which the eye glides. These stripes change the visual perception of the size of the room.

A lighter horizontal strip, which runs along the perimeter of the room approximately in the middle of the height, visually significantly expands the space. If you add a dark stripe to light walls, no effect is observed. Rather, the room will look at its "own" volume, as the dark stripe neutralizes the visual increase in space due to light colors in the decoration.

Ways to enhance the desired effect

If necessary, make the ceiling visually higher, with a vertical layout, you can lay out a strip of lighter tiles on one of the walls (preferably opposite the entrance). Even with bright or dark tiles and matching grout, the ceiling will "rise". If, on this wall, you use a tile of a lighter tone, and even with a contrasting grout and a vertical strip of tiles with an ornament, the effect will be even more pronounced (in the picture below on the right).

Border

Another way to make the room taller is to place decorative curb tiles closer to the ceiling. Being high, they attract attention, while the room appears taller. The border does not have to be done around the perimeter. It is enough to make one wall of a different light shade, place a border at the top.Moreover, this contrasting wall can be darker or lighter.

The decorative tile border closer to the ceiling makes the room taller

All these techniques are simple to implement, but they help to competently draw up a tile layout. To visualize what you get, you can usespecial programs.

Examples of tile layout

In addition to the above examples of layouts, there are tile laying options that can be considered classics, others, on the contrary, have appeared quite recently and, although they often go against many recommendations, they look very good.

Choosing a way to lay out tiles in the bathroom is not easy

Darker bottom

This technique belongs to the classics: the lower third of the wall is made a darker color, the upper one - a few tones lighter. This method of laying ceramic tiles, to put it mildly, is not at the peak of popularity. It was popular about a decade ago. But there are several tricks that give the classics a modern sound.

With this method of laying the tiles, the room seems spacious, since most of the walls are decorated in light shades. In this case, the tiles on the floor are chosen in the same color as the tiles on the lower part of the wall. If you can't find exactly the same one, they are looking for a very close one in texture and color. In its "pure" form, this method of laying tiles does not look very modern.

Dark colored panels at the bottom of the wall

To make this bathroom tile look more modern, you can add vertical or horizontal stripes that break up the monotonous decor. Many collections offer not only darker and lighter tile options, but also decor of different sizes, from which stripes of different widths are formed.

You can add vertical stripes to horizontal stripes.

More often they combine not two, but three types of tiles: two monochromatic and a decor that combines both primary colors. Decorative elements can be of different widths. Then from them it is possible to make strips or columns of different widths. So that the upper part is not so monotonous and boring, thin stripes of the same color as the lower part of the wall are added, and a vegetable or floral border is added below.

The combination of tiles in the bathroom of different colors and textures

Most factories produce collections in which there are two basic tile colors - darker and lighter - and a set of decorative elements. Such collections are usually not cheap, but it is easier to compose a competent composition of them, and they are suitable in size, so there will be no problems with styling and fitting.

Accent wall

If the division of the walls by height does not appeal to you, but the monochromatic design evokes despondency, you can consider the option with an accent wall. Most often, it is decorated with tiles of the same color, but in a different shade - several tones lighter or darker than the main one.

Dark accent wall in a bright bathroom

In this case, not one wall is trimmed with brown tiles, but it also enters a part of the neighboring one. This technique is suitable for narrow, long rooms - it visually makes the room look more like a square.

The accent wall does not need to be the same size tiles. One wall trimmed with mosaics or small-format tiles looks great.

Mosaic can be used for variety

The mosaic looks great both on its own and in combination with tiles of different formats - square, rectangular, large and medium. It is used for finishing curved surfaces - due to its structure, it fits even columns with a small radius.

Floral motives

Recent design trends have led to the fact that most bathroom tiles are made in solid colors. Many collections are distinguished by interesting textures, but they are made in the form of monochromatic fragments. Not everyone likes this design - the interior is too "cold".You can add fantasy with tiles with flowers or butterflies, plant or geometric motifs.

Add some decor with flowers, butterflies, or other floral designs

But with this type of decor you have to be careful: it is too easy to "overdo", especially in a small volume. But even a few single fragments do not look good either. So it is advisable to work with floral decor in programs that give a three-dimensional picture - it will be easier to imagine what you actually get.

Laying tiles on the floor

In addition, in order to choose the options for laying tiles in the bathroom on the walls, you need to decide how to decorate the floor.

Layout methods for floor tiles

When using a square tile, it is usually laid in the form of a checkerboard (checker pattern), a 1/2 tile offset method can be used. There are two directions of installation - parallel to the walls and diagonally.

Layout options for square floor tiles

If a rectangular tile is selected, there are more layout options - with an offset (deck, braid, herringbone). There are also options for combining rectangular and square tiles - a maze, if methods using fragments of different sizes.

Options for laying tiles in the bathroom on the floor - different sizes and patterns

It makes sense to implement all more or less complex schemes in large rooms - here unusual compositions can be appreciated at their true worth. In small bathrooms, the simplest schemes are most often chosen - usually only a few tiles fit, so there is simply no point in complicating the work.