Herringbone Tile for Floors and Walls
Herringbone sets rectangles at a right angle to one another so each piece meets the end of its neighbor, giving a woven, directional surface. Two ways to get there in this range. Pre-formed pieces do the work for you: Balance Stone is a 12x11 porcelain in white matte with black polished, Bunkyo Ivory a 12x11 matte porcelain, Tasmania Gray a 10x12 ceramic with brushed nickel, Torano Anthrazite a 10x12 matte porcelain, and Blackwall Black a 12x10 lappato. Or lay it yourself from planks — Blanca Wood, Hass, Rainforest Dark Brown and Sabaudia Wood come in 12x24, 24x24 and 24x48 wood look porcelain.
Choosing Herringbone Tile
Decide first whether you are buying the pattern or building it. Pre-formed 12x11 and 10x12 pieces install like ordinary tile and guarantee the angles line up; laying planks in herringbone is slower, needs a set-out line struck before the first tile, and generates far more cuts. Budget 15% waste rather than 10%. Scale matters too — a 24x48 plank in herringbone reads as a bold architectural floor, while a 12x24 reads closer to traditional parquet. Matte and lappato surfaces suit floors; save polished for walls.
Where to Use Herringbone Tile
Entry halls, kitchens, living floors, bathroom floors, and feature walls where the direction of the pattern draws the eye along a room. It also works on commercial floors and step tiles, both listed in the filters. For the mitred version where the ends meet in a point rather than a right angle, see chevron tile. For the plank ranges in their standard layouts, see wood look tile.
