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Subway Tiles 101

What is a Subway Tile?


You were in the tile store (or the tile section of the hardware store), and a beautiful rectangular tile caught your eye.  Maybe it was a vibrant blue, a rich green, or an elegant marble.  Or maybe it was the crisp, clean look of the plain white tile that piqued your interest.  There are so many rectangular tiles to choose from in the stores these days, and for good reason.  A rectangular tile is incredibly versatile and can create so many beautiful patterns.  But is every rectangular tile a subway tile?


The quick answer is no.  Most rectangular tiles are not subway tiles.  Subway tiles are traditionally made from ceramic or porcelain, they are usually glazed for easy cleaning, and they are often 3 inches x 6 inches in size.  Those tiles are most reminiscent of the tiles installed in The New York subway train tunnels, thus the name.  A white glazed 3 x 6-inch subway tile is about as classic as you can get.  Many a bathroom wall is covered in those white tiles.  But what about other rectangular tiles?


Nowadays, you can find subway tiles in a huge variety of colors and glazes.  You can get glass subway tiles, not to mention marble, metal, and other fun materials, all shaped in that traditional 3 x 6-inch rectangular style.  But other sizes have come to be considered subway tiles as well.  You can find subway tiles that are longer and wider, or longer and thinner.  For example, I have a glass 4-inch x 16-inch subway tile gracing my kitchen backsplash right now. The concept of a what a subway tile is has really expanded over the past decade. 


So, what about all of those nice large-format tiles that are 12-inches x 24-inches that you see in every store?  Are those subway tiles too?  Those would not really be considered a subway tile; they would be considered field tiles.  Subway tiles are smaller, with more needed to cover the space, while field tiles cover much larger areas per tile. However, rectangular field tiles can be installed in the same patterns as  subways tiles.

 

Subway Tile Patterns


Now that we know what a subway tile is, we can buy them and get started on our project. But before we start, we need to figure out what pattern we will lay the tiles in.  Wait, is there more than one pattern for subway tile installation?  Absolutely!  There are so many amazing ways to use subways tiles, but these are the five most classic (and also my favorite) patterns to lay subway tile in.


Horizontal brick: This pattern is formed when you place the subway tiles next to each other with their short ends touching, much as you would lay a brick. For the next row, you simply start by starting the first tile halfway across the tile below, so all of the tile will line up spreading over the half of each of the two tiles below it.  This pattern repeats itself every two rows and is the most common of all subway tile installations.  It is a classic.  You cannot go wrong with this pattern. 


Staggered brick: You can also create a version of this pattern in which you place each tile only a third of the way across the tile below.  Each tile moves down a smaller amount and it takes three rows to repeat this staggered brick pattern.


Vertical brick: A vertical brick pattern is formed essentially in the exact same way as a horizontal brick pattern. The only difference is that you place the longer sides of the tile next to each other, so it looks like your tiles are standing up.  You continue on as you would with a horizontal pattern, placing the next row by starting halfway across the first tile below.  This will give a more modern look to your tile.


Stacked brick:  The most modern look you can give you subway tile is to stack it.  The pattern is created by laying the first row as you would in a horizontal brick pattern, with short sides touching.  This time, however, you will place the next row of tile with each tile exactly above the one below it.  This creates lots of straight lines, lending to a much more modern feel.


Herringbone: This pattern is created by laying the first tile, and then placing the second tile at a 90-degree angle up against the end of the first tile.  Continue to repeat this pattern (if you are unsure of how to make this work, I would definitely recommend watching a video on the subject before cementing your tiles down) until your space is covered.  This is one of the more interesting and beautiful ways to install subway tile.


There many more ways to pattern subway tile that I am not including here, but you can find them if you look.  Between the amazingly varied options for subway tile that are available on today’s market, and the many different patterns you can lay them in, there are so many fun and beautiful looks that can be created with subway tile.  So, make sure to look at subway tile for your next bathroom or kitchen project and let me know how your project turns out!

 



Examples of Subway Tile Patterns
Examples of Subway Tile Patterns

 

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