When it comes to ceramic floor tiles, the design possibilities are endless. There’s small tiles, large tiles, colored tiles, printed tiles - and that’s just to name a few. So, if you’re preparing to lay ceramic tiles in a room of your home, the biggest hurdle is deciding what design to choose. The shape and the size of your room are factors in deciding on a design. If the room is small and oddly shaped, it will be more difficult to lay the tiles than it will be if you have a large, square room. And, you don’t necessarily have to lay the tiles to where they cover a complete room. For example, when people first step through your front door, you can lay ceramic tiles to display the initials of your family, with a different-colored background. Or, if you’re extremely patriotic, you can do a U.S. flag design.
For a bathroom, you can choose two colors that are already incorporated into your decor, and lay one color, then the other, then the first color again, then the second color, until you have completed the room. Or, you can lay tiles that are all the same color, but every so often, lay one tile with a design, such as a cockleshell. Some companies have “themes” of tiles, which offer several different designs on a similarly colored tile. An example of this is maybe a tan tile that offers your choice of seahorse, shell, starfish or boat. With these, you can lay the solid colored tiles, and then on occasion, lay one of these patterned pieces. Then, when it’s time to lay another pattern piece, choose one of the other designs so that your floor is solid-colored, with an occasional seahorse, shell or starfish.
Some people like the look of a border, so you can also lay the same color of tile across the floor, but the last row on each side of the perimeter can be done in a different color, forming the border design. And still another choice is to do rows of colors, first one row of a chosen color, then another row of a different color, until the floor is complete. This is a great look for a kitchen, too. Although considerably more difficult and time-consuming, you can also cut the tiles diagonally, then using two different colors, lay one triangle, then a different color one, to form a square which is split diagonally and dual-colored.
If you’re skilled at laying tile, you might want to try a “scene” on your floor. This could be anything from a desert picture, with cactus and boots, or a sky theme, with setting sun. Draw the scene out on paper, then transfer the design to your floor, or if you’re a good artist, you can draw the scene directly onto the floor, then do your tile placement. If all this seems a little humdrum and you prefer something a little more peppy and colorful, a kaleidoscope is a great place to get ideas for a floor design. An inexpensive child’s kaleidoscope will do just fine. Turn the kaleidoscope until you see the design you want, then lay it down on a towel or another stationary place, and draw the design. You can also print out kaleidoscope designs on your computer, and then transfer the pattern to your floor. It will take some skill to do a kaleidoscope design, along with special tools and saws. No matter what design you choose, start with a clean floor, use only appropriate adhesive for the tiles, and take the time to measure and cut the tiles to perfection.
