Patterns
Six patterns, six prices.
A pattern changes two numbers: how many tiles end up as offcuts, and how long the laying takes. Herringbone wastes nearly a fifth of the tiles and takes a third longer than a stack bond. Pick one to see its figures and what it does to ten square metres.
The pattern
Herringbone
Rectangles at 90° to each other in a zig-zag, usually at 45° to the walls. Beautiful, slow, and every tile at the edge is a cut.
- 18%wastage to allow
- +35%on the labour
Best with: Plank tiles, metro, small rectangles. Why it costs what it does: Every edge tile is cut, and setting the first line takes an hour.
On a 4 × 2.5 m floor (10 m²) in 300 × 600 tiles: 9 boxes and £513 of labour over 2 days, against 8 boxes and £380 in a stack bond.
All six
Choose a pattern.
| Pattern | Waste | Labour | 10 m², 300 × 600 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stack bond | 10% | +0% | 8 boxes, £380 |
| Brick bond | 12% | +5% | 8 boxes, £399 |
| Chequerboard | 12% | +10% | 8 boxes, £418 |
| Herringbone | 18% | +35% | 9 boxes, £513 |
| Hexagon | 15% | +25% | 8 boxes, £475 |
| Diagonal | 15% | +20% | 8 boxes, £456 |
Questions about patterns
Why does herringbone waste so much?
Because the pattern runs at 45° to the walls, every tile that meets a wall or a door is cut, and the offcuts are triangles too small to use elsewhere. Allow 18%, and more in a small room.
Brick bond at a half or a third?
A half for metro and short tiles. A third for long plank tiles, because long tiles bow slightly in the kiln, and at a half offset the high middle of one sits next to the low end of the next and the floor feels uneven.
Can you do a pattern that is not here?
Yes: basketweave, versailles, a border and field, a Victorian geometric. Lowri draws them at the survey and prices them separately.
Does the pattern change the grout?
Not the amount much, but the colour matters more: a contrasting grout makes herringbone and hexagon sing and shows every imperfect joint; a matching grout is kinder.
Measure the wall, count the boxes, then a survey.
The calculator turns your width and height into tiles, whole boxes, adhesive and grout bags, the labour and the days for your tile and pattern. The quote form takes two minutes; Lowri measures every wall and floor at a free survey and the written quote follows within three working days.