Ceramic tiles come readymade in mosaic patterns, such as hexagon, octagon-and-dot, and basketweave. They also come in square and rectangular shapes of many sizes, so you may create several different patterns for your floor. Except for mosaic patterns, any pattern you create increases costs by 15% to 20% due to the extra material required for cuts and for the additional work to lay and install the pattern. Some popular floor tile patterns include:

• Straight set - Tiles set in straight lines.

• Diagonal - Tiles turned on point so that they run at angles to the room.

• Running bond (offset) - Sometimes called a subway pattern, most often used on floors in larger tiles like 6 x 12 inches or 12 x 24 inches.

• Herringbone - Rectangular tiles set at angles to one another for a decorative floor.

• Step - Two tile sizes with the smaller tile installed at the corner of the larger so that it “steps off.”

• Cut corner - Two tile sizes with the smaller tile installed where the corners have been cut from the larger tile.

• Ashlar - A pattern made of three tile sizes - two squares and one rectangle, made to repeat.

• Versaille - A pattern made from large tiles, including two squares and two rectangles, made to repeat.