• Tiles with patterns on them may prove an ideal alternative to patterning tiles.Tile image by Laima Penekaite from Fotolia.com
  
  Those remodeling bathrooms and kitchens are often faced with a wide variety of dilemmas, from choosing a style, shape, color and material of tile, to choosing precisely what sort of pattern in which to place their selected tiles. Traditional tile patterns include straight lay, diagonal, herringbone, running bond and checkerboard, but there are an endless amount of possible tile patterns.
  
  

Patterns

• Simple patterns are the easiest to install and simple patterns also work best in small spaces. Patterns using large tiles will make small bathrooms look larger. Similarly, high-contrast tiles should only be used in a larger space.
  
  

Practice Your Layout

• Practice the layout of your tiles on a flat surface without the use of adhesive before beginning application. This can help you identify potential problems which may arise during the installation. Using chalk to mark the layout of the pattern on walls will also help to ensure that the correct pattern is followed.
  
  

Self-Spacing Lugs

• A wonderful time saver with tiling is the use of tiles already fitted with self-spacing lugs. These small bumps on the edge of the tile create uniform grout lines without the laborious positioning of spacers. These lugs also make using more complicated patterns a breeze, allowing more time to be spent on the placement of tile.
  
  

Grout Color

• Tailor your grout color to the color of your tile. Light tiles should be paired with pale grout, where dark tiles may be used with dark grout. You can also buy grout stains to stain white or pale grout to any number of colors to match your tiles. Avoid grout colors in primary shades, white, or black, as they are usually more difficult to clean.