Finger Mosaics

Finger tiles are long, narrow tiles. They give a wall vertical rhythm and a ribbed texture, and they suit a splashback, a niche or one feature wall. Sizes run from 9.5x47 mm slivers and 12x92 mm up to 20x145 mm and 50x300 mm bars.

Most arrive on mesh-backed sheets of about 300x300 mm, so a wall goes up in large pieces rather than one tile at a time. Finishes are gloss, matt, satin and glazed. Colours include white, cream, green, blue, pink, bronze and black. Where a listing states a use, it is walls.

The one rule that matters is the sheet joint. The gap between sheets should match the gap between tiles, so the seam disappears. A visible line every 300 mm reads as a poor install. Dry-lay a few sheets first and look for it.

• Manufacturer guidance is a joint of at least 2 mm, and 3 mm on unstable substrates.
• Self-levelling spacers help keep faces flush.
• Keep any sheet offset under 25%, or edges can stand proud (lippage).
• Keep the wall flat to about 3 mm over 1.2 m.

A matched grout keeps the ribbing soft, while a dark grout draws every line.

To estimate boxes, measure the wall in square metres, subtract openings, and add 10% for cuts. Add 15% if the tile has handmade-look edges. Divide by the box coverage on the listing, which varies by range from about 0.9 m² to 2.2 m². A 2.5 m² splashback with 10% becomes 2.75 m². At 1.64 m² a box, that is two boxes.

For other small-format options, see mosaic tiles and subway tiles.