Subway Tiles

Subway tile is the long, thin rectangle that sets the pace of a wall. Sizes run from 28x150 mm up to 100x300 mm and 125x250 mm. The most common sizes in the range are 75x300, 75x150, 65x200 and 50x150 mm.

Finishes are gloss and matt, with some satin and glazed. Colours cover white and off white, beige, grey, blue, green, olive, pink, burgundy and black. About a quarter have handmade-look edges, with tone and size varying slightly tile to tile. Where a listing states a use, it is walls.

Size changes how a wall counts out. On a 2100 mm shower wall, 75 mm-high tile gives about 27 rows, 100 mm gives about 20, and 60x240 mm gives about 34 (2 mm joints, laid long side horizontal).

• Brick bond (half offset) is the classic.
• On lengths of 300 mm or more, a 1/3 offset reduces lippage at the high corners and reads more contemporary.
• Stacked grid is minimal. Stacked vertically, it lifts the eye.
• Herringbone with a contrast grout turns a plain tile into a feature.

Joints of 1.5 mm suit rectified edges and about 3 mm suits standard tile. Dry-lay the first courses so cuts at corners and ceilings are not slivers. Keep the substrate flat to about 3 mm over 1.2 m.

To estimate boxes, measure the wall in square metres, subtract openings, and add 10% for cuts. Add 15% for handmade-look edges, and a little more for herringbone, which makes more cuts. Divide by the box coverage on the listing. A 5 m² wall with 10% becomes 5.5 m². At 0.5 m² a box, that is eleven boxes.

Next, look at 3D relief tiles for texture, or mini square tiles for a gridded wall.