Why Herringbone Rewards Careful Preparation

The herringbone pattern has a timeless quality that suits everything from a Victorian hallway to a modern bathroom. It works because rectangular tiles are set at 90 degrees to one another, creating a zigzag that draws the eye and hides the awkward proportions of narrow walls. The catch is that herringbone is far less forgiving than a straightforward grid. Every tile leans on its neighbours, so a small error in your setting out will not stay small — it will grow across the wall until the whole thing drifts out of plumb.

The good news is that the method is straightforward once you understand it. Set out from a solid datum, keep your spacers consistent, and check your lines every few rows. Do those three things and the pattern will look crisp and deliberate rather than nearly there.

Choosing the Right Tiles and Checking the Ratio

True herringbone needs tiles with a 2:1 ratio. Popular sizes include 75 x 150mm, 100 x 200mm, 150 x 300mm and 200 x 400mm. If the long edge is not roughly twice the short edge, the pattern will not close properly and you will end up with odd gaps at the joints.

Wall tiles are usually lighter and thinner than floor tiles, which makes them easier to handle overhead, but porcelain still demands a decent diamond blade. Before you commit, check:

• Tile thickness consistency — sort through a few boxes and stack tiles face to face to see how much they bow.
• Spacer size — 2mm is typical for wall tiles, 3mm where tiles are slightly irregular.
• Adhesive — cement-based powder mixed to a thick, creamy consistency, not ready-mixed tubs for large format porcelain.
• Your blade — a continuous rim diamond blade gives cleaner cuts on glazed tiles than a segmented one.

Order 10 to 15 per cent extra. Herringbone produces more cuts than a grid, and you will break a few tiles learning the pattern.

Setting Out: Finding Your Datum Lines

Start by finding the lowest point of the floor across the wall you are tiling, and the highest point of the ceiling or your chosen finish line. Mark a horizontal datum one full tile height plus a spacer above the lowest floor point. This line is your baseline — it means the bottom row will always need cutting, but the top of that row will be dead level.

Next, find the centre of the wall and mark a plumb line. In a herringbone layout there is no single central tile, so you have a choice: centre on a tile joint, or centre on the point where two tiles meet at 45 degrees. Most tilers centre on the point, as it creates a symmetrical V at the middle of the wall.

Now dry lay a row of tiles from the centre line towards each corner. Measure the gap left at each end:

• If both end cuts are more than half a tile, your setting out is fine.
• If one end is less than half a tile, shift the whole pattern by half a tile width and try again.
• Repeat the same check vertically against the ceiling or your finish height.

This dry run takes twenty minutes and will save you hours of frustration.

Laying the First Tiles and Keeping Lines True

Fix a straight timber batten along your horizontal datum line, screwed into the wall at stud positions, and check it with a spirit level. Work upwards from the batten so gravity and adhesive slump are not fighting you.

Build the pattern in pairs. Lay one tile vertically, then the tile that sits at 90 degrees to its right, forming an L or step shape. The next pair steps diagonally up and across. Keep a short straight edge and a small square to hand and check every third or fourth pair rather than trusting your eye.

Use levelling clips and wedges along each course. They hold neighbouring tiles at the same height and stop the corners of one tile lifting above the next — the most common fault in herringbone work. Remove the wedges once the adhesive has set, usually after 24 hours, and never leave them in for grouting.

Cutting Edge Pieces Around Walls

Measure each edge tile individually. Walls are rarely square, and in herringbone the cut tiles along a wall are angled, so no two are identical. Hold the tile in place, mark the cut line with a pencil against the wall, then transfer the angle to the cutter using a bevel or an offcut as a template.

For straight cuts, a manual cutter handles ceramic wall tiles well. For porcelain, or for the angled cuts common at the top and bottom corners of a herringbone run, use a wet saw with a diamond blade. A rubbing stone or diamond pad will take the sharp arris off a cut edge in a few strokes.

Always place the cut edge towards the wall and the factory edge into the pattern. Leave a 2 to 3mm gap at the wall itself, and fill that gap with a flexible silicon sealant in a matching colour rather than grout. Grout in a movement joint will crack; silicon will not.

Grouting and Finishing Touches

Wait until the adhesive has fully cured — usually 24 hours, longer in cold or humid conditions — before grouting. Work the grout diagonally across the pattern with a rubber float so you are not dragging it out of the joints, then clean off with a damp sponge before it dries on the tile face.

Check the whole wall at eye level before you pack up. In herringbone, mistakes show most clearly where the zigzag lines meet at the corners of the room. A quick check with a long level at the end of each session will keep you honest, and a well-set herringbone wall will still look sharp a decade from now.