10 Ways To Prepare for Your Next Tiling Project

The urge to renovate has finally hit and you’re ready to give your home the long-awaited makeover it deserves. We don’t blame you as 2022 has featured many inspiring tile trends that would make anyone dive headfirst into a new and exciting tile venture.

You may have a few questions that need answering before you get started — first and foremost, how do you get started?

To help you find your footing before jumping into your big renovation, Tile Town’s very own Judi Merrell, an interior designer at our Richmond location, offers these 10 useful tips to help your tiling project begin smoothly.

Get to know your closest Tile Town location

The best way to kick-off your project is by acquainting yourself with one of our stores, and our website is a great place to start! Read customer comments that share their tile selection process and experience with us, browse our Ideas Gallery, or simply try our Visualizer Tool to help you visualize your dream renovation.

  • Japandi style kitchen
  • colourful laundry room
  • Tile Collections
What’s your look – Japandi, Playful or Minimalist?


Book an appointment

Having scheduled time ensures that you’re receiving the best help possible, as one-on-one consultations allow for a more personal and thorough experience. This is an optimal space to play off any of your ideas, so bring any and all concepts you’ve been playing around with to discuss.

Research tile designs

Google, Pinterest, and websites for designers and manufacturers are great places to help you finalize and describe your vision for the space you’re renovating. Our various social medias (Instagram, Pinterest, Houzz, etc.) are also accommodating resources for fast and organized design inspiration.

Bring in any physical samples

An easy way to articulate your vision is by bringing in any reference points for design elements found in your home. Samples could be paint swatches, countertop or cabinetry samples, and so on. If you’re unable to bring any samples currently installed in your home, take pictures that clearly show colours, layouts, and the types of material.

Organize your ideas

Having a cluttered mind is just as inconvenient as a cluttered work area. Avoid this by creating albums or files of design inspiration for each project. You can separate them by room, aesthetic (minimalistic, industrial, etc.), or patterns.

Have a basic concept for tile sizing

There are an abundant of different sized tiles, each with their own design capabilities. Start by deciphering what size you need: large rectangle or square tiles? Tiles for a backsplash, or tiles for your floor? Use this starting point, and then work out the details.

Visualize your perfect colour story

You know the layout, accessories, and lighting in your desired renovation space — what colours exist here that you can work with? Knowing what colour of tiles you want will help narrow the scope of possible tiles that fit (or don’t fit) into your design. You can either use pops of colour on a vibrant accent wall, or blend light-coloured tiles with darker spaces for contrast. (Learn more about choosing coloured tiles.)

Consider materials and textures

Between 3D-textured tiles, marble, and porcelain, there’s a lot of tile surfaces to choose from. Eliminate any potential tiles that could clash, such as marble tiles in a primarily wooden-accented space or textured tiles that would make a backsplash seem too busy.

Work within your home’s style

Whether you’re working with traditional, modern, or the highly popular midcentury modern, you’ll want to stay within the constraints of your home’s design to achieve cohesion.

Be ready to listen and learn

Having an open mind is a surefire way to see a project successfully executed. It’s not unusual for designers to have a clear vision of what they’d like, and eventually find something that appeals to them more. Who knows, depending on available stock and new ideas, you may have to consider a different look that might work even better for your space!

Now that you have the tools to begin, give us a call or come on down to any of our locations — we’re ready to help!

Tips for Choosing Coloured Tiles vs. Black and White

From dazzling and glossy greens and blues to timeless greys and whites, tiles come in an assortment of colours and shades, each with their own design capabilities. Knowing which colour palette to use between the wide range of tile colours requires careful consideration, as the tiles you select can impact your room’s mood, perceived size, and so on.

To help you on this chapter of creating an extraordinary colour story, here are some tips for choosing tiles based on colour and shade.

Consider the room itself

Something you’ll want to think about and build towards when selecting tile colours is cohesion. This can pertain to the overall aesthetic and existing colours/design already existing in the room and doing your best to tie everything together with your tile colours. Such variables you need to think about for cohesion include:

-The colour of the walls
-The type of furniture in the room (colours, materials, finishes, etc.)
-The room size
-The lighting in the room (natural light or artificial)

If your furniture mostly consists of browns and greens, with wooden accents and several plants, you may consider choosing lighter coloured tiles in beige or grey to accent the already existing earth tones (which are a big trend in 2022). Something akin to our Versa 75 Caramel Click Vinyls could pair excellently with an earth tone vibe.

Perhaps you have a room that you want to appear bigger. The best choice would be a cream or pastel floor tile to accentuate the dimensions of the room and make it appear larger.

(You can learn more about tiles and room sizes by reading our blog post on the topic.)

Larger rooms, like dining areas or kitchens, are paired well with darker floor tiles — especially if there’s plenty of natural light. Our Nohva Black Porcelain Tile works particularly well for enhancing more open areas, and the sleek matte black finish can be used to highlight any colour story you choose.

Featured: Nohva Black 12X24 Porcelain Tile

The overall goal when choosing a colour story for a room is ensuring that you’re creating harmony between colours. This of course does not mean you have to stick to a monochromatic look, you simply want to consider how each aspect of your room ties into one another.

Colours can impact your mood

It’s been proven time and again that colour has a substantial impact on people’s moods and appearances. There are plenty of tips and tricks regarding on how wearing certain colours can help you become more approachable, or how different coloured cars have different significances and meanings.

The same can be applied to tiles. Because of our automatic associations of colours to feelings, environments, or moods, tiles can play a major part in how a room feels.

For instance, say you want your office area to feel calm and tranquil, or you want to make your kitchen feel less hectic with a nice backsplash. The best colour option would be a light blue, as blue has associations with serene waves or the stillness of the sky. The Dolce Sky (05) tiles would serve as a subdued feature to help you feel more restful in any busy environment.

Featured: Dolce Sky 2×8 Matte Ceramic Wall Tile

White tiles can evoke thoughts of cleanliness, perfection, and peace, as these are all things associated with white. This would do well in a bathroom or kitchen, especially if you’re wanting to portray a streamlined, polished look to your guests. In this instance, the La Marca Statuarietto tiles would best suit your refined taste.

Maximizing and minimizing: how to make either work

Depending on your own design preferences, you’re either going to gravitate towards maximizing your colours or minimizing them. Although there isn’t a right or wrong in these choices, it’s important to consider how to elevate these concepts with your tile choices.

Much in the same way you choose tile patterns, creating a blended look requires that you don’t overstimulate your guests. This is not to say you can’t use colour — rather, it’s about making smart choices on where you place them and how you incorporate colours together.

Let’s say you want to spice up a duller room that primarily consists of whites and greys. You can add a pop of colour to this area by adding an accent wall to draw the eye. Or, if you’re very big on colours and want to feature more of them, simply choose colours that are complimentary or have the same tones (cool, warm, etc.).

If you’re looking for coloured tiles that work well as an accent, our Lume Series (award winning, by the way) features an assortment of rich colours, such as the Lume Green in an enchanting gloss finish, or the soothing Lume Blue.

Some areas of your house may feel overstimulating with too much colour, especially in smaller, tighter spaces. In this instance, sticking to a monochrome scheme consisting or blacks, whites, and greys would help make your room feel less overwhelming and more organized.

A great tile for lightening up and pulling together a monochromatic space is the Paint Stone White Porcelain Tiles.

Featured: Paint Stone White 12X24 Porcelain Tile

(These tiles, and all of our other Italian tiles, are also a part of our incredible Italian Days event which continues throughout July. Learn more about this fun event.) For more assistance in visualizing a space, check out Tile Town’s remarkable Visualizer Tool, or visit a Tile Town near you!

Tile Design Tips for Using Patterns

When it comes to laying tiles, there are several variables to consider with your design: First, there’s the tiles themselves (their shape, their size, etc.). Next, you have to think deeper about the aesthetics, like their colour, the room’s colour palette, and their finishes. And, naturally, what comes after that is contemplating how the tiles will lay, and what sort of tile patterns will be used.

From herringbone to basket weave, tile patterns can vary depending on your current project, and it can be difficult knowing the best patterns to use and how to use them effectively. Here are some tips to help you with your tile patterning to ensure you have the most pleasing and cohesive designs.

Herringbone Combined With Marble Tile
La Marca Rectified Porcelain Tile.

Knowing Tile Patterns

Before getting into some helpful advice, it’s first helpful to know of a few popular tile patterns:

Subway/Running Bond/Brick: This design is one you would typically see used for brick walls. It sees the end of each tile lining up with the center of the tile above and below it to create a staggered effect. A similar style to this is the 1/3 Offset, which places tiles at 1/3 above and below as opposed to the center.

Herringbone: Herringbone requires rectangular tiles and sees them placed in V-shaped rows at 45-degree angles.

Grid/Stacked: Simply put, this pattern involves placing tiles perfectly in line with one another to simulate the appearance of a grid. Tiles can either be stacked horizontal or vertical.

Versailles: Also known as the French pattern, this style combines square and rectangular tiles of various sizes and organizes them in such a way to resemble a repeating design. It is certainly one of the more complicated patterns as it requires patterns with varying measurements — but ultimately, is worth it in the end.

Basket Weave: Reminiscent of a basket, tiles are laid in a way that simulates them going over and through one another.

Subway tile kitchen backsplash
Featured: Marlow Cloud 3X12 Glossy Ceramic Subway Tile.

Keep your Colour Palettes Concise

Given how alluring complicated tile patterns can be to the eyes, you want to ensure that you aren’t over stimulating your guests by projecting too much flashiness at them. While in some cases this type of aesthetic could work (especially if you’re a fan of mixing and matching colours), you’ll want to be a bit conservative with your colour palette if you’re choosing to use different patterns in one area.

If you want a little more excitement while still maintaining colour concision, you may want to consider:

1. Mixing the finishes of certain tiles (matte, glossy, etc.)

2. The shapes (mixing hexagons with rectangles while keeping the colours within the same family)

3. The sizes (using smaller squares to accent larger rectangles)

Using monochromatic colour schemes will also allow you to experiment with multiple tile patterns. The obvious example here would be using black and white tiles in different patterns: your bathroom floor tiles could be black tiles (like our Flux Coke 12X24 Matte Rectified Porcelain Tile) in a grid, while your shower tiles could be white tiles (like our Lumiere White 3X6 Gloss Ceramic Subway Tile) in a herringbone pattern to give your bathroom a chique, modern vibe.

Manipulate the Eye with Orientation

If you have a room that you want to appear longer, or a shower you want to feel wider, tile patterns are a great way to trick the eye into believing that your rooms have changed shape.

For room size, floor tiles (such as our Grey Soul Mid 12X24 Matte Rectified Porcelain Tile) can help elongate your room by being placed in a grid pattern oriented lengthwise from the door.

When attempting this trick on backsplashes or accent walls, longer rectangular tiles, such as those featured in our new Teramoda series or Lume series, would work wonders on achieving that lengthened, taller technique. 

(For more tips and tricks on room size, read the blog post we wrote on choosing tiles based on room size.)

Floor tiles can help elongate the look of a room by being placed in grid pattern.

Use Patterns to Play Off of Each Other
We previously touched on using a colours to allow freedom with coexisting tile patterns, but let’s go deeper into using patterns to accent each other. This technique can be seen in accent walls (which you can learn more about by reading our blog post on them) that place plain tiles next to more complicated or flashy tiles to make the desired tiles pop more.

So long as you’re not overwhelming a space with patterns, you have lots of freedom in experimenting with your designs. (And feel free to check out our Instagram for some design inspiration!)  At most, you’ll want no more than three patterns in one space, as adding any more than that can become overwhelming.

Let’s say you have a backsplash in a running bond pattern. You could accent the wall by placing a herringbone pattern somewhere in the middle to capture some attention and give dimension to the ordinary single-pattern backsplash. 

To better help you visualize these tile patterns, try using Tile Town’s exclusive Visualizer Tool, which allows you to pick and drop our different tiles and place them in pre-existing rooms, your way.

  • Mixing tile patterns

So long as you’re not overwhelming a space with patterns, you have lots of freedom in experimenting with your designs.

Win Big at Tile Town’s Italian Days

From the start of June to the end of July, Tile Town customers can enjoy a two-month-long special event: Italian Days!

Paying homage to the tile’s Italian origins, Italian Days is a way for customers to learn more about Italian tiles while earning the chance to win fantastic prizes.

A Brief History of Italian Tiles

Italian tiles were reported to be used as early back as the Middle Ages, with ceramic tiles decorating the walls and floors of religious and public buildings. Drawing inspiration from the hexagonal terracotta tiles from the Roman Empire, it became a specialty for Italian majolica handcrafters (majolica being a style of richly coloured, heavyweight clay pottery).

This erupted into a significant spread for Italian tiles, being found in Italia villas, biblical and historical scenes, and even palaces! Following this, the 19th century brought upon a new wave of tile design and installation, with a focus on repeating and geometric patterns (which continues to be used to this day).

Left: Floor art in the romanesque Pomposa Abbey., an abbey with a rich and long history. Right: Atelier Fiore Decor 8X8 Matte Porcelain Tile

Tiles were a significant part of the Art Deco Movement between the 1920s and 30s, leading to the mass production of tiles that drew significant inspiration from Italian tilers of the past.

Now, you can find inspiration from Italian tiles everywhere, including our own catalogue which features an array of Italian tiles!

Right Feature: Form Hexagons with the 12×24 Italian Porcelain Nohva Grey. Left Feature: Paint Stone White 12×24 Italian Porcelain Tile.
Right Feature: Geotech Bianco 12×24 Italian Porcelain. Left Feature: Retro floor mosaics with 12×24 Italian Porcelain Templestone Creep.

Prizes, Tile Features, and More!

As part of our Italian Days celebration, Tile Town customers have a chance to win 1 of 40 gift cards to 5 local Italian restaurants, each gift card being worth $100.

The Italian restaurants customers can win prizes to are:

Cotto al Mare (Surrey, BC)

La Terrazza (Vancouver, BC)

Italian Tomato (Richmond, BC)

Café Amore Bistro (Edmonton, AB)

Il Terrazzo Ristorante (Victoria, BC)

You can learn more about each of these restaurants by reading these snippets about them!

Until the end of July 30, five winners will be drawn weekly, meaning there’s plenty of chances for Tile Town customers to win.

Also, there will be weekly Italian tile features, which is perfect for any renovation plans for the summer! Plus, customers can look forward to blog posts this summer that educate readers on Italian tiles.

How to Win

There are two ways to enter the weekly prize draw:

1. Visit a Tile Town showroom near you at any of our locations
2. Sign-up for our newsletter for an additional chance to win

Our remarkable staff at Tile Town are thrilled to begin helping you with your summer projects, and we can’t wait to celebrate Italian Days with you!

Be sure to check all of our social media for upcoming news about Italian Days and all things tiles.

Win a $100 Gift Card to La Terrazza Restaurant

In light of our two-month-long Italian Days celebration, we’ve partnered with five incredible restaurants to provide our customers with the chance to win one of 40 $100 gift cards at one of the locations. We will draw five names per week throughout June and July, and enthusiastic customers who sign up for our newsletter will receive an additional chance to win.

Here’s what you need to know about La Terrazza.

Located on Vancouver’s thriving Cambie Street, La Terrazza takes authentic Italian food and drinks and place them in a restaurant with a genuine Italian design (which you can see in their various featured rooms!). Having proudly served in Vancouver since 1998 (thanks to the winning combination of Genaro Iorio, Giulio Miceli, and Iqbal Grewal) it has truly been a staple for local Vancouverites for its entire 23 years.

La Terrazza’s food menu is broken into three distinct sections: Primi (appetizers), Secondi (mains) and, of course, Dessert. Guests will also enjoy their generous Happy Hour menu that runs from 5pm to 7pm — you can get their Strozapretti Bolognese for only $12 and a drink for as little as $6.88!

Oh, and did we mention that they provide free parking for guests? What more could you ask for from a restaurant in the ever-busy Vancouver!

La Terrazza
1088 Cambie St., Vancouver, BC
V6B 6J5
(604)–899–4449
Instagram: @laterrazzarestaurant

  • La Terrazza Outside

Win a $100 Gift Card to Il Terrazzo Ristorante

In light of our two-month-long Italian Days celebration, we’ve partnered with five incredible restaurants to provide our customers with the chance to win one of 40 $100 gift cards at one of the locations. We will draw five names per week throughout June and July, and enthusiastic customers who sign up for our newsletter will receive an additional chance to win.

Here’s what you need to know about Il Terrazzo Ristorante.

Drawing inspiration from Northern Italian Cuisine, Il Terrazzo Ristorante has been providing Victoria locals with the high artform of Italian food for more than 29 years. It is considered a landmark amongst the dining scene in Victoria, and this is thanks to the many industry professionals who have graced Il Terrazzo’s kitchen.

Whether you’re coming in for their unmatched Dinner menu or their Sweet Treats, guests will surely be leaving satisfied and ready for another visit. Standouts on their menu include the Frutti di Mare Della Casa (seafood over linguine with a refined white wine dressing) and their Tiramisu.

It should be noted as well that they have certified Sommeliers working to pair the best wines with the specific offerings on their menu. So if you’re simply looking for a place to sip on captivating wine after a grueling day, Il Terrazzo is also the place for you.

Il Terrazzo Ristorante
555 Johnson St., Victoria, BC
V8W 1M2
(250)–361–0028

Win a $100 Gift Card to Cotto al Mare Restaurant

In light of our two-month-long Italian Days celebration, we’ve partnered with five incredible restaurants to provide our customers with the chance to win one of 40 $100 gift cards at one of the locations. We will draw five names per week throughout June and July, and enthusiastic customers who sign up for our newsletter will receive an additional chance to win.

Here’s what you need to know about Cotto al Mare.

Cotto al Mare is a certified hotspot for new and modern takes on Italian food. Located at Surrey’s pristine Crescent Beach, customers can enjoy the wonderful view of the ocean waves and setting sun while indulging in a delectable house-made pasta (like their Ocean Wise Linguine Vongole) or sharing an authentic Italian pizza (like their Vegan Giardino). And guests (who are of age!) will enjoy their large array of wines — and they even have the choice between BC or Italian!

Along with their extensive menus, a special aspect of Cotto al Mare is their dedication to eco-friendly initiatives:

• The water they serve is Qwater, which is a sustainable system with no bottles or deliveries
• All wine is provided on-tap to avoid caps, corks, and cartons from being used
• Seafood that’s served is certified through the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise program
• Suppliers for Cotto al Mare prioritize sustainable, fairly traded, ethically raised, organic, and naturally pastured products

Cotto al Mare
2728 O’Hara Ln., Surrey, BC
V4A 2Z8
(604)–560–5549
Instagram: @cottoalmare

Win a $100 Gift Card to Italian Tomato Restaurant

In light of our two-month-long Italian Days celebration, we’ve partnered with five incredible restaurants to provide our customers with the chance to win one of 40 $100 gift cards at one of the locations. We will draw five names per week throughout June and July, and enthusiastic customers who sign up for our newsletter will receive an additional chance to win!

Here’s what you need to know about Italian Tomato Restaurant.

Having provided quality, authentic Italian food for over a decade, Richmond’s Italian Tomato Restaurant allows customers to eat Italian food their way. Pastas are designed by the customer, with the option to choose from 12 different pastas and 39 types of sauces. This allows each customer to have their own unique dining experience, and the option to experiment with different combinations every time they visit.

Besides this unique take on pasta, Italian Tomato Restaurant has an abundance of Thin Crust Pizzas to choose from (17 to be exact) and several specialty dishes — such as their Casa Di Amore (which features an assortment of seafood) or their Lobster Ravioli.

If you’re planning to come with a group that likes to share, the Italian Feast is sure to satisfy everyone’s hunger. The meal consists of three of four possible dishes, with the choice being up to the customers: Meat Lasagna, Spaghetti Bolognese, Pollo alla Parmigiana, or Fettuccine Alfredo. 

Italian Tomato Restaurant
8380 Bridgeport Road, Richmond, BC
V6X 3C7
(604)–247–0040
Instagram: @italian.tomato

Win a $100 Gift Card to Café Amore Bistro

In light of our two-month-long Italian Days celebration, we’ve partnered with five incredible restaurants to provide our customers with the chance to win one of 40 $100 gift cards at one of the locations. We will draw five names per week throughout June and July, and enthusiastic customers who sign up for our newsletter will receive an additional chance to win.

Here’s what you need to know about Cafe Amore Bistro.

Combining the taste of great food with the feeling of warmth and comfort, Café Amore Bistro, a family owned-and-operated restaurant, prides itself on its welcoming atmosphere and ability to make each customer feel like family.

Advertised as “not your typical Italian restaurant”, Café Amore Bistro operates with family in mind; guests can find unique Dinner Packs orchestrated towards groups (families) of either two, four, or six people. With more than eight options available, there’s certainly something for everyone depending on your tastes and group size.

Additionally, anyone looking for tasty Italian food to eat during the big game can feast upon their Game Day Pasta Packs, which includes an Amore Caesar Salad, two Classic Pastas (of their choice), Grilled Garlic Bread, and two Peroni Beers — all for only $40!

Café Amore Bistro
10807 106 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB
T5H 4A7
(780)–477–7896

Tile Town Interior Design Consultant is “Proud to be Team Tile Town”

With more than 20 years in the flooring industry under her belt, Dianne Carriere of Tile Town Edmonton West, who serves as their interior design consultant, is an expert in all things tiles, minimalism, and customer satisfaction. We spoke with Dianne on her time with Tile Town, her appreciation for colour risks, and everything that Tile Town has to offer.

So Dianne, what’s your Tile Town origin story?

I dealt with Tile Town throughout my many years in the flooring industry, and I always admired how they branded themselves. I saw an opportunity and I ran with it — a little scary, but now I couldn’t be happier!

To Edmonton, they are a common name in home building and renovation. I liked that the upper management always seemed to be involved and cared about their employees. From the stock they carry to the way they respect employees and customers; Tile Town is truly outstanding.

One of the best things I’ve experienced during my time with Tile Town is that management and owners listen and value our opinions — it is so refreshing in this time. I am proud to be team Tile Town.

What draws people towards Tile Town, and what brings them back?

People come in for the immediate stock and our many choices. We also have the option of sourcing tiles from a variety of suppliers if the customer has time to wait.

I enjoy the personal one-on-one time I get to spend with our customers. I take great pride in making their visit the best it can be!

I often say: If you leave here happy, that makes us happy!

How did you get started with flooring and design?

My design background includes a few small interior courses, but ultimately comes down to years of experience. I guess you could say it’s a passion.

I am a minimalist when it comes to décor. My home is basic: whites, greys, and blacks with my pop-of-colour being red. I truly love working with customers that are willing to introduce colour into their homes!

When working with a client, what is your process?

When I am working with a client, I first try to determine what direction they are thinking of going. I gather samples and make a layout of what they are thinking, then I show them what products look good together.

We’re also lucky to have our Tile Town Visualizer on our website, a fantastic tool where we can take our stocked tiles and put them into room scenes so that customers can see what their tiles can look like installed! This is a game changer for those who struggle with visualizing spaces.

What tile trends are you seeing in 2022?

2022 is showing trends of blues and greens combined with whites, and I am very excited that management has brought in some beautiful new choices of these colours.

Lume in Blue 2.25X9.375 Gloss Glazed Porcelain Wall Tile.

I must say one of the best things I’ve experienced during my time with Tile Town is that management and owners listen and value our opinions — it is so refreshing in this time.

Any advice for choosing tiles?

If I can say anything about picking tiles, it would be to do a little research and see what’s trending — but just go with what you like and feel comfortable with.

If you need any help, come on in and we will make this a fun, non-stressful experience!

Visit our Tile Town location in Edmonton West to see Dianne and get your next project started.