6 Tips for Using Plain Cement Tiles

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Plain or solid-color cement tiles make great flooring and backsplash designs when you desire a subtle and sophisticated look. The natural variation in shade from handmade cement tiles provides a rich, organic feel you won't find in mass-produced tiles. Depending on the line, you will also find a broad palette of colors and shapes. For instance, the Mission Color Palette has 60+ colors, and the Rustic Palette has over 40 colors and blends available. Custom colors can be created, too! Today's goal is to showcase my favorite installations so you can be inspired by their beauty, too! 

The slight shade variation in encaustic cement tile adds subtle sophistication with lots of soul. The tile has an organic beauty like that in nature, where slightly different shades of the same color make the whole much more than the sum of its parts. Start with a color you love, find the color chips that most closely match, and then finalize the color and a format that works for you.

Here are some great examples of different accent walls, floors, and backsplashes all done in a single color using cement tile. You will see rectangular, square, and Arabesque formats. The scale, color, and format all work together in each design.

The counter-to-ceiling backsplash behind this his-and-hers vanity is stunning and simple. Notice the color variation in the pale green Sage? That color variation makes the installation "Pop!" The herringbone pattern was created with Mission Sage 2"x8" Cement Tiles.

Color variation in the Sage tiles makes the installation "Pop!"

Studio McGee used Avente's Rustic Bone 4"x12" cement tile in a herringbone pattern for this stunning mudroom. Our Rustic cement tiles have more dimensional variation and require a wide 1/2" grout joint to accommodate these differences. There will also be some differences in thickness, as visible in this photograph. These rustic tiles are a customer favorite, and you can see why.

                Avente's Rustic Bone 4"x12" Cement Tiles were used for this mudroom. Credits: Design: Studio McGee  Builder: Killlowen Construction  Photo: Lucy Call

Plain 8"x8" cement tile is an excellent choice for floors and walls. Cement tile is porous and must be sealed with a penetrating sealer to provide a water barrier. You can view our Mission Plain 8"x8" cement tiles collection or the in-stock Plain 8"x8" cement tile collection.

Two walls of this spacious residential bath are covered with Mission Vert Clair 8"x8" cement tiles, which provide calm and tranquility.

The organic beauty of solid-color cement tile is due to the natural variation in a handcrafted cement tile, like the tile on this floor.

Are you tired of being square? Are you looking for something different than the standard rectangular subway tile? Arabesque patterns add intrigue and interest to a floor or accent wall. When each tile is the same color, the pattern is muted, providing a bit of mystery that requires further inspection without being bold. By keeping the pattern and grout all in the same neutral color, traditional patterns can play well with more modern designs.

Mission Arabesque Aragon in white is a traditional pattern that plays well with this modern design because the pattern and grout are the same color.

If white-on-white isn't your style, you can add interest and emphasis to the pattern using a traditional gray or a different-colored grout. The bathroom below keeps the theme, providing a slightly formal effect for a lovely powder room in white and grey using Avente's Mission Arabesque 8" Malaga in white.

Mission Arabesque 8" Malaga in white is perfect for this formal powder room's backsplash.

You can't go wrong with classic black and white; it's a timeless design and works well with just about any style you want to achieve. The Mission Arabesque Aragon creates this restaurant's stunning and eye-catching floor using high-contrast colors.

The Mission Arabesque Aragon pattern, with a black star and white picket cross, creates this restaurant's stunning and eye-catching floor.

The image below is another excellent example of how a traditional pattern can easily be modernized. This bathroom floor gets your attention because a dark, moody black tile is paired with contrasting light grout, emphasizing the herringbone pattern with an unquestionably modern graphic feel, especially with the dark olive green walls. Mission Black 2"x8" tiles were used with a wider grout joint to create the graphic effect.

Black 2"x8" Cement Tile in a herringbone pattern with high-contrast grout emphasizes the pattern, providing an unquestionably modern graphic feel.

Design Tip: Caution! Grout can permanently stain cement tiles

Proceed cautiously when using grout darker than the cement tile. Grout can stain cement tiles. However, you can use a special grout like Mapei Flexcolor CQ grout for unglazed or porous tiles to avoid issues with grout colors staining the tiles. Always test the grout on a sample or inconspicuous location to ensure it doesn't stain the tile.

Tile rugs add charm and warmth and allow you to infuse your style into the home's architecture. They take planning and time, but they are always worth it. If too much pattern is your problem, create a rug with plain tile and frame it with a decorative border pattern. The border pattern and plain tiles within create the carpet, and additional plain tiles outside the border fill the area to the room's edges. The border adds interest and focus without being too busy or overpowering.

Patterned border tile can frame plain cement tile, creating a charming rug.

Combining Tips #3 and #4, we've created a rendering of a high-contrast border that frames plain white tiles, creating this bold and classic rug. All Mission 8"x8" tiles featured in this design are in stock and ready to ship: Ritz Classic Border, White, and Black.

Plain white tiles and our Mission Ritz Border tiles create a high-contrast rug, as shown in this rendering. All tiles here are in stock and ready to ship!

Tip: Create a mitered corner by cutting two border pieces diagonally

Some borders require additional corner pieces. However, this geometric pattern allows you to create a mitered corner by cutting two border pieces diagonally.

You can also create a rug with the plain tile "on point" or rotated 90 degrees to the border. A patterned border tile frames the entire room, but the on-point tiles with a wide grout joint provide a more traditional look of red Spanish tiles or pavers. Placing the tiles on point adds interest and breaks up adjacent rectilinear or square rooms that are part of an open floor plan. Make sure to account for additional waste using this layout because more cuts will be required.

For homes with an open floor plan, place plain tile "on point" or 90 degrees to the border to add interest and define rooms.

In an installation, you can use plain tiles of different colors and place them randomly, in a specific pattern, or blend them to create a gradient or shading effect. These installations show a commercial and a residential bathroom with random Mission Plain 8" Hexagons in black, white, and gray. The kitchen installation uses Mission Plain 8" black, white, and gray Hexagons. The flooring uses a repeating pattern, and the walls use a random gradient effect from darkest to lightest.

Commercial coffee counter walls with a random blend of Mission 8" Hexagons in black, white, and gray.

Bathrom floor and walls with a random blend of Mission 8" Hexagons in black, white, and gray.

Kitchen flooring has a repeated pattern using 8" Mission Hexagons in Black, White, and Gray, and the backsplash has a random gradient blend. 

A checkerboard pattern is another way to use plain square tiles to create a simple pattern. High-contrast or saturated colors with white or a neutral color will provide the best results for a checkboard pattern. Run the pattern wall-to-wall or frame it with a border in the center of the room.   

Create a checkerboard with two colors of square tiles using high-contrast colors for a bold effect.

Rendering of Mission Herringbone 2"x8". Random blend of 45% French Blue, 45% Gray, and 10% Blue Asia.

Plain tile looks especially lovely on outdoor patios and walks, especially with patterned tile on the riser or separating quarter designs as medallions. When using cement tile in outdoor installations exposed to radiant energy from the sun, fading can occur over time. This is more dramatic with dark blue and green cement tiles. Some color can be restored by periodically adding a color-enhancing penetrating sealer.

Plain tile looks charming on outdoor patios and walks, especially with patterned tile on the riser.

In this example, we combine Tip #5 and use several plain tile colors with Tip #3 to create a bold effect using a high-contrast black-and-white zig-zag pattern with Tip #6 on an outside entry walk. How is that for following your advice? What a lovely, rich, and inviting effect it creates!

Black-and-white rectangular tiles in a zig-zag pattern create an inviting exterior walk.

Using plain tiles around "medallions" of quarter design patterns is excellent for large spaces like this patio. If the pattern motif only requires one tile, it can be used as a medallion surrounded by plain tile for smaller spaces. The grid surrounding the medallion keeps the pattern from becoming too busy and provides negative space.

Use plain tile to create a grid around medallions of quarter design pattern tile, adding negative space to simplify the pattern.

Regardless of your tastes or your home's architecture, plain cement tile provides a simple way to add color and style, especially for the pattern-shy. Because of their durability, unlimited colors, and plentiful format options, cement tiles are an ideal floor choice. Plain cement tiles offer a rich look you'll love. Additionally, they provide design flexibility and can be used as a simple, colorful backsplash or with other plain tiles to create patterns, rugs, gradients, or checkerboard effects. Explore more products or check our inventory of plain tiles. One thing is sure: solid-colored cement tiles consistently deliver beauty with a lot of style.

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Editor's Note: Originally published on September 19, 2017, today's update includes additional images, installations, content changes for readability or clarification, and improved navigation.