Terracotta Floor Tile Ideas: 12 Shapes for Kitchens, Living Rooms and Patios

Terracotta floor tile is unglazed fired clay; the name is Italian for "baked earth." With a natural finish, the surface shows the color of the clay itself, in reds, oranges and warm browns that vary from tile to tile. The terracotta floor tile ideas below are grouped by room and by shape, from hexagon and picket kitchens to parquet and octagon patios, with a table comparing the twelve shapes in this guide.

Which terracotta shape for which room

• Kitchen: picket and hexagon shapes, which break up a large floor without a border.
• Living and dining rooms: 6 by 12 inch rectangles and parquet strips, which give long rooms a direction.
• Entry or powder room: cross and star and arabesque shapes, where one strong pattern carries a small space.
• Patio, pool deck or terrace: the tiles listed for outdoor floors, such as Regenerado hexagons, Rectangulo rectangles and Rustic Cotto octagons.

Every natural terracotta floor tile shown here is in our terracotta tiles collection, and the floor-rated ones are gathered in terracotta floor tiles.

Twelve terracotta floor tile shapes at a glance

Sizes are in inches. All are natural-finish red terracotta except the satin Cuadrado square, which is part of our Tesoro Cotto collection. The other eleven belong to our Spanish Reclaimed Terracotta collection.

Shape	Tile	Size	Thickness	Edge
Hexagon	Hexagono, Regenerado	6 x 6	3/4 in	Round (Hexagono), beveled (Regenerado)
Picket	Forma de Picket	5 x 10	3/4 in	Round
Rectangle	Rectangulo 3/4, Regenerado	6 x 12	3/4 in	Round (Rectangulo), beveled (Regenerado)
Parquet	Regenerado	3 x 12	3/4 in	Beveled
Chevron	Rustic Cotto	4 x 12	3/4 in	Round
Octagon	Rustic Cotto	8 x 8	3/4 in	Not listed
Cross	Rustic Cotto	4 x 4, 6 x 6	Not listed	Round (6 x 6)
Star	Rustic Cotto	4 x 4, 6 x 6	3/4 in (4 x 4), not listed (6 x 6)	Round (6 x 6)
Fan	Forma de Ventilador	6 3/4 x 6 1/2	3/4 in	Round
Arabesque	Arabesco	8 3/4 x 8	3/4 in	Round
Riviera	Langkawi	Pattern set	3/4 in	Round
Square	Cuadrado, satin finish	10 x 10	5/8 in	Beveled

Round edges are softened all the way around, so the grout lines look wider and the floor looks hand-laid. Beveled edges are cut at an angle and give a slightly crisper line between tiles.

Terracotta kitchen floors

Forma de Picket is a long, pointed 5 by 10 inch tile that interlocks end to end, so a floor forms a lattice of elongated hexagons. In a kitchen with black cabinets and white walls, the red clay floor is the warmest surface in the room and the picket shape keeps it from looking like a plain grid.

Hexagono is a 6 inch hexagon, 3/4 inch thick, with rounded edges. The honeycomb layout works in an open kitchen and dining room because it runs from one zone to the next without a border. It suits plaster walls, sage or olive cabinets and a long wood dining table.

Living and dining rooms

Regenerado comes in 6 by 12 inch rectangles with beveled edges, and its red shifts in tone from tile to tile across the floor. Laid in a running bond, it covers a large living room with a calm, even rhythm. The same tile works on a covered terrace outside, so an indoor floor and a patio can match.

For a pattern with direction, Regenerado parquet, on the left, is a 3 by 12 inch strip laid in herringbone or basket weave. Rustic Cotto chevron, on the right, is a 4 by 12 inch tile with angled ends that line up into a true chevron, the zigzag point running down the center of each row. The chevron is listed for outdoor floors and walls, so it belongs on a patio or a garden wall.

Moroccan and Spanish shapes

Cross, star, arabesque and riviera shapes come from Spanish and Moorish tile traditions, and they make the floor the main pattern in the room.

The Rustic Cotto cross is a 6 by 6 inch tile designed to pair with the matching 6 by 6 inch star, the two interlocking into a continuous cross and star pattern. Each tile has its own shade of red and orange, so the pattern looks hand-made from across the room.

Arabesco, on the left, is an 8 3/4 by 8 inch arabesque, the lantern shape with a pointed top and bottom. Langkawi, on the right, is a riviera pattern, a set of curved interlocking pieces. Both are 3/4 inch thick with round edges. Arabesco suits an entry or powder room floor where a single strong pattern carries the space; Langkawi is listed for walls and outdoor floors.

Patios, pool decks and terraces

Regenerado hexagons around a pool give a deck of one warm color with small variations, a different look from the cream and beige of travertine. Its product listing includes outdoor floors. For stone options around a pool, see our travertine pool deck ideas.

The Rustic Cotto octagon, on the left, is an 8 by 8 inch tile with clipped corners, shown on a covered terrace. Rectangulo 3/4, on the right, is a 6 by 12 inch rectangle with round edges, shown as a garden path. Several of the outdoor-listed tiles in this guide, including the parquet, cross, star, riviera and fan shapes, are listed as not frost resistant on their product pages, which matters on a patio in a freezing climate.

Forma de Ventilador is a fan or scale shape, 6 3/4 by 6 1/2 inches, that overlaps in rows like fish scales. On a patio it gives the same old-world feel as the Moorish shapes with a softer, rounded outline.

Three terracotta floor plans

Each plan pairs a terracotta floor with a wall tile and one more piece for the room.

Lookbook

Farmhouse kitchen

Floor

Backsplash

Sink

Farmhouse kitchen: a red picket floor, a glossy glazed terracotta backsplash in a blue and sand pattern, and a white ceramic farmhouse sink. Both are terracotta, so the wall and floor feel related while the glaze adds shine and pattern.

Lookbook

Warm bath

Floor

Wall

Vanity

Warm bath: a hexagon terracotta floor, a glazed terracotta wall in a soft pink and blue pattern, and a 60 inch Laurent double vanity in honey oak. The pink in the glaze picks up the red of the floor, and the blue keeps the room from turning all one warm tone.

Lookbook

Spanish courtyard

Floor

Wall

Trim

Spanish courtyard: a herringbone parquet floor, a garden wall in 4 inch star tiles, which are listed for walls as well as floors, and a terracotta cornice molding along the top of the wall. Floor, wall and trim are all natural red terracotta. The parquet and star are listed as not frost resistant, so this plan suits a mild climate.

More terracotta ideas

For glazed tile in color, see glazed terracotta tiles. Our other terracotta posts cover colors that work with terracotta and black terracotta tile ideas, and our terracotta buying guide covers the material in more depth.

Terracotta Floor Tile FAQ

What is terracotta floor tile?

Terracotta floor tile is made from natural clay that is shaped and fired in a kiln. Unglazed terracotta with a natural finish shows the clay's own red, orange or brown color, with variation from tile to tile. Glazed terracotta has a colored glass coating fired onto the face.

What is the difference between terracotta and Saltillo tile?

Saltillo is a type of terracotta named after Saltillo, a city in northern Mexico where the tile has long been made. All Saltillo is terracotta, but not all terracotta is Saltillo. The tiles in this guide are listed as red terracotta in our Spanish Reclaimed Terracotta and Tesoro Cotto collections, not as Saltillo.

How thick is terracotta floor tile?

Most of the natural terracotta floor tiles in this guide are 3/4 inch thick. The Cuadrado satin square is 5/8 inch. Wall-only terracotta and glazed tiles can be thinner, so check the thickness on each product page.

Can terracotta tile be used outdoors?

Yes, terracotta tiles listed for outdoor floors can be used on patios, terraces and pool decks. The pool deck, terrace and garden path photos above show them outside. Some, including the parquet, cross, star, riviera and fan shapes, are listed as not frost resistant, so the product page is the place to confirm suitability for a cold climate.

Is terracotta a good kitchen floor tile?

Terracotta is a traditional kitchen floor in Spanish, Italian and Mexican homes, and most of the floor tiles in this guide list kitchens among their rooms. Most are 3/4 inch thick, with round or beveled edges, and come in shapes from plain rectangles to picket and hexagon. The kitchen photos above show the picket and hexagon shapes.

What is the difference between natural and satin terracotta?

A natural finish leaves the fired clay surface as it comes from the kiln, matte and slightly textured. A satin finish, as on the Cuadrado square, has a smoother surface with a low sheen. Both are unglazed, so the clay color is the color of the tile.