What herringbone tile is
Herringbone tile is any tile laid in the herringbone pattern, where the end of each rectangle meets the long side of the next at 90 degrees. The pattern takes its name from a fish skeleton and was long used in brick paving and wood floors before it became a staple of tile.
A herringbone can be built from loose rectangular tiles, such as subway or plank tile, or bought as a mosaic sheet with the pattern already assembled. Stone Tile Depot's herringbone tiles are mosaic sheets, which give a fine-scale zigzag in pieces from 5/8x2 to 5/8x3 and larger.
Piece size changes the look
Herringbone piece size sets whether the pattern looks like texture or like a bold zigzag. Mink White marble uses slim 5/8x2 pieces that look almost like woven fabric from a few feet away. Bardiglio Light and Silver Sky come in 1x2, a little larger, so each piece stands out on its own.
The 5/8x3 scale runs through Carrara Blend, Satin Perla and Flecked Canvas marble and through the Smoke White, Simplicity, Cobblestone Dark and Chiaro Flow porcelains. Large herringbone, in Silver Sky, Blue Savoy and the Verde blends, uses longer pieces, so each rectangle shows a wider stretch of veining and the zigzag is visible from across a room.
Herringbone floor tile
Herringbone floor tile suits bathrooms, shower floors, entries and powder rooms, where a modest floor area suits a detailed pattern. A herringbone floor adds movement to a plain room, and in an entry it can be framed by a plain border so the pattern looks like a rug.
Honed marble and matte porcelain are the usual floor pick. The 5/8x3 honed marbles, Carrara Blend, Satin Perla and Flecked Canvas, and the natural matte Chiaro Flow porcelain give a herringbone floor a soft, quiet surface.
Herringbone wall tile
Herringbone wall tile shows its detail at eye level, which makes it a natural fit for a kitchen backsplash, a vanity wall or the back of a shower niche. The polished Alpina White, Bardiglio Light, Silver Sky and Blue Savoy show their shine at its best on a wall, where the light catches every row.
On a shower wall, herringbone often runs as a vertical band or fills one feature wall set off by larger tile. A herringbone in honed marble also suits a fireplace surround, adding texture without competing with the fire. The kitchen side of the pattern, with countertop and grout pairings, is covered in herringbone backsplash tile.
Marble herringbone tile
Marble herringbone tile brings natural veining into the pattern, so each piece differs slightly from the next and the zigzag looks less mechanical. Stone Tile Depot's marble herringbone runs from white stones such as Alpina White and Carrara Blend to grays such as Bardiglio Light and Silver Sky, plus Sahara Beige, in honed and polished finishes.
Blended sheets mix two stones in one herringbone: Verde with Calacatta T, in regular and large herringbone with a fine textured finish, and Verde with Bianco Dolomiti in a honed large herringbone. Each pairs green marble with white for a bolder accent. More marble patterns are in marble tiles.
Porcelain and ceramic herringbone
Porcelain herringbone mosaics have a dense, low-porosity body that suits a busy family bathroom floor or wall. Smoke White, the polished Simplicity, Cobblestone Dark and the natural matte Chiaro Flow all use 5/8x3 pieces.
Blanc Matte is a ceramic herringbone in a plain matte white, so the zigzag is the whole design, which suits a minimal bathroom or a clean white backsplash. Other porcelain options are in porcelain tiles.
Honed, polished and textured finishes
Finish shows strongly in a herringbone because neighboring rows face the light at different angles. A polished herringbone shifts in tone as you move past it, while a honed one gives an even, matte surface where the veining and the zigzag stand out without glare.
The fine textured finish on the Verde and Calacatta T sheets adds a slight tactile surface that brings out the stone grain. Matte porcelain and matte ceramic give a calmer surface than polished or textured marble, with no shine to break up the pattern.
Comparing herringbone and chevron
Herringbone and chevron are both zigzag patterns, but herringbone uses square-ended rectangles that meet at right angles, while chevron cuts each end at an angle so the rows meet in a clean point. Herringbone looks woven and slightly broken; chevron looks like a continuous arrow.
Herringbone and chevron both suit floors and walls, and the choice is mostly about taste: herringbone feels traditional and textured, chevron sharper and more modern. Chevron options are in chevron tile backsplash.
Traditional and modern rooms
Herringbone tile fits traditional and modern rooms because the same pattern changes character with material and finish. In a traditional or farmhouse bathroom, a honed white marble herringbone with a matching grout echoes old herringbone wood and brick floors and feels quietly classic.
In a modern room, a polished gray marble or a dark porcelain herringbone with a crisp grout line looks graphic and tailored, especially beside flat-panel cabinets and matte black fixtures. Large herringbone leans contemporary because its longer pieces look like bold strokes, while the fine 5/8x2 scale leans traditional and textile-like.
Choosing a herringbone color
White herringbone, in Alpina White, Carrara Blend, Mink White, Satin Perla or Paris marble, or Smoke White porcelain, keeps a room light and puts the focus on the shape of the pattern, which is why white is a common pick for bathrooms and kitchens alike. Gray herringbone, in Bardiglio Light, Silver Sky, the blue-gray Blue Savoy or Cobblestone Dark, gives the zigzag more contrast.
Warm tones come from Sahara Beige marble and Chiaro Flow porcelain, both beige, which suit wood cabinets and brass fixtures. The green and white blends add color to a powder room or a single accent wall, where a bold herringbone has room to be the focal point.
Sheet sizes and coverage
Herringbone mosaic sheets come in several sizes: 12 1/8 x 13 3/8 inches for the Alpina White, Bardiglio Light, Sahara Beige and Verde and Calacatta T sheets, 10 7/16 x 12 13/16 for the 5/8x3 sheets, 11 x 11 for the 1x2 sheets, 10 x 13 for Paris and Blanc Matte, and 12 7/8 x 8 9/16 or 12 7/8 x 9 11/32 for large herringbone. Most are 3/8 inch thick, with some sheets at 5/16.
Herringbone sheets have stepped edges that lock into the next sheet, so the outer size of a sheet is larger than the area it fills. Product pages list coverage in square feet per box.
Grout color and the zigzag
Grout color decides how strongly a herringbone floor or wall shows its zigzag. A grout close to the tile color leaves the shape of the pieces to define the pattern, which keeps a herringbone floor calm in a small room.
A contrasting grout outlines every rectangle, so a mid gray with white marble or a light grout with Cobblestone Dark turns the herringbone into a graphic line. Fine pieces such as 5/8x2 have many joints, so grout color changes the look of a fine herringbone even more than a large one.
