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How Many Different Tiles in a Bathroom? The Three-Tile Rule

Floor, wall, one accent. Three tiles is enough for any bathroom, and here are the floor and wall pairings that work.

Bathroom with three tiles only: cream zellige walls, a terracotta hexagon floor and a small green accent tile in the shower niche

Every tile looks good on its own in the showroom. Put five of them in one small room and it looks like a showroom.

The three-tile rule

Use three tiles at most: floor, wall and one accent. A fourth tile makes the room busy and adds more cuts and labor.

This is a Decorwick rule of thumb rather than a code, but it's the one most well-finished bathrooms quietly follow.

Three tile samples laid together: a cream wall tile, a terracotta hexagon floor tile and a small green accent tile
Floor, wall, one accent. That's the set.

What counts as one tile

  • A checkerboard is one tile in two colors.
  • A mosaic of your floor tile on the shower floor counts as the same tile.
  • The same tile laid two ways (straight on the wall, herringbone in the shower) is still one tile, though it adds pattern.

Pair a busy tile with a quiet one

If the floor has a pattern, the walls stay plain, and the reverse. One pattern per room.

Bathroom with a black and white checkerboard floor and plain white walls
A patterned floor wants plain walls.

Warm with warm, cool with cool

Mixing a warm cream wall tile with a cool gray floor is the quickest way to make both look slightly wrong. Pairings that work:

  • Cream zellige or handmade-look walls with terracotta, a warm limestone look, or a cream and black checkerboard floor.
  • White 3 x 6 inch subway walls with a marble-look hexagon, a warm gray hexagon or a black and white checkerboard.
  • Large stone-look walls with the same tile on the floor, or a matching mosaic in the shower.
  • A deep gloss color (green, navy, burgundy) with terracotta, warm stone or a black hexagon.
Cream zellige wall tile with a terracotta hexagon floor
Warm with warm: cream zellige and terracotta.

Where the accent goes

The accent tile belongs in one place: the shower niche, a single feature wall, or the shower floor. Not all three.

Shower niche lined with small green accent tile in a cream tiled shower
The accent in one place only.

Mistakes to skip

  • A bold tile on every wall. It dates fast and tires the eye. Keep bold to one wall or the floor.
  • Two patterns fighting, like patterned cement floor tile with herringbone walls.
  • Cool and warm tiles side by side.

FAQ

How many different tiles should be in a bathroom? Three at most: floor, wall and one accent.

Should bathroom floor and wall tile match? They should belong together, not match exactly. Same temperature (warm or cool), and only one of them patterned.

Can you use the same tile on the floor and walls? Yes, especially large stone-look tile. Make sure the floor version has enough slip resistance.

30 tile combinations, already worked out

The Bathroom Decision Map, No. 05 in the Decorwick Measured Home Series, has the full floor and wall pairing table and 30 finished palettes, each with its tile, grout, vanity, countertop and metal already chosen. See The Bathroom Decision Map

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