One simple floor design technique that can really add life and punch to your room, while remaining a classic layout is adding “dots”;. This can be simple or very detailed. Another name for this installation technique is called “clipped corners”;. This installation technique can be particularly effective when the style and design in the rest of the room is quiet, simple or without a lot of other patterns.
There are many different ways you can add these dots.
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Tiles laid on the diagonal with dots in the intersection of each tile.
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Tiles laid on the diagonal with dots in the intersection of every other alternating tile.
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Tiles laid out with dots with the addition of a border around the perimeter of the room.
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Field tile that is laid straight. In a clearly defined area, most likely the center of a room, laid out with a border that created an area rug. The center of this area rug can be laid on the diagonal with dots in each intersection or every other intersection.
There are many different tile sizes that can be used for dots as well as ways to achieve “dots”
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1×1 tiles (works best with tiles at least4×4)
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2×2 tiles (works best with tiles at least 6×6)
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3×3 tiles (works best with tiles at least 6×6)
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4×4 tiles (works best with tiles at least 12×12)
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6×6 tiles (works best with tiles at least 12×12)
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Mosaics that can create custom sizes or standard sizes like 3×3, 4×4 or 6×6
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12×12 natural stone pieces cut down into custom sizes or standard sizes like 3×3, 4×4 or 6×6
Areas in your home that “dots” can be used:
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Complete floors
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Accents in floors
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Showers
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Tub Surrounds
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Backsplashes
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Accent areas in backsplashes such as behind the stove or sink
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Wainscoting
Color combinations that are attractive uses for dots or clipped corners:
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Solid color field tile and same solid color accent dot
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Solid color field tile and different color accent dot
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Solid color field tile and patterned accent dot
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Field tile with natural stone accent dot
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Light colored field tile with contrasting dark accent dot such as black dot and a white floor or cream floor and dark brown dot
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Darker colored field tile with contrasting light accent dot such as a black floor with a white dot or a dark brown floor like emperador marble with a crema marfil or travertine dot. (shown below)
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Solid floor tiles with decorative accent tiles.
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Accents can be created from natural stone, glass mosaics, glass tiles, metal tiles, ceramic tile, decorative ceramic tile or porcelain tile.
Keep in mind that the installation cost is usually higher due to the amount of work it takes to cut each tile that receives dots. If the dots are created by cutting other tiles, this can increase the labor costs even more. The uniqueness that this pattern provides is well worth the additional labor costs.
For other installation patterns, Happy Floors has a great source on their website. You can enter the size tiles you are working with to ensure the size tile lays out properly with the dot you’ve selected.
A great visual resource for trying these designs out is on the WFCA website’s Virtual Room Designer. Here you can choose different tiles in different room applications.
Happy Designing! Get Creative!
Remember the days when your choices for flooring were carpet, wood, vinyl and tile? Then came along bamboo and cork and that was really branching out? Recently, I did a post on floors made from peach pits. Now, I am happy to have discovered tiles made from coconuts!
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