Classic metro tiles are less of a trend and more of a style icon. We love them here at The London Tile Company, and it’s apparent that you do too. These small format tiles come in bright colours that breathe life into your home, whilst also being extremely affordable at the same time.
What is a Metro Tile?
Metro tiles are a popular type of tile often used in interior designs for both kitchens and bathrooms. They were popularised by their use in at London Underground stations, hence the name Metro, and are also often called Subway Tiles too. But don’t worry, you don’t need to own a train station to use them in your home.
Because of their sleek shape and design they are frequently used in both retro and contemporary designs. If you’re looking to tile a modern open plan kitchen diner, you can’t go wrong with a simple gloss tile. Similarly, Metro Tiles should always be your first port of call for vintage inspired country-style kitchens too.
What size are Metro Tiles?
Usually 200mm wide by 100mm high, metro wall tiles can also be found in 300mm by 100mm versions too. They are always rectangular and brick shaped, although sizes and finishes vary by design.
They can have rustic crackle gloss surfaces that give them a handmade vibe, or an easy clean gloss surface – perfect for kitchen splashbacks. Metro tiles also often come with bevelled edge variants, where the edges of the tiles incline slightly giving a 3D surface area to look at.
What Colour Grout to use with Metro Tiles?
Small format tiles have more grout joints, meaning you can incorporate grout colours in your interior design. And with colourful tiles there’s no reason to settle on white, cream or grey grout. It’s important to pick complementary colours between your tiles and your grout, and because not everyone is a graphic student or interior designer, we’ve included a handy colour wheel below.
This helps you work out which colour of grout can go with your bright new Metro Tiles, but why stop there? You can also get silicone to match your grout, so every part of your interior design matches and is in harmony. Us tile nerds love harmony.
How to fit Metro Tiles
Here at The London Tile Company we always recommend using a professional tiler to complete your room. But if you are going to have a go yourself Metro Tiles are a great choice to learn with. They’re made of ceramic, so you can cut them with a standard tile cutter, and their small size makes them easy to work with.
Because of their shape and style, brick metro tiles are perfect to use in standard, herringbone, or even staggered patterns. It’s amazing how quickly you can turn a tiled surface into a statement wall with a little forethought.
Because there will be more grout joins, we recommend using tile spacers to keep everything nice and even – and make sure to keep your spirit level handy for straight lines and edges. Remember about us tile nerds loving harmony.
Standard tile adhesive will keep the tiles in place, and a complimentary colour tile grout will keep things looking great. If your metro tiles have a crackle glaze finish on them, remember to use a sealer like this to keep them looking and shining their best.
What are the most popular Metro tile ranges at The London Tile Company?
Vintage Metro Tiles
- Colours: White, Pearl, Blue, Ivory, Olive
- Size: 300mm x 75mm
- Edges: Standard
- Finish: Crackle Glazed
Kyoto Metro Tiles
- Colours: Aqua, Green, White, Lavender, Taupe
- Size: 304mm x 76mm
- Edges: Standard
- Finish: Crackle Glaze
Cactus Metro Tiles
- Colour: Snow, Fog, Smoke, Sage, Marine
- Size: 200mm x 100mm
- Edges: Bevelled
- Finish: Gloss
Savanna Metro Tiles
- Colour: Dew, Grain, Steel, Leaf, Luna, Sage, Slate, Petrol, Marine
- Sizes: 200mm x 100mm and longer 300mm x 100mm size
- Edges: Standard
- Finish: Gloss
Who are The London Tile Company?
Pulling from 60 years experience in the industry, we know a thing or two about tiles – and metro tiles are one of our favourites. You can pop in to any of our retail stores across the South of the UK, or hop on over to our website where you can find out information, get samples, and make your order all from the comfort of your home.
Why stop there? You can also be a part of the journey and discussion on Facebook, get inspired on Instagram, or ignite your interior designer with on our Pinterest boards.