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According to an article in the New York Times, tiles are the new most popular trend in home décor and renovation. But not just any tile. While not a new invention, cement tile is catching the eye of homeowners and designers all across the country. No matter if your style is traditional, contemporary or eclectic, cement tiles offer something for everyone, including the not-so design inclined who are more focused on practical features and benefits.
The most traditional way to use tile is on the floors, but homeowners are getting creative and using this stylish material in many unique places for bold impacts and eye-catching accents. Read our guide and get inspired by all of the ways you can use artisan cement tiles to transform the spaces in your home.
Cement Tiles For The Front Yard
Take a moment to picture the front of your house. What kind of a first impression do you want to give? What type of an experience do you want to provide? While landscaping adds natural beauty, hardscape features are not affected by time or Mother Nature and can make a significant impact on your home’s curb appeal. Cement tiles are a great option if you want to boost the appearance of your outdoor space with something that is durable and can withstand nasty weather, chips and high usage.
Photographer: Brian Sanderson, Salt & Pepper Studios
1. Retaining Walls and Gated Entry
Transform less-than wow-worthy retaining walls into gorgeous works of art that look regal and expensive. Look to historical estates and manors for inspiration and give yourself and guests a grand entrance to your home with a gated entry with cement tiled walls.
Design: Jennifer Hamelet, Mirador Builders
2. An Archway Over the Driveway
Take your gated entry design a step further with an archway over the gate entrance. Stand out among your neighbors and help welcome your guests inside your home with an amazing cement tile design around your doorway.
Design: Michael Canty
Photographer: Brian Sanderson, Salt & Pepper Studios
3. Front Walkway and Steps
Who says walkways and front steps have to be plain cement or bricks? Cement tiles offer the same level of durability and weather resistance but with all the style and creativity you love for the inside of your home.
Cement Tiles For Inside Your Home
Wow your guests as soon as they walk through the front door with hand-crafted cement tiles. If you want to create a jaw-dropping first impression, choose a bold color scheme and pattern. But that doesn’t have to mean bright colors. A classic black and white combination is both elegant and striking and will set the tone for the rest of the home.
Design: Steve Jones
Photographer: Marcia Prentice
4. The Foyer Floor
You can tile the entire floor of the foyer using a single design, or create a runner using two different tile designs. Choose a fun pattern for the strip that will mimic a floor runner and a simpler or solid tile to anchor the look.
5. The Living Room Floor
The living room is often the largest room in the home and offers a plenitude of opportunities to put your creativity to work using cement tiles. Hardwoods are the most common flooring material, but they are expensive and prone to wear and tear, scratches and fading. Cement tile is much more resilient than hardwood and offers a myriad of designs. Use a single tile design all over the living room floor, use two different styles with one as a border, or create the look of carpets with at least two different styles, laid out in squares.
6. Living Room Walls
For many homeowners, the living room is the favorite place to show off prized works of art, gorgeous antique mirrors, and family pictures. You can create your own art pieces and enhance others you already have by tiling the walls of the living room with cement tiles. Use a single solid colored tile all over the wall, make built-in shelves pop with background cement tile, use multiple styles on a feature wall, or frame pictures or paintings with cement tile borders.
Design: Michael Canty
Photographer: Brian Sanderson, Salt & Pepper Studios
7. Stairs
Stairs often get overlooked when it comes to decorating. But you have some real opportunities to turn them into an unexpected statement piece. Use a fun patterned cement tile on the risers of a staircase to add some major design envy. Make it extra fun and alternate a few different designs on each step.
Design: Studio Matsalla
Photographer: Design Milk
8. The Fireplace
Fireplaces are often the main focal point in a room. Make your fireplace even more of a stunning feature and tile the front with a patterned cement tile. Depending on your favorite design aesthetic, you can go bold and modern with a large pattern design in black and white, choose a colorful more intricate design for a traditional home, or blend the two for something whimsical.
9. Study Areas
Cement tiles make a huge impact on the main areas of your home, but they are also perfect for adding a touch of whimsy in the small spaces. Tile the walls of a study nook with cement tiles in an inspiring pattern and color combination.
10. The Kitchen Floor
Kitchens deal with heavy foot traffic, spills, dropped plates, and more activity on a daily basis. Cement tiles are resistant to moisture, chips, and heavy usage, and offer plenty of room for creativity. Cover the entire floor for practical measures and then add some interest with a faux rug in front of the sink and a border around the base of the island with cement tiles.
Gorgeous Decorative Tile Ideas, Better Homes and Gardens
11. The Kitchen Backsplash and Walls
Next to the countertop material, the backsplash is one of the areas in the kitchen most carefully deliberated. Cement tiles are timeless yet interesting, durable, naturally water-resistant and offer more design options than any other backsplash material. Choose a classic white or gray tile, or have some fun and choose a colorful pattern for the right amount of pop. Where you don’t have upper cabinets, tile the wall of the kitchen as an extension of the backsplash.
Design: Ariel Fox Design
Photographer: Manolo Langis
12. The Kitchen Island
Another unexpected place to incorporate cement tiles is on the island. This creative attention to detail will blow away all who see it.
Design: Tamara K. Honey, House of Honey
13. The Dining Room
The dining room is one of the select spaces in the home that demands wow-factor. Create a border around the dining room table with two or more cement tile designs, and consider tiling the walls as well for extra drama.
14. The Bar Area
To complement the elegance of the dining room, add some play in your bar area with a bold cement tile pattern underneath the counter top and behind the bar on the walls.
Design: Jessica Helgerson Interior Design
Photographer: Lincoln Barbour
15. The Bathroom Floors
Ironically, bathing isn’t always the cleanest of activities. Combat water damage and mold with cement tiles that are moisture-resistant and non-slippery for your bathroom floors.
Design: Pfau Long Architecture
16. The Bathroom Walls
You might as well take extra precaution and tile the entire bathroom from floor to ceiling with wall cement tiles. Not only is this a practical choice but the look is stunning. Match the floor tiles with the walls tiles, choose two or three complementary designs and wrap a stripe around the wall for accent.
Design: Hope Alexander
Photographer: Elizabeth Daniels Photography
17. Shower
The shower needs the most moisture fighting power and cement tiles couldn’t be a better or more stylish option. If the rest of the bathroom is simple and subdued, tile the entire shower, floor to ceiling, in a bold pattern.
Design: House of Honey
Photographer: Melissa Valladares
18. Downstairs Entertainment Room
While the upper part of the home needs to all blend and complement a certain aesthetic, the downstairs area may lend a little more room for creativity. Do something totally unexpected and unique in the entertainment hub with two different flooring materials that blend into one. Think hardwoods on one area with honeycomb shaped cement tiles that piece-by-piece transition into a floor of solid tile. This design is not something you’ll see at any of your friends’ homes.
Design: Hatch Works
19. The Laundry Room Floor
Combine practicality and chemical-resistant materials with a chic design on the laundry room floor using cement tiles.
Design: Potted
20. Laundry Room Backsplash
Install cement tiles on the backsplash in your laundry room and tie it into the floor using the same solid colored tile for a soothing, serene atmosphere in white or light gray, or make laundry time something you look forward to with a fun pattern.
Cement Tiles For the Back Yard
The backyard of your home is full of opportunities for you to make it your own retreat. Whether you picture yourself throwing parties that last well into the evening, or relaxing while listening to the sounds of nature, you can design the elements around you and create your ideal environment with the help of beautiful and weather-proof cement tiles.
Design: Jennifer Hamelet, Mirador Builders
21. The Back Patio
Chip and moisture-resistant cement tile is an excellent choice for an outdoor patio floor. It can hold up to the weather, heavy foot traffic, and scuffling of furniture without cracking, chipping and losing its luster.
Design: Jill Burnham
22. Balcony
Turn the floor of your balcony into something extra special with luxury cement tile. Keep it simple or use two or more designs to create an intricate border detail.
23. Outdoor Walkways
Cement tiles add magic to a garden when used over winding walkways, and they can stand up to Mother Nature much better than wood or plain concrete.
24. Built-in Seating
Create wrap-around seating around a fire pit, fireplace, or along the base of a privacy wall. Cover the seats and backs with cement tiles and admire your custom, magazine-worthy built-in outdoor seating.
