4x4 Tile Pattern
The 4x4 tile pattern in a stack bond sets 4x4 squares on a straight grid, with every joint lining up in both directions to form an unbroken vertical and horizontal grid. It is the default layout for a small square tile: the format is compact enough that an offset adds little visual interest, while the aligned grid reads as deliberate and lets the tile itself — its color, glaze, or surface variation — carry the wall. The same layout works for any 4x4 tile, from a flat machine-made ceramic to a handmade zellige.
Last updated: 2026-07-16
One-Tile Pattern — 4x4 (Straight/Stack Bond)
Opuslay — tile layout worksheet- Room:
- 3 m × 2.5 m
- Units:
- Metric (cm / m²)
- Anchor:
- Left · Top
- Layout angle:
- Straight
- Tile colours:
- Single colour
Material breakdown
| Format | Qty / Pattern | Share | Qty / Room | Area / Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10x10 cm | 1 | 100.0% | 750 | 7.50 m² |
| Total | 1 | 100% | 750 | 7.50 m² |
What you'll need to buy
Tiles to buy
| 10x10 cm | 788 tiles | 7.88 m² |
Total 788 tiles · 7.88 m² (incl. 5% cuts & breakage)
- Thin-set adhesive: ≈ 1 bag (22.7 kg) — recommended trowel: 6mm notch
- Grout — the tile sets the joint width, not you:
- ≈ 1 bag (11.3 kg) — 3mm joint, rectified / tight-set tile
- ≈ 2 bags (11.3 kg) — 5mm joint, natural or non-rectified tile
It's the tile that decides the joint, not the setter — dry-lay a section to find your width. Assumes 9.5mm tile depth; adjust for your product.
Share & export
Save the One-Tile Pattern — 4x4 (Straight/Stack Bond) layout to your moodboard, or send the link to your tiler — it reopens with your room dimensions.
About the 4x4 Tile Pattern
The 4x4 glazed square is one of the most familiar formats on American kitchen and bathroom walls, and its stack bond grid is what most people picture when they think of a plain tiled wall. Because the module is a simple square, the layout tessellates on a straight grid with no offset to calculate — the only real design decision is where the grid starts, which is what determines the size of the cuts at each wall, exactly as it does for its bigger sibling, the 12x12.
The same 4x4 grid is the standard way to set zellige, the hand-shaped glazed terracotta tile from Morocco. Zellige is cut and finished by hand, so no two pieces are exactly alike: edges are slightly irregular, faces undulate, and each tile varies a little in size. That variation is the point of the material, but it changes how the grid is set. Where a rectified porcelain 4x4 can be run with a tight joint, zellige needs a wider one — around 3/16" — so the differences between pieces are absorbed joint by joint instead of accumulating across the run and pushing the grid out of square.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 4x4 tiles are in a square foot?
A little over nine. The nominal math says nine — a 4"x4" covers 16 square inches and a square foot is 144 — but like most square tile today, a nominal 4x4 is made metric: it runs on a 100 mm grid, tile plus its grout joint, which works out to roughly 9.3 tiles per square foot. Opuslay sidesteps the arithmetic entirely by laying the grid out against your actual room and counting whole tiles and cuts.
What grout joint should I use for 4x4 zellige tile?
Wider than you would use for a machine-made tile — around 3/16" is a common starting point. Zellige is handmade and each piece varies in size and edge shape, so a wider joint lets the setter absorb that variation tile by tile and keep the grid running straight. A tight joint leaves nowhere for the differences to go.
Should 4x4 tile be stacked or offset?
Stack bond is the more common choice. On a square tile, a running bond shifts every other row by half a tile but the module stays square, so the offset reads as a subtle stagger rather than a brick pattern. Stacked keeps the grid clean and puts the emphasis on the tile.
Is 4x4 tile outdated?
Search interest suggests the opposite. The format went quiet for years while large-format tile dominated, but it returned with handmade and zellige-style tile — zellige is now among the most-searched tile terms in the US, and on those materials the small square and its visible grid are the look rather than a compromise.