Hexagon Tile Ideas for Floors, Showers and Transitions

Hexagon tile is a six-sided tile that locks together like a honeycomb, and it comes in sizes from tiny 1-inch mosaics to 12-inch hexes. The best hexagon tile ideas match the size to the room. Small hex works best on shower floors and vintage bathrooms. Large hex suits open bathroom floors, entries and modern spaces.

Here are 7 hexagon tile ideas we see work in Greater Boston homes, plus what they cost and how we install them. Back to tile patterns for every other layout, or browse our Tile ideas Complete Guide.

1. Hexagon Tile Ideas That Work in Real Homes

Hex tile looks great in photos, but size and grout color decide how it feels in your room. These seven ideas cover the looks homeowners send us most.

1. Small white hex with dark grout: the classic look for older Boston bathrooms. Dark grout shows off the honeycomb and hides wear.
2. Small hex on a shower floor: lots of grout lines give good grip. Small tiles also follow the slope to the drain.
3. Large hex on a bathroom floor: 8-inch hex and up has fewer grout lines and a bold, modern feel.
4. Marble hex: Carrara-style marble hex looks rich on a bathroom floor. Natural stone needs sealing every 1 to 2 years.
5. Two-color hex: a few dark hexes scattered in white, or set in a flower shape, add a custom touch.
6. Hex fading into wood: hex tiles break into a wood floor in a staggered edge. Plan it before the wood goes down.
7. Hex backsplash: a hex backsplash adds shape behind a stove or sink without a busy color.

Small vs Large Hexagon Tile

• Small hex (1 to 2 inch): mesh-mounted sheets, more grout lines, more grip. Best for shower floors and vintage bathrooms. More grout to clean.
• Large hex (8 inch and up): fewer grout lines and easier cleaning. Best for bathroom floors, mudrooms and entries. The floor must be flatter, because big tiles show high spots.
• Look: small hex reads as texture. Large hex reads as pattern.

How Do You Transition Hexagon Tile to Another Floor?

Hex tile never ends in a straight line on its own. Every edge needs cut pieces or a trim piece. Here are the usual ways to finish it:

• Metal edge trim: a clean straight line at a doorway. We finish the trim to match the grout color.
• Threshold: a stone or wood threshold covers the change in height between floors.
• Staggered fade: hexes step into the next floor in an uneven edge. It looks great but needs careful planning on both floors.

Picturing hex on your bathroom or shower floor? Send us photos of your floor and the hexagon tile you like for a same-day estimate.

2. What It Costs to Install

Hex tile costs about the same to install as other small tile, but more than a plain large-tile floor. Small hex has more grout. Large hex has more cuts at the walls. We price each area from photos and our per-area estimate, not a per-sq-ft formula.

Our recent job ranges (as of 2026 pricing, labor and setting materials included, tile not included):

• Bathroom floor, 30 to 45 sq ft, old floor removed: $2,000 to $2,300
• Replace a leaking shower floor with a Kerdi tray and new curb, walls stay: $4,100 to $4,500
• Full shower tear-out and rebuild: $5,000 to $7,000+
• Bathroom floor plus shower in one job: $7,500 to $11,500
• Kitchen backsplash, 17 to 35 sq ft, old one removed: $1,100 to $2,500

You buy the tile, and we never mark it up. Based on current Boston-area material prices, porcelain hex mosaic runs about $10 per sq ft. Plain porcelain floor tile runs about $6 per sq ft, and natural stone about $14 per sq ft. Plumbing and glass are extra on shower jobs.

A two-person crew sets roughly 100 sq ft of tile a day on a simple floor. Hex sheets move fast in the open field. The time goes into the cuts along walls, around the toilet and at the drain.

What Raises or Lowers the Price of a Hex Floor?

• Hex size: 1-inch hex has the most grout to pack and clean. Large hex has more cuts at each wall.
• Room shape: a plain rectangle is quickest. A toilet, a vanity and angled walls each add cuts.
• Floor condition: dips must be fixed first. Self-leveling compound over an uneven slab adds about $2 to $5 per sq ft, based on current Greater Boston rates.
• Stone vs porcelain: marble hex needs sealing and more careful cutting than porcelain.
• Two-color patterns: a flower or scattered design means pulling and swapping tiles on each sheet.

Is Hexagon Tile Hard to Install?

Small hex sheets are quick in the open floor but easy to get wrong. If sheets are not shifted just right, you see a grid of lines where the sheets meet. Large hex is less forgiving on a wavy floor, because every high spot shows. Both need a pro eye on the layout, so cut pieces stay even at every wall.

Grout color matters more with hex than with most tile. Hex has more grout per square foot than large tile, so the grout color shapes the whole floor. Ask for a sample board before you commit. We use Laticrete Permacolor, which holds its color well on bathroom and shower floors.

3. How We Install It

Hex tile only looks right when the sheet lines disappear and the edges stay crisp. Here is how we do it on floors and showers.

Bathroom Floors

1. We remove the old floor. Demo and haul-away are part of the job.
2. We set Strata Mat uncoupling membrane in Laticrete 254 Platinum thinset. For a heated floor, one heating cable replaces the mat, and an electrician runs the circuit.
3. We dry-fit sheets from the center out so cut pieces at the walls stay even.
4. We set the tile in Laticrete 253 Gold and shift sheets so no seams show between them.
5. We grout with Laticrete Permacolor and finish metal edge trim to match.

Shower Floors

1. We build the floor with a Schluter Kerdi foam tray or a mud pan.
2. We connect the Kerdi drain ourselves. Only moving a drain or valve needs a plumber.
3. Walls get RedGard liquid waterproofing. Kerdi-Band seals the joint where the tray or curb meets the wall.
4. We cut the hex tight around the drain so water flows clean to it.

Want to compare hex with other layouts? Our herringbone tile floor post covers the other pattern homeowners ask about most.

4. Get a Quote From Photos

The right hexagon tile idea depends on your room size, your floor and how much grout you want to clean. Send us photos and a link to the tile. We will tell you which hex size fits and what the floor needs first.

Ready to put hexagon tile on your floor or shower? Send photos for a same-day estimate from Aguirre Modern Tile. Aguirre Modern Tile has set tile in Greater Boston since 2016. We are a registered Massachusetts home improvement contractor (HIC #655072) and fully insured.