Walk into any high-end bistro in Manhattan or a restored Craftsman in Portland and you’ll see them. Those tiny, circular porcelain discs. Most people just call them black and white penny tile, but in the design world, they are the ultimate "safe" bet that frequently goes sideways during installation. It’s funny because we treat these tiles like a timeless staple—something that’s been around since the Victorian era and will never go out of style. And honestly? That’s mostly true. But after talking to enough contractors and staring at crooked grout lines in million-dollar renovations, I’ve realized most people treat penny tiles like standard subway tile. They aren’t.
They are fickle.
If you’re looking at that classic flower pattern or a sharp checkerboard, you’re looking at a design choice that dates back to the early 1900s. Back then, they were prized for being "hygienic." Today, we love them because they feel nostalgic without being "grandma's house" dusty. But if you don't account for the sheer volume of grout or the "sheet line" phenomenon, your expensive bathroom floor is going to look like a grid-patterned disaster.
The Grid Nightmare: What Nobody Tells You About Installation
The biggest lie in home renovation is that mosaic sheets make your life easier. You buy a 12x12 sheet of black and white penny tile thinking, "Cool, I just slap these down." Wrong.
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When you lay these sheets, if the spacing between the sheets is even a fraction of a millimeter wider than the spacing between the individual pennies on the sheet, you’ll see the "ghost of the grid." Basically, you can see exactly where every square sheet ends and the next one begins. It ruins the seamless look. Expert installers like Sal DiBlasi often talk about "staggering" or hand-setting perimeter tiles to hide these seams, but DIYers almost always skip this. It’s a mess.
Then there’s the grout.
Think about the surface area. With a large format 12x24 tile, you have very little grout. With penny tiles, the grout makes up about 10% to 15% of the total floor surface. That is a massive amount of porous material. If you use white grout with your black and white penny tile in a high-traffic bathroom, I give it three months before that white turns a depressing shade of "wet sidewalk" gray.
The History is Actually Kind of Practical
We see these tiles as an aesthetic choice now, but they were originally an engineering solution. Around 1900, porcelain was the big thing because it was non-porous. In an era before modern antibiotics, "cleanable" was the highest praise you could give a floor. The small size of the penny tile wasn’t just for looks; it allowed the tile to "wrap" around the slight slopes of old-school mortar beds leading to floor drains.
You see this a lot in old apartment buildings in Chicago or New York. The floors aren't perfectly level. Large tiles would crack. Small tiles? They just follow the curve.
Material Matters: Porcelain vs. Ceramic
Don’t get tricked at the big box stores. You’ll see "ceramic" penny tiles that are significantly cheaper than "porcelain." Get the porcelain. Porcelain is denser, fired at higher temperatures, and through-colored. This means if you drop a heavy shampoo bottle and chip a black penny, it’s still black underneath. Ceramic often has a white base under a colored glaze. Once it chips, the "magic" is gone.
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Design Patterns That Actually Work (And Some That Don’t)
Most people go for the "flower" pattern. You know the one: six white pennies surrounding one black penny. It’s classic. But if you’re doing a small powder room, that pattern can actually make the room feel cramped.
- The Random Pixel: This is where you mix 90% white with 10% black scattered randomly. It’s much more forgiving on the eyes if your walls aren't perfectly square.
- The Border Frame: Using a solid black border of three rows of pennies around the edge of the room. This is a nightmare to cut, but it makes the room look like a custom piece of art.
- Solid Black with White Grout: Just don't. High-contrast grout on solid tiles highlights every single tiny imperfection in the spacing. Unless your tiler is a literal perfectionist, you’ll hate it.
Let's talk about the "slip factor." This is where black and white penny tile actually wins. Because there is so much grout, these floors are incredibly slip-resistant. They are probably the safest choice for a walk-in shower or a wet room. You get a natural grip from all those recessed grout lines. It’s the one area where the "more grout is bad" rule flips on its head.
The Maintenance Reality Check
You have to seal your grout. I don't care if the bag says "stain-resistant." Seal it.
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If you choose a dark grout—like charcoal or "raven"—to go with your black and white tile, you have the opposite problem of white grout. Soap scum and hard water deposits show up as white, crusty film on dark grout. There’s no winning here; there’s only choosing which type of cleaning you hate less.
Honestly, a medium-gray grout (think Mapei’s "Warm Gray" or "Silver") is the sweet spot. It hides the dirt but doesn't show the hard water spots as badly as jet black does.
Why Architects Still Obsess Over It
There is something mathematically pleasing about the circle. Most things in our houses are rectangles: doors, windows, cabinets, floorboards. Introducing a circular element like a penny tile breaks up the "boxiness" of a room.
I’ve seen high-end designers like Kelly Wearstler use penny tiles in ways that feel almost avant-garde, even though the material itself costs three dollars a square foot. It’s about the scale. When you have thousands of tiny circles, it creates a texture that acts like a neutral. It’s busy, but in a way that feels like a solid color from a distance.
The Cost Factor
Labor is where they get you.
The tile itself is cheap. You can find decent black and white penny tile for $5 to $10 per square foot. But because of the seam-hiding and the massive amount of grouting/cleaning required, a pro might charge you double the installation rate of a standard subway tile. If you’re getting quotes, make sure the tiler knows it’s penny tile. Some will see "mosaic" and underbid, then do a rushed job when they realize how tedious it is.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Ignoring the Subfloor: Because penny tiles are small, they won't bridge gaps. If your subfloor has a "lip" or a dip, the pennies will follow it exactly. You’ll feel every bump under your feet.
- Wrong Trowel Size: You need a tiny V-notch trowel. If you use a big square-notch trowel, the thinset will squeeze up between the pennies and you’ll spend six hours picking dried cement out of the cracks before you can grout.
- Over-washing: When you grout, if you use too much water on your sponge, you’ll wash the pigment out of the grout or, worse, wash the grout right out of the shallow joints.
The Verdict on Black and White Penny Tile
It’s a classic for a reason, but it’s not "easy." It’s a high-detail, high-maintenance choice that rewards you with a floor that will look just as good in 2050 as it did in 1920. Just be honest with yourself about the grout. If you aren't the type to scrub a floor once a month, go for a darker grout or a larger tile.
Actionable Next Steps
- Order a sample sheet: Don't just look at photos. Lay a sheet on your bathroom floor and see how it handles the light.
- Test your grout color: Mix a tiny bit of grout and fill a few gaps in your sample sheet. Let it dry 24 hours. Grout always dries lighter than it looks when wet.
- Check your "COF" (Coefficient of Friction): If you're using this in a shower, ensure the tile is rated for wet areas. Most porcelain pennies are, but some "glass" versions can be surprisingly slick.
- Hire for experience: Ask your tiler for photos of specifically penny tile jobs they've done. Look for those sheet lines. If you see them in their portfolio, run.