Window Sill Tile Ideas – 10 terrific tile window sill ideas to brighten up your home
Window sills are perhaps not the most exciting or glamorous areas of your home to tile, but cladding a sill with attractive and practical tiles can make a huge difference to the overall look of a room.
Interior window sills are usually made from wood, but tiled sills are common in bathrooms and kitchens, where large areas of the walls are also tiled. You can also tile external window sills; terracotta and slate tiles are often used for this purpose, but you can use ceramic tiles too.
Keep reading to discover our pick of the best tiles for the job.
Which tiles are suitable for a window sill?
If you’re tiling an interior window sill, you can choose from any tile material. If the tile is regularly coming into contact with water, for example, a window behind a sink, you’ll need to make sure that porous tiles such as stone or terracotta are sealed.
For exterior tiles, you’ll be able to choose from vitrified tiles (similar to ceramic tiles but containing compressed minerals which are compressed and fired at very high temperatures), porcelain, natural stone terracotta and quarry tiles.
Window sill tile ideas
The great news about tiling a windowsill is that it’s a really small area, so you will be able to pick tiles from more expensive ranges, giving you more choices. If you’re looking to tile a bathroom with coordinating tiles or make a statement window sill, have a look at our selection of seriously good window sill tile ideas:
Glossy ceramic tiles
Ceramic tiles are a super practical choice for the area behind a sink. High gloss tiles will reflect light from the window and they’ll be easy to keep clean with just a quick wipe-over. Ceramic tiles can be a budget-friendly option and tiling a windowsill is a job you can easily undertake over a weekend.
Terracotta tiles
Durable and timeless, terracotta tiles are an excellent choice for window sills, both inside and out. These versatile tiles look fantastic in traditional and more modern homes and, as this homeowner has done, you can often use leftover tiles or find reclaimed tiles to tile a windowsill.
Recommended Tile: Natural Terracotta
Metro tiles
Metro tiles are one of the most adaptable tile styles and they’ll look as good gracing your window sills as they do lining the walls. One of the main advantages of metro tiles is the sheer range of colours and finishes available and they’re a good choice if you’re on a budget.
Metro tiles also come in a range of different sizes so you should be able to find the perfect size for your sill to minimise cutting.
Tile installed: Mantra Dark Grey
Herringbone tiles
If you’re tiling a bathroom, chances are that the window sill tiles will match those on the walls. There’s no reason why you can’t keep the same tile layout on the window sill. These skillfully laid subway tiles look fantastic around the bathroom window.
Be aware that using black or dark-coloured grout will highlight any tiling imperfections. It does, however, create a beautiful contrast against the white tiles so make sure you or your tiler take time to get it just right!
Tiles installed: Dorset Bevelled Blanco
Mosaic tiles
Miniature mosaic tiles are sure to make a statement wherever you use them. These tiles need to be precision laid for the best effect and often work best when used over smaller areas. These tiles have been laid without a tile edging strip, creating a beautifully seamless finish.
Patterned tiles with border
Add interest to a window sill by using a border of smaller tiles around larger patterned tiles. Border tiles add the perfect finishing touch and it’s a great way to add elegance to a small area. It’s also a clever way to avoid fiddly small cuts if your chosen feature tiles don’t quite fit the window sill area.
Recommended Tile: Damask Décor 01
Tumbled stone tiles
Natural, tumbled stone tiles are an excellent choice for a windowsill. Tumbled tiles are created by placing them into a large drum with rocks, sand and water. They’re then tumbled to create the characteristic pitted texture.
One of the many great things about tumbled tiles, apart from looking fantastic, is that you won’t need to use any edging strips. Stone tiles will need to be sealed if they come into contact with water.
Marble slab windowsill
Add an elegant touch to a bathroom or kitchen window with a marble tile window sill. A large format tile can easily be cut to size, giving you a smooth and sleek tiled window sill solution.
Real marble will need to be periodically sealed when used in a wet area, or you can opt for marble-effect porcelain instead.
Recreate this look: Brick Olive
Star tiles
Vintage-inspired star tiles are a popular choice for kitchens and bathrooms, but as well as adding character to walls and floors, they make an attractive addition to window sills.
Porcelain tiles have all the looks of traditional (and much more expensive) encaustic tiles, without the maintenance.
Recommended Tiles: Regal Negro Star
Curved window sill
If you want to do something completely different with a shower window, consider fitting a curved windowsill that’s cladded with penny mosaic tiles. This seamless design works especially well with this style of tile, minimising the need for tricky cuts and tile edging strips.
Recreate this look: Waxman Shapes Round Matt White
Window sill tile tips
When tiling a small area like a windowsill, you can rest assured that almost any tile, shape and pattern of tile will look good, it’s only a small area after all. If you don’t have a particular style in mind, you might be able to pick up a bargain with end-of-line ranges or collect leftover tile pieces from an online marketplace.
Remember to measure before you buy your tiles, you’ll want to avoid making too many cuts or having to fit thin slivers of tile. Tile borders can help to solve this problem if you’ve set your heart on a particular tile.
Remember to use tile edging strips unless you have stone, terrazzo or glazed-edge tiles. Gone are the days of large, rounded, ugly plastic edging strips, you can choose from sleek metal strips in a range of colours.
Atlas Ceramics has an extensive selection of tiles for window sills to choose from. Browse our selection yourself or call one of our experts for advice.