What Is Listello Tile?

Mosaic Listellos

• Mosaic listellos are generally rectangular, either hand-made or manufactured, and come in a wide variety of patterns. Flowers and plants, Old World designs and 1920s-style black-and-white mosaic listellos consist of multiple-colored individual stones held together by a fabric mesh on the back. The mesh protects the tile during installation and allows the pieces to be cut to fit specific areas.

Decorative Listellos

• Decorative listello tiles typically have an interlocking pattern and are often created in a poured or "molded" form, which gives the tiles a rich, textured, three-dimensional look. Molded pieces showcasing fruits are a common theme in kitchen back splash applications, creating a warm, contemporary design motif. Decorative listellos often come with corner pieces that finish off the corners of the pattern.

Metal Listellos

• Metal listellos consist of metals such as copper and wrought iron and commonly take on an Old World design. Metal-based listellos are used in kitchen back splashes and stone flooring, creating a rustic, earthy Old World look. Metal listellos are often used with slate, dark porcelain tile and granite. Used as insets to match a particular design theme, metal listellos are also occasionally used as trim pieces for field tile.

Natural Stone Listello

• Natural stone listellos are typically made of limestone. The designs found on natural stone listellos are etched into the stone by a waterjet process, creating a rich, three-dimensional texture and a multitude of design and pattern options, including Old World, Asian and contemporary designs.