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Since you are inquiring about how to tile it is assumed that you have a basic understanding of neohoming and want to further your home's appearance. If you don't know what neohomes are all about I suggest you read up with some basic guides (you can find links at the bottom) and come back when you and your wallet are ready to take it to the next step. But feel free to read ahead either way!

Welcome to the wide world of tiling. First we'll start with the definition. I have found two on, our friend, the world wide web:

regular repeated placement of a single small element covering a larger area or surface

reproducing a large image by breaking the image into parts, or tiles; when pieced together, they reproduce the original image

In neohomes both definitions are used. There is *some* debate as to how big an area has to be to be considered 'tiled,' or how many items must be used, or what the end result is, but you can determine your own parameters. Once you're familiar with the 'how-tos' you can expand or refine them in any way that pleases you and/or your pets. On to the tutorial!!

when to tile

You might have already chosen to tile a room and have found this site looking for help, or maybe you're looking into beginning a room where you think/know you'll need to tile. At any rate you don't HAVE to have a reason to tile. You don't have to have any reason to neohome at all! But if you are looking for some reasons or looking at where in your existing home you can/should/might want to add tile then these reasons might point you in the right direction.

If you don't like the floor/walls


design by: ithingy
 When choosing room materials sometimes you can't find exactly what you're looking for. Occasionally you will like a wall, but despise the floor that comes along with it. We are hoping one day TNT will release actual carpets and wallpaper *pokes TNT*, but until they do we have to find ways to create our own.

Obstacles in doing this are the outlines TNT uses. If your goal is a solid floor similar to the one pictured in any color other than black you have to find items that have little to no outline. The outlines prove much harder to deal with when changing the wall because of the angles. Rather than replacing or completely covering the walls like you would the floor, I recommend you look into wallpaper.

If you need to hide something

With the sometimes limited choices provided to use in neohomes sometimes you need to improvise. One way of doing this is using part of an item to represent what you couldn't find to satisfy your building 'needs.' Sometimes it is easy to hide the undesired part of the item, and other times it is not. It is these times where tiling can come into play. In order to hide a significant part of an object you can strategically tile the entire area surrounding it. This type of tiling usually originates from whatever you're trying to hide. You cover up what you need to and continue the pattern from there.

design by: mutantanaconda

If you want to edit the size or shape of a room

Neohomes we not designed for optional porches or multiple levels in a single room. If you want this effect you have to create it yourself. When changing the entire layout of a room some form of tiling is usually required. In order to make a porch, or other partly outdoor area, it is necessary to alter a wall, or perhaps create another wall to separate the outside from the in.

When adding lofts, basements, balconies or other areas that involve levels, you can utilize the wall to give the illusion of differences in height. Sometimes you can use the existing wall, and other times it might be best to cover up the wall and create your own.

design by: weidenf
design by: avatarh

If you want to define certain areas

This one is pretty self-explanatory... and if you're not sure just look at the pretty picture.
*pretty*

design by: ithingy

If you want to make the furniture *POP*

Put the focus on the furniture! Perhaps you just spent a good chunk of your bank account(or in some cases all of it) on a great piece of furniture. You want to showcase it, right? Well here's a good way to do just that. Find a contrasting color and fill the floor. Find whatever items accent the star piece of furniture and use them to tile the floor and create a backdrop for your bankruptcy.

design by: mutantanaconda

If you want to make the floor *POP*


design by: ithingy
 Want a new perspective? This tiling possibility might occur to you as you're adding a few items in a room and you like the way they look together. It often gets stumbled upon while building or working on something else. Run with it! Go crazy!

The other way to go about this is if you've happened to find a piece of furniture you like for whatever reason. Maybe the colors or the pattern, maybe your pet collects them or it goes with their room theme..whatever it is you can pick that item and turn it into a tile. Who says rooms have to be built around furniture? Build your room around your floor. Give floors the attention they deserve.

choosing your items

While many times it is tempting to use the cheapest item you can find, I would initially recommend you stray away from this option. For those of you who won't, and insist on using common, cheap, items I have a special place for you under 'cost.' You may tile with WHATEVER you choose, because when all is said and done, it is your neohome. So what factors do you use to decide how to fill your home?

Color

Color is my personal favorite aspect of neohoming. You can create color schemes based on items, themes, or room material. If you pick a few items you know you want to use you can build the rest of the room from those. The available color palette for neohomers can seem very limited at times. Especially when you find the perfect item, only to be let down by how few items share it's color. This can be a challenging road, but it is a very rewarding one, too.


design by: kiahi_makai
design by: coolmorning


Busyness/Simplicity

Items fall into two main categories. Patterned and solid. In a typical room you will want a mix of these to create balance. You don't want all patterns unless you're trying to give whoever is touring your home sensory overload. You also don't want to go to the other extreme and have all solid items because the room can look boring and you might not end up with a focal point.

In order to decide how busy your tiling needs to be you need to look at what you already have in your room. If your room is full of items that don't match and are somewhat busy to begin with you'll want a calmer, more solid floor. On the other hand if all of your items are big, bold and solid you can try a busier floor pattern.

If you don't have any items in your room yet and are tiling first you can choose either, but be aware that when you do add more items you'll want to keep checking the balance to make sure the tiling isn't taking away from the furniture and/or the furniture isn't taking away from the tiling. Try to find the balance point where they both show off each other.

An additional factor in how busy a room can seem is the size of the objects. In general the larger the object the simpler the pattern. Sometimes small solid items can be less busy than large patterned ones. Size also comes into play when you consider how long it will take you to line up all of the items. Depending on which pattern you use(we'll talk more about patterns later) you might want to try using larger objects until you feel comfortable, or patient enough to move on to smaller more time consuming sizes.


tile design by: cybraria

tile design by: mutantanaconda
design by: weidenf


Cost

This is a biggie for any neopian. No one wants to spend all their hard-earned NPs on something they could spend less on. But if you're here, you've probably already invested quite a bit into your home. So why not just a bit more? If you are going for a certain look and you've found the perfect item, but it's pricey, I would suggest you save and buy it instead of looking for a cheaper alternative. It happens all the time. You find an item that costs 2,000 NP each and would rather go with a not-so-perfect item that only costs 700NP each. In the end you will be much happier about choosing the more appropriate item for your specific room. When you go with the cheaper version you're usually unhappy with it once you're done and decide to go buy the better item anyway! Save yourself the trouble and go with what you think will look best, even if it costs a bit more.

Below is a long, long list of items. This list contains the 15 cheapest items from each furniture store. Although I do not endorse using the cheapest possible items, they are still a neohomer's best friend...or a neohomer's bank account's best friend.. :) This information includes the picture of the item as you would find it in a store or user shop, the official item name, it's price and picture. This information will not be updated. It took a long, looonng time and prices in Neopia change daily. I recommend you keep an eye on Tarla, giveaways, and, in December, the Advent calendar to keep track of the cheapest furniture items currently available. The actual inside the neohome views are courtesy of Secret's Museum, which is an asset to neohomers.

Information current as of the Month of Gathering Y9
Brightvale Glaziers
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Finneus Stained Glass Window20NP
Altador Stained Glass Window35NP
Slime Covered Window35NP
Stained Glass Valin Window350NP
Christmassy Stained Glass Window350NP
King Hagan Stained Glass Window400np
Stained Glass Galem Window400NP
Broken Window400NP
Stained Glass Kanrik Window400NP
Stained Glass Masila Window450NP
Colourful Snowy Window500NP
Spooky Nimmo Stained Glass Window500NP
Holly Stained Glass Window550NP
Stained Glass Hannah Window600NP
Power Negg Window750NP


Osiri's Pottery
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Mis-shapen Pot300NP
Pyramid Pot500NP
Black Osiris Plate900NP
All Seeing Urn900NP
Two-Ended Water Pot1,100NP
Painted Pottery Platter1,200NP
Painted Pottery Kidney Vase1,300NP
Earthen Striped Jug1,500NP
Hand Painted Water Jug1,700NP
Blue Glazed Jug1,800NP
Qasalan Tea Pot2,000NP
Spouted Urn2,200NP
Bamboo Vase2,500NP
Dual Vase Ornament2,500NP
Velvet Pedestal2,500NP


Faerie Furniture
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Tooth Faerie Poster1,050NP
Skipping Harris Painting1,100NP
Light Faerie Lamp1,100NP
Harris Lamp2,400NP
Harris Chair2,400NP
Tooth Faerie Chair2,900NP
Jhudora Rug2,900NP
Tooth Faerie Bean Bag3,000NP
Jhudora Lamp4,300NP
Earth Faerie Sink5,000NP
Fyora Rules Poster5,800NP
Lavender Faerie Rug5,900NP
Faerie Kitchen Cupboard6,900NP
Chair of Nova7,100NP
Lavender Faerie Lamp7,500NP


Kiko Lake Carpentry
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Aqua Coral Pillow1,100NP
Amber Coral Coffee Table1,200NP
Shell Table Lamp1,200NP
Shell Mirror1,200NP
Wiggling Seaweed Plant1,300NP
Magenta Coral Lamp1,600NP
Shell Stool1,600NP
Floral Shell Curtains1,700NP
Bubble Table2,000NP
Seaweed Hammock2,300NP
Seaweed Drawers2,600NP
Orange Coral Chair2,900NP
Bubble Chair3,100NP
Sunset Coral Lamp3,400NP
Bubble Bean Bag3,400NP


Kreludan Homes
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Glow-in-the-Dark Moon60NP
Glow-in-the-Dark Sun3,500NP
Orange Kreludan Lamp4,000NP
Orange Grundo Rug4,000NP
Hover Table4,200NP
Glow-in-the-Dark Comet4,200NP
Heart Shaped Orange Chair4,400NP
Hover Sofa4,700NP
Hover Chair5,000NP
Orange Kreludan Bean Bag5,800NP
Orange Kreludan Flag5,800NP
Orange Kreludan Table5,800NP
Hover Bed6,000NP
Orange Grundo Wardrobe6,000NP
Orange Grundo Chair6,300NP


Chesterdrawers' Antiques
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Scary House Tree1,400NP
Framed Alice Photo1,500NP
Lovely Decorative Lamp1,600NP
Antique Full-Length Mirror1,800NP
Gas Lamp2,000NP
Green Antique Chair2,900NP
Green Antique Couch3,400NP
Antique Glass Bookcase4,000NP
Potion Shelves4,100NP
Cauldron7,500NP
Lovely Coffee Table15,800NP
Grandfather Clock29,000NP
Potion Table65,000NP
At the time this list was created there were only 13 items being sold at Chesterdrawers' Antiques


Petpet Supplies
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Blue Moon Petpet Bed99NP
Symol Bouncy Ball200NP
Ettaphant Bouncy Ball250NP
Grumblebug Water Bowl350NP
Springy Mootix Toy350NP
Petpetpet Travel Cage500NP
Turmac Bouncy Ball650NP
Blechy Squeeze Toy850NP
Mortog Water Bowl900NP
Raindorf Scratching Rug950NP
Blue Spardel Bowl950NP
Albat Food Bowl950NP
Springy Pinchit Toy1,000NP
Springy Veespa Toy1,000NP
Ettaphant Feeding Station1,100NP


Roo Island Merchandise Shop
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Roo Island Lamp1,500NP
King Roo Throne1,600NP
Dicearoo Replica Trophy2,300NP
Blumaroo Pad Table2,300NP
Fluffy Red Dice3,000NP
Blumaroo Pad Rug3,200NP
Stylish Blue Blumaroo Chair3,300NP
Merry Go Round Uni Statue3,500NP
Blumaroo Sink3,600NP
Cot Von Roo3,900NP
Fluffy Green Dice4,500NP
Von Roo Clock4,500NP
Roo Island Bath Tub5,000NP
Roo Island Toilet5,000NP
Fluffy Blue Dice6,000NP


Spooky Furniture
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Meepit Lamp150NP
Spyder Wardrobe375NP
Meowclops Statue400NP
Sophies Rocking Chair500NP
Spooky Tree Candle800NP
Evil Hand Chair With Lumbar Support1,000NP
Oozing Candle1,100NP
Sheet Covered Chair1,200NP
Spyder Foot Rest1,350NP
Flaming Torch Lamp1,500NP
Sheet Covered Mirror1,500NP
Cauldron Table1,800NP
Squishy Spyder Chair2,000NP

*drips water*
Dribblet Chair2,000NP
Esophagor Drawer2,200NP


Tyrannian Furniture
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Rock Bin400NP
Stone Wardrobe400NP
Dung Reclining Chair450NP
Straw Sofa450NP
Rock Chair500NP
Dung Sofa500NP
Straw Chair500NP
Dung Box500NP
Stone Side Table500NP
NOTE: The above item has a duplicate, there are two by the same exact name. Keep refreshing your wizard to find them within this price range.
Wrong Item!!
Hewn Stone Table550NP
Stone Shelves575NP
Dung Shelf600NP
Straw Desk600NP
Hewn Stone Chair600NP
Dung Arm Chair600NP


Neopian Furniture
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Altador Rug400NP
Red Pot400NP
Round Table Lamp450NP
Tall Table Lamp500NP
Small Table Lamp500NP
Red Bucket600NP
Funky Yellow Drawer650NP
Blue Bean Bag Chair700NP
Red Bean Bag Chair700NP
Elegant Table Lamp725NP
Rolling Chair725NP
Round Green Table800NP
Mutant Door Mat800NP
Striped Lamp800NP
Green Bean Bag Chair800NP


No Store Items
Item Picture/NameReal View/Price
Mouldy Petpet Bed
Fishing		1NP
Red Geraptiku Vase
Deserted Tomb		15NP
Traditional Bone Throne
Deserted Tomb		20NP
Curvy Sand Sculpture
Cooking Pot		85NP
Swirly Sand Sculpture
Cooking Pot		95NP
Triangular Sand Sculpture
Cooking Pot		100NP
Angular Sand Sculpture
Cooking Pot		100NP
Tiki Christmas Decoration
Advent		100NP
Chia Clown Poster
Advent		100NP
Bottle Shaped Sand Sculpture
Cooking Pot		100NP
Blue Kacheek Group Poster
Band Souvenir		100NP

*lights flash*
Decorated Artificial Brain Tree
Advent		100NP
Ladder
Advent		100NP
Kacheekers Poster
Wheel of Monotony		100NP
Rainbow Sand Sculpture
Cooking Pot		110NP
Golden Grundo Soap Dish
Advent		110NP
Pterattack Poster
Wheel of Monotony		130NP
NOTE: Advent items will most likely steadily increase in price because they were released in limited quantities.

how to tile


Position Coordinates		Perhaps the most important aspect of accurate tilling involves the use of the "X Position" and "Y Position" coordinates. For your convenience they have been highlighted in green.

The four arrow buttons to the left of the numbers move the highlighted piece of furniture by one pixel. It might not seem very significant right now, but when you tile with many small items one pixel can ruin a precise pattern or save your sanity when you are just a teensy bit off. Knowing exactly what the numbers are supposed to be ensures a perfect pattern every time.

Another notable point is that when you hold the "Shift" key down and click on an arrow button the selected piece of furniture moves ten pixels instead of just one. This is a VERY useful feature!

Let's move on to arranging the actual items. We will use a basic grid to begin with. In order to line up all the tiles all you have to is match the position coordinates. In our examples the vertically aligned items all have an X Position of 51. This ensures that they are all lined up together. Horizontally the numbers pictured are 34.

The exception to this rule is when an item has been rotated. In order to rotate an item select it and then press the left or right rotate button. Doing so will rotate the item by 90 or -90 degrees. In order to rotate by increments of 10 degrees you will need to hold the "Shift" key down while clicking the buttons. If you have all of your items at the same rotation then you will have no problem lining them up. If the rotations vary you will need to adjust accordingly. If it is a repeating pattern every other number will match. For example if you rotate every other tiling item to -180 degrees then every other X/Y position will be the same. If the rotations are random then you will have to line things up visually without using the number system.

Vertical Alignment

Horizontal Alignment

Rotation Buttons

tiling problems and basic patterns

Okay! Now you have some nicely arranged items in a room. But what is this?! They don't fit right? UGH! Until TNT decides to give us perfectly square tiles or perfectly square floors you will run into this problem just about every time you try to tile. Lucky for you previous neohomers have found numerous solutions to these problems.

Problem: The tiles don't fit!



This is a pretty easy solution if you're not trying to cover up something or don't mind some of the actual floor showing through. In the example the left side is lined up against the wall and on the right is a large gap. The simplest way to correct this is to space out the tiles so that they are equally spaced on either side. If you do not like the floor showing you can add a border with more of the same tile, a contrasting item or a similar item to blend in the spacing error.

Additionally you can just enlarge the space between each of the items so that there is equal space around all of them and no border is needed.

Problem: I can still see the floor underneath!



When using circular items or spacing out square items like the solution above you might want to fill in the gaps or add "grout." You can pick most anything to fill the gaps because most of it will be hidden. Here bean bags were used to fill the spaces in between the tiles. For the outer straight edge an item with a straight edge was used. While any item can be used the item you choose can change the feel of the room. The basic options are darker, lighter, patterned, solid colors, small items, big items...and anything else you can find or already have in your safety deposit box. It's a good idea to play around with color and pattern combinations to see which one works best for the individual room.

Now that you know how to get the items in, arrange them, and fill in any gaps you can play with patterns! The possibilities from here on out are endless. There is no limit to what you can imagine. You can use HUGE items and make big blocks, use small items and go blind getting them in the right places, alternate the size, shape, number, pattern, and orientation of items and create designs to fill all of your neohome.
Grrr...They're uneven..!

Ahh. Much better. :)

Ooo, spacious..

Grout to Bridge the Gaps ;)

Various Tiling Patterns

Completed Project

advanced patterns (for brave souls)

Think you're ready to step up and take on a challenge? Ready to go beyond the basics? Well prepare yourself cause it can get(or make you go) cRaZy!! These are some ideas to get your creative gears turning. What can you create? Which items are calling to you to be used in some way or another?

Multiple Item Patterns

Although on the surface it might seem a little bit less than functional to stack pile of bean bags on top of thirty some-odd desks, the result can be astounding. Many different creatures, structures, gardens, and even landscapes have been created using this method.

design by: newmommynvegasagain
design by: wingingkestral

Tiling on the Diagonal

Not a far stray from the norm this simple twist(no pun intended) on tiling can open a whole new range of items and possibilities to you.

floor design by: kiahi_makai

Wallpaper

Wallpapering a room can prove frustrating. This tiling technique requires lots of patience and typically lots of items. You can see the effect for yourself and venture down this path if you want to. Posters are a good starting point for this because of their availability and price range, but many items lend themselves to being stuck on a wall.

wallpaper design by: weidenf
wallpaper design by: kiahi_makai

wallpaper design by: mutantanaconda
wallpaper design by: avatarh

wallpaper design by: avatarh
wallpaper design by: avatarh


Mosaic

Okay, so if wallpaper took patience, creating a mosaic takes dedication. Once you've decided on a design or idea or item you have to stick with it. Lots of tedious pixel by pixel moving goes into these magnificent flooring feats.

mosaic design by: beenerz
mosaic design by: beenerz

mosaic design by: netjeru
mosaic design by: lady_eleanore

Circular Tiling/Rugs

Round and round we go! What home is complete without a rug or two...or forty-seven? Being the end it might seem ironic that I suggest you try your hand at making a rug first. If approached with these tips in mind a rug can be a stepping stone to becoming a tiling pro.

rug design by: weidenf
rug design by: mutantanaconda
I hope you enjoyed this tile tutorial. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions feel free to contact me, bruisedgreenapple, by neomail or premium mail, bruisedgreenapple@neomail.com. Or check out the Neohome board. It is found on the Spotlights and Galleries Board and usually has two smilies and the word NEOHOME all in caps in the title. There you can ask questions, give advice, get advice, or just lurk and peek at what others have done. Hope to see you around! :*

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