Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Bathroom Floor Tile Decision

After meeting with umpteen contractors for the bathroom we think we're about ready to select one. We have most of the materials so we asked them to bid the job as labor only. Once we give the ok, the contractor would start in two weeks. So two weeks until start, and while we told him we have all the materials, we weren't exactly correct...

The original plan was to just refinish the tub. After looking at the condition of the tub and thinking about what we wanted weare going with a 60"x30" tiled shower instead. I had purchased the vermont slate for the bathroom floor, but since we were going to re-use the tub I didn't purchase enough for the shower floor. Oops. We'd heard that slate isn't great in showers anyway, so now we are on the hunt for tile that will look good on the shower floor that will go with our other tile.

12" x 12" Vermont Slate purchased the floors


3" x 6" Daltile Ice Grey tiles purchased for the shower walls and vanity backsplash


We are at a loss of which of the below will look best on the shower floor, so we'd love to hear your opinions on what you think would look best.

1. Marble Hex - After drooling at Anna's bathroom on Door Sixteen marble hex tile caught my eye. While I like it on it's own, I'm not sure how well it will go with the slate. Also, it is a bit of an odd transition the size of the hex to the slate, and the colors going from so dark to so light.



2. Pebble Stones - I think the pebbles could mix in well with the slate, but I am worried that it could look a little bit cheesy. Also, it will feel a bit odd on your feet. What do you think?



3. Black tile - I am thinking some 2"x2" porcelain or 2"x1" black marble tile to match in well with the slate, and continue the sleek black floor look through the shower. While I really like the black, the Queen isn't sold. So am I crazy in thinking this will match, or is the Queen right? Also, I think a couple of black tiled niches in the shower could look good.

2"x2" Black Marble


1"x2" Black Marble


What do you think will work best? Any ideas on things that would look better?

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

A couple additional details - our vanity is a dark brown with white marble countertop, white above-counter sink bowls. The walls will be painted a sterling grey color (see the kitchen pictures), with white trim throughout. Any suggestions/ideas you have would be much appreciated!

Summer said...

I wouldn't use the black shiny tile due to soap buildup and such. Would be a PITA to keep clean.

I like the marble hex tiles the best. I don't think the transition would be odd... shower floors and bathroom floors are often different. Helps to define the space better.

modernemama said...

I love the last pic, the 1x2" black marble. I think this fits best with the other choices you've made and would look more modern. But if you want the hex, go with it, hex is always a classic.

Anonymous said...

Love the white marble hex - but would also love it in Black too. Is marble slippery when wet? If so, maybe another hex tile in a matte finish? That would fit the period of the house too. I think you need a bit of black to accent all the other light and dark gray tiles, so dark insets and floor in the shower would be fabulous! Good decisions!

~the 'Rents

misssphinx said...

I feel like the hex is very appropriate for rowhouse rehabbing - and would perhaps tie in better with the countertop.

Great color scheme - very soothing. Your bathroom is going to look amazing.

NV said...

I like the last one, too. Black is a good color in a bathroom.

austinmodhouse said...

I like the hex, you could use a grey grout to match the slate if you like.

there is this dude who sells glass mosaic cheap on e bay. he has a white/grey/black blend that he sells for $4 a sq ft. it works great for showers; ask me how I know. he might even sell it to you for $3 a sq ft. (seller id austinmodhouse)

I don't think the pebbles will work.

Anonymous said...

Wow, I think you have narrowed your choices down very well. as I was reading the fist part I though hmmm, black mosaic tiles would be great, lol, and there they were... all of the choices would look effective, but go the black mosaic!
Cant wait to see it completed.

Ps, Im glad you have found the time to start blogging again, I have been waiting to see what you have been up to, and I really needed the inspiration..

Cheers

Anonymous said...

On another note, the pebbles I have seen in bathrooms look more effective when in neutral tones and are complemented by white square tiles.
Cheers

Momnipotent said...

In a shower my concerns would be soap buildup (white)and mildew (black). Also, talk to your sister about small mosaic tiled floors in a shower. The least little crack in the grout and water gets underneath and can warp the floor causing more grout cracks, etc. When so much moisture is involved, the fewer grout lines the better.

Kat said...

Pick something with some GRIP to it- the polished tiles look fantastic, but they can get extremely slippery when wet and covered in shampoo bubbles. We ended up going with a sandstoney tile for our showers, specifically for this reason.

And, use a 2x2 mosaic if you can get away with it- still small enough to be draped over the drain, but large enough to reduce the grout (aka the biggest pain in the butt EVER to clean!)

Jen @ RamblingRenovators said...

Of the ones you've shown, I like the 1x2 marble the best. The scale works with the other tiles - not too big, not too small. I would see if they come in a honed finish though and ask at the tile store about the 'slip' factor. You could also tie the shower walls and floor in together by putting a border of maybe three rows of the marble 1/3 of the way down the shower wall.

Jenny said...

Love the hex and agree with the above poster about gray grout. The pebble stones are surprisingly comfortable on your feet, but they may be an item that dates the house slightly (although I love them...). Good luck with your choice!

Patrick said...

I have to agree with just about every one else and go with the hex ... I may have to steal that idea when I redo my bathroom in about two years after completing my first floor.

Anonymous said...

hi. love your site. my boyfriend and i remodeled our bath last summer and installed a tile shower. if you use liquid soap with those poof things it is so easy to clean because you don't get any of that soap scum. took us a little while to get used to the poof but was worth it.
also we went with a 2"x2" ceramic floor which is glossy and don't have any slip problems.
if you haven't already check out LATICRETE® SpectraLOCK® PRO Grout. the epoxy made a big difference in the shower.

sandra said...

I'm going to throw something totally different out there. What about using the same tile as the shower walls and then putting in teak decking? My master bath inspiration pic from my blog has similar finishes as you've already selected and a teak shower floor and it looks very cool! And it would tie in with your wood vanity. Check it out - http://rehabitat.blogspot.com/2008/04/reinspire.html

sandra said...

Otherwise - I also like the marble hex, but I would go with a honed finish and it might be cool if you pop out a few random hex tiles and replace with a honed black marble to tie in with your slate floor.

Maureen Reynolds said...

We have a 'wet room' bathroom in our (Annapolis) downstairs remodel and are happy with limestone lookalike.

Any tile is cold, but cold and slippery is downright dangerous as other posters have noted. Scuttle the shiny surfaces imho. (n.b. you may want to go with some radiant heating under the rest of the tile. It's delicious and I'm amazed it's not used more round here.)

I have friends who have the pebble and love it. Hex is so classic with row houses, I'd tend to go with that or as Sandra says use your wall tile (perhaps in a flat or honed surface?) with teak mat over it.

Corey said...

Sandra/Maureen - I'd love to use a teak mat regardless of choice of tile, but since the wall time is subway tile it is VERY slick. While I like the teak mat, not sure it would be good to have such a slick surface below...

I like the idea of mixing the black hex in with the white.

Sara - Thanks for the tip on the grout!

Anonymous said...

It is really helpful. But selecting the bathroom floor tiles, first I would like to take my contractor advice because they in the same profession since long time. Then I will decide what should I need to do further.

Unknown said...

Beautiful! How could you not LOVE that marble...big fan here
white marble tile

Unknown said...

It's really a difficult task to choose a right bathroom remodeling company for buying Centennial bathroom flooring tiles. Thanks for giving such a nice information about bathroom remodeling.

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