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Hi there! We're working on our bathroom remodel, and I'm having fun looking at all of the beautiful tile that's available. I've brought home a lot of samples, and this picture shows them surrounding my inspiration tile that I already own...the flower basket. My friends love the diamond basket weave, but DH thinks it's too "femme".

Most of the floor will be carrera, white with some gray veining. But I want something more detailed in the shower stall, and I'm planning to do a basketweave floor, framed by a contrasting marble tile. The walls will be white subway tile.

I'll ask the question now, and in my next two posts add the pictures for you to choose from...

Question:
On the shower floor of a white subway tile stall, do you prefer

Choices:
gray and light green basket weave, bordered in white tile
or, white and light green basket weave, bordered by gray tile?

 

This message has been edited. Last edited by: annabel16,

Wow, my avatar is huge! Hope that doesn't mess up your screen!?

Anyway, you have to use your imagination because I don't have an example of gray and green basketweave, just gray and black. Pretend the black dots are light green...and here's option one (the white tile is representing the shower walls).

And option 2, ming green and white subway, with a gray border and white walls.

Thanks for playing. Also, in case you're curious, the niche will use the shiny mosaic tile you see two different samples of in the first pic.

My honest advice is to simplify your design.

You have a lot of beautiful choices, but if you use them all the shower could turn out to be too busy and fussy.

Would the dark tile show soap residue and water spots worse than the light tile?

Thanks for your replies. Cocok, the steam shower is approx. 5 feet square, so it's pretty large. Do you still feel that's too much going on? The walls and ceiling will be all white subway tile, with the white shell in the shampoo niche and behind the body jets. The only color would be in the ming green dots on the floor.

Grace, that's an interesting point about water stains on the darker tile. Hmmm...I was thinking that the gray might look cleaner over time than the white, but maybe I'm off.

Unfortunately, my inspiration pic is on Houzz and I can't lift it. Here's a pic of basketweave, but with a border that's three tiles deep. I was thinking of a border that is only one tile deep.

BTW, I tried to remove my avatar completely, but it didn't work. Sorry.

I say go simpler and agree with no dark tiles, the water residue will show up on those more so. I think if you use the pale (tropical water color) green, it would be nice, but should have that color used in the bathroom also as in paint on the walls or other accessories of that color for it all to coordinate.

And try SpectraLock epoxy grout or something comparable, save yourself the work of cleaning grout. http://www.spectralock.com/ins...on/step-by-step.aspx (URL link attachment not working for me)

I have done a lot of kitchen remodels and used this whenever the client was willing to pay a bit extra for it, so worth it a few years later when it still looks 'just applied' and no stains.

I love basketweave and small tiles on the floor of a shower, and I am also planning to use subway (white) tiles on my MB shower walls. I will be watching to see how your shower floor turns out! Can't wait to see!

I do not mind the large avatar, the dog is so cute!

Mary Ruth, thank you so much for your thoughts, and for the recommendation for the grout. Things are starting to come together, and with so many choices it's fun, but hard to think of everything! Good luck with your bathroom remodel, too. Have you thought about your shower floor yet?

Thanks, too, for your compliment about Annabel. Please meet Flash, 6 months old.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: annabel16,

This is more similar to my inspiration pic.

quote:

Originally posted by annabel16:
this picture shows them surrounding my inspiration tile that I already own...the flower basket. My friends love the diamond basket weave, but DH thinks it's too "femme".

Where/how are you using the inspiration tile?

Are your friends living with this decision or are you and your DH? Not kidding, IMO friends are great to bounce ideas off but the owners/residents of the home are the only ones who make the decisions as they pay for and live with them.

I didn't vote because this is a decision for you and your DH only.

Flash is a so sweet! Aw what cute dogs! Brought a smile to my face!

I love the inspirational photo. I am going to like my subway tile, simple lines, I think I will go with light, white tiles and tan grout because the flooring outside of the shower will be the woodgrain (brown) plank tiles we are having throughout the house. The white grout would be too stark a change without tying in the grout color.

The flooring of my shower I want to be small tiles, I love the honeycomb, and your inspirational photo is another tile I like, again I will use more darker tan on the floor to tie in with my brown bathroom floor tile. So, I have my bath worked out, just to find the actual pieces and go with it. I am not looking for a wow bath, just one that 'fits' into the context of the bones of the rest of the house.

My shower stall is just like that last inspirational photo but more of a rectangle shape, we intend to bring it forward about 10" more to make it more square. Our door opens from the left and the tiles on the right are glass for us. We have left and back walls to tile. I am bringing my tile past the glass on the left to the window wall where the sinks will be. The right side is the toilet wall and we will bring the tile behind it, easier to clean and the shower will not be a box within a room look for ours.

I love your selections and you can't go wrong whichever you pick, just have it be, like Joyluck mentioned, yours and DH's decision, your money, your house.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mary Ruth,

Wow - Jill, I hadn't seen this last inspiration pic, but it is BEAUTIFUL!

I know when this project is eventually unveiled, we'll all be amazed at its beauty.

quote:

white tiles and tan grout

Oh, I love that idea. I think it looks more vintage that way, and naturally, it's nice that it will tie in with the brown of the rest of your floor.

And BDM, thanks for the vote of confidence! And the beautiful Brittany! joyluck, thanks, also, for the reminder to do what we think is right. Naturally, we will...I like sharing my ideas here because someone will have thought of something that I haven't. Waterspots, for example! But if you ask people to choose between 2 things, don't be surprised if they say "neither"! I'm a "more is more" person, and I love the details of things.

Interesting that you ask about the inspiration tile, joyluck. It is one of a set of 2, both 13" square. I haven't figured out exactly how they'll be mounted! My goal is to place them on the wall, stacked, opposite the sink mirror. DH would prefer them framed so they're not integrated with the house. I haven't attempted a project like this before! This is a framed mosaic we have on our sunporch. I bought it at auction. I'd like the chinese tiles to look like this, but more refined. Maybe with picture frame molding?

The pair of tiles I'm somehow putting somewhere in the room. I think.

This is Ace, who's now 4 1/2 months old. Do you think he'll look nice on the new shower floor?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: annabel16,

Annabel,
Color coordinating with your dog? NOW that is dedicated and detail oriented!

That's a really good idea to frame the inspiration tiles as you could use them in other rooms and you would have them if you moved. I have several framed tiles I bought and had professionally framed when we lived in Europe. It would be easy enough to do yourself if you could cut the framing material to fit or would be a simple job to have done professionally.