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Does anybody have an opinion on size of tile? Which is better, 3/4" or 2" hex.
Light or dark?
thank you.
1880 victorian restore

Your question is as much decorating as anything, so you may wish to post it on the decorating forum. Also, I presume you are talking about ceramic floor tile, so correct me if I'm wrong.

IMHO small ceramic tile is a pain to keep clean because there is so much grout. I used to see small mosaic floor tile in older bathrooms and the grout was a constant upkeep problem, even if sealed. I understand your wanting to maintain the vintage look, but ....

Thank you...that helps me a lot. If cleanup is easier,I will for sure go with the 2" glossy ceramic.

Thanks!

Carol

You say you're looking to restore an 1880's house - I don't think you'd find many with 2" glossy tiles; or any kind of dark tile.

Chucksteak makes a valid point: The 2" tile may be out of place. A bit of research is in order, and you are the best one to get it right.

Here in Chicago, houses of that period tend to have the smaller mosaic.

As far as the cleaning goes, there's still a heck of a lot of grout surface with 2" tiles, so I don't see any actual practical maintenance benefit in going with 2" over 3/4". You'll end up with about the same amount of scrubbing, either way, over time.

Regards.

Wow, thanks to all of you. I really didn't expect to get any answers. Luxetile makes a beautiful 3/4" cobalt blue glossy tile, as well as a 2".
And then, there is the penny round, also.
I am not going so much with the heavy foo-foo of a Victorian. In fact,the is a good bit of art-deco thrown in. The kitchen is white woodwork, white marble and I have hoarded all the 2 x 3" neutral fireplace tile in existance for the backsplash. Thanks all...ideas are MOST welcome!

Chicago has a good point! All the older mosaic tile I worked around was porcelain with a "matte" finish. Be wary of glossy tile as much of it is not hard enough to withstand walking on with shoes.

Those antique "matte" porcelain mosaics are actually unglazed.

Bob's right-on regarding the durability issue.

Typically, glazed mosaic tile is wall-rated, meaning the glaze isn't meant to endure walking on. It also tends to chip more easily. Of course, tile sales people will tell you this is fine on interior residential bath floors, but they won't take responsibility when you somehow scratch or chip the stuff.

Even floor rated glazes vary in hardness, and unfortunately, the softest of the "floor rated" tile really amount to wall tile with an application (usage) disclaimer.

My view is, if you are putting tile on a floor, it should be rated for real floor use.

Caveat Emptor.

Thank you, Phil and Bob. I guess it will eventually come down to ...do I want a shiny smooth floor with scratches and cracks?
Or a floor with none of the above, but always wishing it was shiny. Hmmm...something to think about. Thank you.