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enduring

Should I Tile or Paint this Partial Wall?

enduring
10 years ago

Initially, I was going to tile around this partial wall from the business end of the shower and end it into the filler strip at the laundry cabinets. The wall did not get finished to a level 5, like the rest of the room because of this. My carpenter thinks it would look better to have it finished and painted, having the tile end just outside the shower pan. I have been thinking the same thing. DH thinks the same thing.

I have the tile to run it around but I think it might look too busy and out of context with the rest of the room. The counter will be a carrara marble. The shower tile will be a porcelain 12x24 calacatta look alike, that is white with grayish veining. I am thinking the balance of elements will get wacky if I carry this porcelain around the partial wall.

I have an appointment with the drywallers to give me an estimate of the cost to tape the 12" of ceiling and finish about 24 sq ft of drywall.

Help me please make this decision.

Plan view:

Partial wall back side of shower:

Shower side of partial wall:

East end of shower at east door:

Other elements in this modest sized remodel, 8x9.

Note my walnut case work that is now in place, East door:

West door:

Maris Toto toilet in place at south wall next to the west door:

For fun, the view to the south from the new bathroom window, into our yard:

Comments (12)

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    I personally would just paint that wall. I assume you would then end the tile at the same equivalent spot on each wall just outside of your shower. But I've never tiled a wall (other than in a shower/bath), so I don't have that particular mindset. Why did you want to tile it in the first place? Has that reason changed?

  • anna_in_tx
    10 years ago

    My vote is paint. Since you do not have a tile wainscoting in the rest of the room, I would just make the shower tile walls end symmetrically across from each other to give a feeling of balance. Just my opine.

  • lotteryticket
    10 years ago

    Finding the right place to stop tile can be so difficult. I think you should only take the tile to the end of the shower walls and not wrap it around. It seems like a natural place to stop. Oh, and I love the warm look of the door. So nice.

  • enduring
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks you guys so much for weighing in. It is very helpful. Raehelen, the reason was to give myself some hard durable surfaces to put towel hooks on and not worry about the finish when wet towels hang on the wall. And as Lotteryticket mentions about stopping point, I found it difficult to find one. The other side of the partition wall seemed like a good quitting place, terminating at the cabinets.

    I also thought that it would connect the shower into the room more. But it looks too cold, when I put tiles up on that wall. Now, it seems logical to keep the tile in the shower area itself, contained.

    Thanks Lottery for the comment on the doors, I really like them a lot. The room is painted BM Horizon and it goes with the floor and the wood both. My neighbor liked the tan I had up better, but to me it had an aged Pepto Bismol tint. She didn't see it. My sample board showed none of that pink tinge, not at all. I was so bummed that I had to find a new color.

    QUESTION:
    With this bathroom I had trouble finding wall space for towels, so I purchased hooks and will plan on putting them just outside the shower door at the plumbing end. Do you think the finish will wear off the walls or damage the paint? It is BM Aura Bath and Spa paint.

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    Enduring,

    I have BM Aura B&S paint with towel hooks. Been in use for over 4 years. Not one spot on the wall. I never even considered that that might be an issue! In this new bath, asked for Aura, and it wasn't till I had finished painting that I realized the nitwit had given me Just Aura, not Bath and Spa. Of course, he is the nitwit, not me, as I didn't realize I should have specified B & S for the bathroom, which he knew it was for. That's what I had for the last one! Anyhow, don't anticipate a problem with this...how wet do you get your towels anyways? LOL

  • anna_in_tx
    10 years ago

    I have tried several brands of paint and have done a lot of internet research. My hobby is breeding and raising police pups in a suburban house. My walls suffer a lot of abuse. Through the last 5 years, BM Regal satin has held up the best. BM Aura has a very high scrubbabilty (is that a word?) rate and is a high traffic paint even though it is marketed as a one-coat hiding paint. I think you are good to go with either paint. Now where I live in Houston, TX with its high humidity getting towels to dry is an issue so they need to be spread out.

  • enduring
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Good to hear of the good results with the paint and bath towels.

    Regarding how wet we get towels, oh heck I don't know. LOL, I didn't expect that question Raehelen.

    Anna, If I put the hooks side by side I could spread the towel out to dry better. It gets very humid here in the summer. We will also have a chrome towel tree in one corner for holding dried towels. Then there will be the option of draping the towel over the shower door :)

  • catbuilder
    10 years ago

    I don't think you will have a problem with the painted finished not wearing well with wet towels. The only bathroom in my house (used by 5 people) has only had drywall primer for the past 5 years, and there hasn't been any problem.

    But I will be the lone voice of dissent and say that I like the tile wrapped around the wall. To me it looks more finished.

  • enduring
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Off course there would be the other side of the of this question catbuilder, its GW after all! Oh no, what will I decide to do.

    Thanks for the help on the wall finish question.

  • lotteryticket
    10 years ago

    We have hooks on a painted wall and no issues with the paint. The towels seem to dry well but I've only started using that bathroom for showers recently. And with the cold, dry, winter weather everything dries quickly. It could be a different story in July.

  • enduring
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks all for your helpful input.
    Lotteryticket, thanks for the help.

    Catbuilder, I am going with the paint surface. The space just seems too small to have 3 elements of striking proportions in such close proximity. I hate spending the extra money but in the long run I believe I will be happier.

    I got the estimate for the skim coat finish on the partial wall. It will be $200 or $250. They will use durabond as they did with the rest of the room; my request on that product. The drywall is fiberglass faced. I believe the same employee will return to do this project. He did a great job with the finish the first time around.

    So I am going with the painted surface. I am so relieved to hear from everyone that their walls and paint tolerate damp towels.

  • enduring
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is the skim coat with durabond that Kurt did for me. He is the guy that did the rest of the wall surfacing. I will prime and paint this weekend. Monday Brett will trim it out with wood.