Tile layout choices

12 years ago

In just six weeks we will begin a gut remodel of our "master" bathroom in our 1940's cape cottage. It's literally falling apart around us! We are keeping the cast iron tub as it's in pretty good shape, and the toilet is new, so it will stay as well. We've purchased a pedestal sink, inset medicine cabinet, white hex floor, and will use white subways on the shower walls and white bead board wainscoting behind the toilet and sink and on the opposite wall.

you can see the trim has rotted around the window in the shower (our house is brick so closing the hole isn't ideal - we've purchased a vinyl tempered obscure glass window to replace this one. Because we'll obviously not put new wood trim, our tile installer recommends tiling all the way to overlap the window frame.

I'm trying to decide what pattern to use and therefore what profile tile to purchase (we are purchasing all materials ourselves). We currently have madcap trim, which I do not want again. I am trying to decide if we should just use a side-bevel 3x6 on the edges around the window and the edges that will be adjacent to the bead board, or use a 2x6 beveled tile set vertically instead (sort of like a picture frame around the window and on the wall edges.

Is there a typical or traditional method? We are obviously going for a period look and would like to be consistent with that.

Also, should we tile all the way to the crown moulding (or would we leave off crown moulding all together?).

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

palimpsest
12 years ago
I would consider tiling all the way up and even doing the ceiling over the tub. The ceiling usually done in a diagonal with square tiles or herringbone in subways (as least as I've seen it so you don't conflict with the basic running bond on the walls.

If you don't want to do the ceiling I would take out the crown and go all the way up. That way you don't have to worry about how to treat the untiled part of the window that would be taller than the tile if it stopped short like it does now.
rufinorox
12 years ago
our bath looked very similar to yours. Here's our before and after. I would definitely go all the way up in the shower and remove the wood around the window.
Related Professionals
Everett Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Hybla Valley Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Owasso Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Roselle Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Terryville Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Independence Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Weston Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Emeryville Glass & Shower Door Dealers · Indian Trail Glass & Shower Door Dealers · The Crossings Glass & Shower Door Dealers · Highland Village Cabinets & Cabinetry · Newcastle Cabinets & Cabinetry · Wadsworth Cabinets & Cabinetry · Aurora Window Treatments · Brenham Window Treatments
albryant
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for the ideas.

Palimpsest - I agree that the window rising above the current tile doesn't look great. I do think we'll tile all the way to the ceiling. I like the idea of a herringbone pattern on the ceiling too.

Rufinorox - thank you for sharing your photos. It's nice to see a close up example of how you handled the window. I have searched so many photos on Houzz, but most of them aren't close enough to really see the detail.

We're still trying to decide how to handle the end of each run. DH is pretty convinced he does not want to run a 2x6 piece vertically as an outside trim, so I guess we'll go with the 3x6 with the side bevel and just end each row that way (which of course costs more because those tiles cost more than the 2x6 with the long beveled edge).
tina_ma
12 years ago
I'm in the midst of gutting my bath, too, and had similar decisions to make about handling the end of each run. I had a hard time finding images of 3" bullnose (I'm not a fan of the 2x6 vertically), but finally did - see image #22. I had also considered using 1/4 rounds, but again, didn't really want the vertical end element. I don't have a window in mine, but I like the suggestions you've gotten. As for crown, I'm using DalTile 3x6, running bond, (not tiling the ceiling) and was going to use the crown molding from their Simple Elegance collection to finish off the top. Since that molding is pretty much flat, more like a door casing, and wood crowns are angled, and matching them up would not look so great, my GC suggested running a vinyl crown around the entire room, including the tile tub alcove. I understand that it can be treated just like wood. (I had a wood crown throughout before, but tile ended about 6' up the wall) Just another idea ....

Here is a link that might be useful: image 22