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blondelle_gw

American Olean Coliseum vs. Daltile Carrera Star

blondelle
14 years ago

Are these the same tile under different names? They look the same and the sizes are the same. If not, which looks more real? Are they matte or shiny and can you use the mosaic from Coliseum with the Carrera Star. Thanks!

Comments (12)

  • pricklypearcactus
    14 years ago

    I can tell you that the Daltile Navelli Carrera Star is matte. Though if you're looking for shiny, Daltile also has another porcelain tile Cappella Gardini Blanco that also has a marble look (though a little different) and is glossy. I'm sorry I've never seen the American Olean tile.

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    14 years ago

    No, they're not the same. The Daltile is warmer looking, while the AO is grayer. Both are very nice; it's a question of which color palette you prefer. The veining is also more pronounced in the AO samples I've seen. Personally I prefer the Daltile, but you should try to get samples of both to see which suits your plan better.

  • bbstx
    14 years ago

    AO Coliseum White comes in a matte finish, in addition to glossy. I have a sample of the matte finish, which looks honed. In the matte, the gray is not very pronounced.

    Does anyone know the price difference between AO and Daltile in these two patterns? For the AO Coliseum White, I have been quoted about $3.50 a square foot by a local tile store. Lowe's quoted me per box prices, but couldn't tell me how many square feet were in a box.

  • brickton
    14 years ago

    We are considering using the AO CW in at least one of the bathrooms in our new build. I think the cheapest I found it for was at Fast FLoors ($1.86 a sq ft, but they apparently have a sale?)

    Fast Floors Price

    Also, I've never heard of them having two finishes. I have only seen the matte finish, which I was really happy with.

  • bbstx
    14 years ago

    I just happen to have the AO Catarina series sample board :-) The tile on the board is all matte finish. The board says it is "floor tile." At the top of the board there is the following: "Coordinating glazed wall tile available." The tile store that loaned me the sample board said that meant glossy. Perhaps it doesn't. Regardless, I think I prefer the matte finish.

  • sundownr
    14 years ago

    I think I paid $1.90 sq ft for the Daltile and I'm pretty sure that price was 30% off retail. I used a contractors name and I paid with my credit card.

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    14 years ago

    Yes, bbstx, that's what I've seen: matte floor and glossy wall.

  • Lyban zone 4
    14 years ago

    gary,
    Your bathroom is really beautiful.
    I love all your choices.
    Do you find the floor slippery at all?
    When you say you used AO colliseum white, do you mean that you used the matte of that tile on floor and the same series but glossy on walls or is it a different name for the wall tiles. Can you also tell me the size of your wall tiles and floor tiles.
    Thank you for any info you can share.

  • sundownr
    14 years ago

    I can only repeat lyban - What a beautiful bathroom, Gary! I love how you did the shower and tub. What have you done for a window treatment?

    ~Cindy

  • gary1227
    14 years ago

    Our floors are not at all slippery.

    We used the 12x12" matt finish tiles on the floor which are referred to in the company literature as "field tiles" and can be used on the floors or walls. They also have an 18x18" tile in this series. The only wall tile available in the gloss finish is 10x13" which we installed with the longer width vertically. All of the tiles are in the Catarina series and it is the color that is called Coliseum White. I included a link below to the tile specification page from the A/O website.

    We installed white cordless pleated shades on the windows.

    Here is a link that might be useful: American Olean Web Page for Tile

  • belle_phoebe
    13 years ago

    I am also doing a bath in the Catarina Coliseum White and ordered several of the trim pieces. We were unpleasantly surprised when the bullnose pieces we ordered ended up being the same matte finish as the large floor tiles. I spent a lot of money on them and can't use them on my shower surround with the shiny wall tiles. No information stating this info could be found by the dealer I purchased from or by myself on the internet.
    As for the other pieces, the mosaics are 9 tiles x 9 tiles, filling out the same space as a single 12" floor tile. They are the same matte finish as the floor tiles. We're using this in combination with the Etruscan brown to make a "rug" in the bathroom floor. The only really weird thing is that the white mosaics have a straight edge and the brown ones are beveled all the way around. I don't know why tiles in the same line would be set up differently.
    There is also a quarter-round piece available, though not through Lowes. It is the shiny finish of the 10x13 wall tiles.
    All in all, the tiles are nice for the price, but the selection of trim pieces is severely limited. We have found that some of the carrara trim pieces out there blend pretty nicely.