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lillo_gw

Hey everybody , back to square one!!!

lillo
10 years ago

Last time I hated myself, today I am going to kill myself ( if I am allowed ). Yes , back to square one. The tile that I finally found at the tile shop is ceramic, not porcelain . I showed it today to my contractor , and he said that ceramic is ok for walls, but not for floors . He wants a porcelain tile for the floor . So now I am at the end of my rope . My last resource is a tile shop ( thomas brick )that will get me a showing board tomorrow, of what she thinks will be a white white calacata porcelain tile . The lady at the tile shop told me that it's very difficult to match a polished porcelain tile to the real material . The porcelain tends to turn grey when you put it next to the real stuff . If this doesn't work , I don't know what I would do???? Any suggestions ?.??Anybody???

Comments (18)

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    Lillo,

    I know how you feel. As Enduring suggested on your other post, I spend many many hours on Houzz, creating an ideabook for my BR. I don't know if you have done that, but since you're back at square one, that's a good place to start.

    Once you have a dozen or so photos of bathrooms that you love, take a look at them and try and determine what is it that they have in common? I wouldn't even stick to just carrera or calcutta marble ones. Pick anything that you just think looks wonderful. Maybe it's the flow, the energy, the continuity... What are you hoping to achieve in your BR?

    What are the MUST HAVES? Sounds like your tub deck is where you have been starting from...is that a given? Do you HAVE to have that marble deck? If so, maybe you need to go with a solid coloured porcelain tile, not a marble lookalike, or something that is not marble like, perhaps a limestone or slate copy?

    I started my BR with a marble vanity top I was in love with, after bringing home a sample and playing/testing with it, I decided I wasn't comfortable with the etching, so I started over with a completely different top, which then took my vanity in a new direction...teak instead of stained wood. That took my floor and shower tile from slate to limestone-looking porcelain. I am super comfortable with my choices now, just have one more choice (paint, and colour for my shower base), and then I'm done. But when I was in the stage you are now, all I could think about was the choices, and which one was the right one.

    Also, keep in mind, that GW'ers are a unique set of obsessed people, I mean that in the best way...LOL... when I discuss some of these things with my Mom, who recently built a whole house, she said, I never even thought about that for most of the things I agonized over...

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    You are right raehelen about the last part of your post. Everybody around me tells me that, I shouldn't never think about building a new house . However what can I do ? This is me.
    I already have an idea book on houzz , it's mostly marble bathrooms . I like the color and the look of it . I like the white color not the grayish one. So when I found the white calacata slab, I thought that was the end of it . I didn't know that Marble needed so much maintenance , especially floors and showers . That is why I opted to limit the real marble to my vanity and tub deck. I have everything set for the white color . I ordered the hansgrohe axor Montreux tub filler with the white porcelain handle . I have the same handle for my hand shower . I did my kitchen last year in the beige with green and burgundy accents. So I am tired of those colors. I think my last option will be to go with real calacata for my floor and just plain white for the shower . I have 2 samples of solid white I 'll show them to you.

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is another picture. Tell me if this looks good together .what is showing in the picture is my new kitchen floor , next to my old foyer floor ( my next project )

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    So, remind me again, that calcutta is for your tub deck? And/or the vanity? That tile in your foyer looks huge! I'm not sure if I would do calcutta for the floor also. You want the slab to be the shining star...might it diminish its importance if it was on the floor too?

    Both tiles in the first picture look good, I really like the raised detail on the lower one, and it mimics the movement of your marble without competing with it. You could then go grey for the floors. I wouldn't do solid white for a bathroom floor. I've forgotten, or do you know what you are doing for the shower floor? I would suggest a marble looking porcelain, it wouldn't be competing with any real marble, and would like nice against the white tile walls. You could use it in the niche too.

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes calacata is for the vanity and the tub deck . I do not like the grey color that much , besides it will be adding another colour to the equation which will be too much . I already have the white marble , the green and blue glass tile , the brandy wine with ebony glaze for the vanity , light slate blue for the walls . So my only option to play it safe is either real calacata or porcelain One . I wouldn't do white floors either . I had planned the octagon calacata marble for the shower floor . I haven't seen a marble looking porcelain for the shower floor any where . The only porcelain ones that I saw were plain white ones.

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Actually , looking at Sofla 's pictures for her master Reno , she has white walls and white floors . It looks nice and clean . However I can't put white marble on the floors, it's more maintenance for me .

  • catbuilder
    10 years ago

    You've got so many threads going on this same topic that I'm totally confused by what you have, what's going where, and what exactly the problem is.

    You have:
    Calacatta slab for tub deck and vanity
    Slate for the walls (shower walls, bathroom walls, or both?)
    White marble for where?
    Green and blue glass tile as an accent for where?

    You are looking for:
    Shower floor tile
    Bathroom floor tile?

    Anatolia has a 2x2 porcelain tile in calacatta. If you find a larger porcelain tile that you like, you can have your tilesetter cut it down to the proper size for the shower floor. I'm not sure what your bathroom floor is, or if you're considering calacatta porcelain for that. I personally would not do calacatta (real or porcelain) on the floor or walls, since I think that overloads the senses and detracts from your slabs. I think calacatta porcelain mosaic on the shower floor would look good, though. I don't understand the slate, since it seems like such a different look from the calacatta. And, again, I don't understand where the white marble is going.

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Sorry for the confusion catbuilder. I am going with white polished calacata for vanity and tub deck . The blue and green glass tile is used as a border that goes on , at vanity top height ( 36inch )all around. I don't have slate any where , it's the blue color in the glass that is slate blue . My walls paint will be light slate blue . My problem is to find a white polished porcelain calacata tile ,to match the white in the real marble , for the floor . All I have seen until now are grayish , which looks awful next to the white of the real marble . I don't want to go with a dark color on the floor , I think my other options are real calacata ( with a lot of maintenance ) or just plain white porcelain tile . I can go with white ceramic or porcelain for the shower and tub deck area . I will check Anatolia , thank you for the info . Sorry again for the confusion .

  • TSG1104
    10 years ago

    I'm going to say in advance that I haven't read through all your posts. But, I gather from the first one that you are trying to match a porcelain tile that looks like marble with real marble. I think you should choose whatever you like, but since you asked for advice I'll throw mine in.

    I just wouldn't do that. I would use all real marble or only use the porcelain look alike. When we were shopping, I saw some porcelain marble look alike that looked pretty good until you put it beside real marble. In my mind, it is never going to measure up. Now if I saw a bathroom with just the porcelain in it, then I might not even realize it wasn't the real thing unless I touched it. If you really want the real marble, then I would try to find something to complement it not something that tries to mimic it.

    We just finished our bathroom and in the end I decided to go with real marble for the floors. I know people go on and on about the maintenance, but my feeling is that marble has been used for thousands of years in homes and outdoor locations. Also, I know I can live with minor etching and imperfection as a quality of natural stone.

    I know it is frustrating. We had all our tile picked out and then when we went to purchase it they were completely out of some and didn't have enough of the other. I had to start over from scratch trying to find similar tile somewhere else. In the end, I like the new tile way more than what we had originally picked out. It all worked out for the best and I think once it is all over you will feel that way as well. It is just hard not to get stressed out about it in the moment.

  • catbuilder
    10 years ago

    So it sounds like the white marble isn't in the mix anymore? I am also considering calacatta slabs for my bathroom. I'm thinking of doing calacatta porcelain mosaic for the shower floor. I think you should really consider doing that in honed, not polished. I think the honed tends to look more realistic than the polished, and it won't be so apparent next to the slab that it's not real. I have found a few contenders for my bathroom floor. I know you don't want grayish, which totally makes sense if you are using a porcelain look-alike. But what if you get away from matching the slab and do a light tile with a grayish tone? I like Refin Pietre di Borgogna (color diamante). It's a light beige-gray color, with a little bit of variation so it is not static-looking. It looks terrible to me on the website, though, so don't go by that. Is there any gold in your slabs? If so, I like Florida Tile Progetto Casa (color dune). It's much lighter than it looks on the website. But these aren't polished. Are you married to using polished on the floor?

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The lady at the tile store told me today that it's very hard to find a white porcelain tile , because of the material they use doesn't come in white . That is why most of the white porcelain tiles will tend to look grayish or beiges next to the. White of the marble . Let me show you what I found today after my round of tile stores .

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    So I am thinking of using the porcelain mate finished 12x12 on the floor . The polished calacata marble ( small square ) for vanity and tub deck . The other white polished ceramic tile for the shower and tub deck walls . I am getting a sample next week of a mate porcelain mosaic for the floor . I can get a polished porcelain mosaic a little grayish than the mate tile . The same color as the other polished porcelain shown in the picture .

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    I do like the square 12 X 12 tiles you have under your marble sample. Maybe because they are matte they seem to work better. I haven't had a tile shower floor, but I would think that for safety concerns a matte finish would be better/less slippery, but of course there is lots of grout with a mosaic, which may be enough for traction, but as we age, I am trying to think ahead and plan for possible mobility issues. Is the mosaic 2 X 2? I'm not sure what size you are getting.

    I really like the collection you have now. Have you decided which way to lay those white tiles in the shower? Almost there.... LOL Were you able to snag a pic of the blue glass and marble mosaic you are switching to?

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you again everybody for your precious advice, and trying to help me through this tedious process . No , raehelen I didn't get the picture , I completely forgot when I was there . I hope I'll remember next time . I am thinking of laying the white ceramic on the shower walls soldier style . If think it will look nice , as if water was cascading through the walls . What color of grout are you suggesting ? I am thinking silver grey ? I am waiting for the sample of the mate porcelain mosaic for the floor to come next week. Yes ,it's a 2x2 . I am thinking of using silver grey grout everywhere .

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    Lillo, one suggestion I had which I will pass along is to create a sample grout board. You could have your tile setter cut one of the shower tiles into four, and then set them onto to a board using the grout lines you want and the silver grey grout. See if you like that. He says that most people unhappy with their tiling job is because of grout issues. Better to see it than trying to imagine what it will look like. Hard to pick a grout colour until you have your floor tile...

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you raehelen for your advice. I'll tell him to do that . I don't know what I would be doing if I didn't have you all on this web to help a novice like me . Thank you all for your help .

  • lillo
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hey everybody , done with my shopping . Yeaaaaaaah. Yesterday , I put the order for my porcelain for the shower and tub deck walls and the shower floor. They will be here by Thursday . Today , I just brought home my beautiful calacata marble tiles, thar I chose one by one ( 90 soft) . I also got my chair rails and pencils in this same white ( like milk ) marble . I reminds me of old churches in Europe . I just love it , and do not regret going with the real stuff . You can easily tell the difference between the real and fake stuff as KevinMP said , nothing beats the real stuff . Right now it's seating in my garage . I can't wait for it to be installed. As Sofla said my tile man is going to use white , not grey mortar ( or mud , I don't know what they call it ) for the white calacata . Now on to the vanity, and paint color . i hope I wan't get 15 samples , as I did for my kitchen and family room!!!

  • kam76
    10 years ago

    Pictures? And product names/sources? Would love to see what you finally decided on.