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charlikin

Too many tile choices!!!

charlikin
15 years ago

I'm *trying* to pick out tile for the bathroom. It is overwhelming how many choices there are! Even going in with a rough idea of what I wanted...still not easy.

I've pretty much decided on the field tile - a travertine-look porcelain, very realistic-looking. The wall tiles are rectangular, so I think I'm going to set them vertically. The floor tiles are 12-inch square and will be set on the diagonal. (Ideally, I would have wanted larger tiles, but I had to go with which porcelain looked the most like stone to me.)

It's the border tile that's killing me. I've looked at various polished marble mosaics and mini-bricks; borders of mixed stone and glass (one had the glass underpainted to look like marble - not sure if I'm keen on the effect); some really beautiful wavy-textured glass in a long brick mosaic (front-runner right now); geometric stone borders; and, finally, a multi-colored stone mosaic (inspired by a bathroom posted here - but I can't find a mosaic with the "right" colors).

They're all beautiful. There are no wrong choices here. (Well, very few! LOL)

So tell me - HOW DO YOU CHOOSE???

Comments (75)

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Charlikin, I was really interested in why your friend was having a problem with her limestone as I wanted to use it on my kitchen and bath floors. What happened to it? Was she able to repair it? Please let me know!

    Glad you liked the mockups ;-).

  • thankurnmo
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I found the tile at an independent tile shop in NJ,(it is called the tile shop, but it is not part of the chain with a very similar name.their website is the-tile-shop.com ) and did look online a bit because of course, it was pricier than I wanted. For some silly reason, the other sizes were reasonably priced and readily available, but the 4 by 4 were pricier and not as available. (of course, because that is what I wanted). THere weren't many hits when I googled it, but I did see it at another independent tile store so I don't think it is obscure, just not a major one.
    People definitely recognized the name monocibec. I kept debating about using some similar tiles that were quite less $ but honestly, these really were just that much nicer. They look so incredibly like real stone- I have not been able to figure out any sort of pattern or similarity. Yes I am delighted and glad you loved them. Which color are you looking at?

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oops, sorry, blondelle, missed that question!

    I don't think she's having major problems with the limestone. It's just that she has to be very careful what cleaning products she uses on it, and since she has a cleaning woman, she has to be on top of the woman to make sure she doesn't use the wrong product on it. I think she's worried about having used it in the kitchen because of its porosity and the increased risk of spills - the store had told her it was a bad idea in the kitchen, but she loved the look so she got it anyway.

    She did have one tile crack even though the gc had leveled her floors. This happened several months after the job was done, I think. Not sure why that happened. She's decided not to freak out about it.

    Sheila, I'm kind of liking the Sinclair that you got, or perhaps the Glastone for a little less drama. Not sure if the Sinclair would be too much on a bathroom wall surface (as opposed to only 18 inches of it on a backsplash). What do you think? Also, the edges look quite "rusticated" - how far did they go with that? What size grout lines did you use? Any chance of photos???

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Charlikin. Did she use a light stone? What color or name is her limestone? A good sealer should protect against stains. It does etch though from acids like marble does. If I can find a product to remove or hide the etching, I will use it. I just can't find a porcelain as pretty.

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, it's a light stone. I'll have to ask her the name... The etching sounds familiar. I think she's concerned about spilling wine, maybe.

    It *is* really pretty. :-)

    I'm sticking with porcelain, even if it doesn't look as real as I want. I don't want to have to walk on eggshells, so to speak, around my bathroom. I may get real stone for the kitchen backsplash, but probably only if I decide to go with one of those marble mini-bricks (I think noce would look great). But I may also go with as natural a porcelain as I can find there too. (At least I don't have to worry about outside corners with my backsplash!!!)

    Right now I'm just busy beating myself up over not having started tile shopping MUCH earlier than this!!! All my concerns about finding the right tile and having to special-order corner pieces would have been non-problematic if I'd just started this process months ago.

    Sigh.

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Garden State tile in Jersey should be able to get you the pieces quickly if you go with the Pietre Travertine. They will have to do the floor first anyway so you have a little more time for the other pieces. Give them a call. I think they sell to the public as they are distributors.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Garden State Tile

  • thankurnmo
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok here are pix of the installed tile for your viewing pleasure. I took them at around 5:30 this am, so lighting etc as far as color representation may not be too great but I think you can see the "irregularity" of the color and finish and edges (in spite of my challenged photo skills).



  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sheila, I just saw your tile this morning! Wow - that stuff is serious. They had all the colors in the Monocibec Graal line, and they were all gorgeous, and extremely natural looking. I'm not sure it's right for my bathroom walls (a little too much color variation on a large surface in a tiny room, I think), but I may go back and look at it for my kitchen floor or maybe even my backsplash. (Would you mind very much if I stole your backsplash??? It's beautiful!)

    Another tile that was interesting was from Magica. Also very natural looking - I would not have guessed it wasn't stone, even looking very close at it. Not sure the colors were what I'm looking for - one was on the ivory side (too light), and the other was maybe too yellow? I've got sample tiles, so I'm going to look at it in my bathroom at home. Will post photos tonight. :-)

    Still want to see that Pietre Travertine. Got a response back from the distributor - have to get out to Long Island for that.... working on the logistics (no car).

  • mary_md7
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    After much searching online, at Lowe's, etc., DH and I went to the tile distributor and I chose something other than I started out with. But looking in person was very different from looking online.

    I agree that up close you can often see the dots from the printing of the stone-like image on ceramic and porcelien tiles. But we are happy with our choice: Mirazzi "Springwood" in our powder room and foyer, and Marazzi "Monticello" in our two upstairs baths.

    We considered more expensive ones, but ultimately we though this was the best choice for us.

    The fact is that there are many good choices out there. Agonizing of the subtle shadings of this versus that probably doesn't matter a whole lot in the long run, as long as you get good quality.

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Okay, here's today's tile: Magica Perla in Akoya Bone.

    Gorgeous tile - the most natural looking I've seen yet!! I looked very closely at it and couldn't see screen print dots at all. I would never have guessed this wasn't stone. BUT - it's not really the color I want. It's an ivory with some tan showing through the "weathered" parts - I kind of want the opposite. The next shade down is called Keshi Gold and is too yellow. From there the shades become much too dark.

    So now I'm wondering if I can accept ivory tile... I was hoping for a *little* bit of contrast with my white sink, tub & toilet. Sigh.

  • mom2sethc
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sheila,

    I have the same tile that you have, only I have mine on my kitchen floor and backsplash. We plan to use it in our master bathroom as well. We love it! I have the Aaras color. Here are a couple of my pics. The floor was newly installed in some of the pics so it is still dirty.

    {{gwi:1470846}}

    Elaine

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The tile quest continues... I have by now been to too many tile stores, and all the different choices are running together in my head. The colors I like in pictures are too dark for my tiny bathroom (IMO). The colors that I think would work in my bathroom are often too light - more of an ivory than a light tan (and I'd like more contrast with my white sink, toilet & tub), or they're more yellowish than I want. (Yes, I'm obsessing, but I keep thinking the right choice is out there if I can find it. Well, I *was* thinking that... I'm actually starting to lose hope.)

    SO - back to tile #1 - the first one I posted a photo of in this thread, the Keraben Augusta that I've been assuming I would fall back on if I couldn't find anything I liked better. I finally brought home from the store that big heavy board that has the sample tiles on it. (They don't have any single sample tiles to give out.) I noticed a very odd thing. There are two types of tile on the board - a rectangular one that I think, based on the mfr's catalog, is just ceramic (not porcelain). And a large square porcelain tile. They look different to me!

    The ceramic tile shows the screen print of the pattern. I can definitely see it, even from several inches away, even with my blurry middle-aged vision. (This is not a minor point for me - it's a tiny bathroom, and I will definitely be looking at my walls from only a few inches away!) I was absolutely miserable about this, and HATED the tile, until I turned the board upside down so I could look more closely at the square porcelain "floor" tile (which is what I would actually be putting on my walls as well). Could no longer make out the screen print, at least not as easily. The square tile looks MUCH better than the rectangular tile. As though it were printed at a much higher resolution!

    Am I dreaming here? I know there are manufacturing differences between ceramic tile and porcelain tile, even glazed porcelain like this. But would the quality of the screen print on porcelain tile from the same series by the same manufacturer be so superior? Or is it just the particular sample tiles I'm looking at, and I have no guarantees of what *my* tile would look like?

    Does any of this make any sense???? (It's late, I'm tired, and I can totally accept that I'm wrong about all of this.)

    (Next time I'm doing a traditional bathroom using white crackled subway tile.)

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Have you seen Crossville's Palais tile in Versailles? That color is perfect. Not too light, not too dark, and not too yellow (not as yellow as photo), not too gray. That tile has won an award. It has tons of sizes, no screen printing showing, stunning trim pieces, and a bullnose piece for your outer corners. I haven't really seen screen printing on any of my tile samples. It does have a slight sheen though.

    The tile replicates limestone, and is very elegant too. Download the PDF brochures there (the commercial one is better), and you can see many installations of it. It doesn't look like much in the small picture, but don't let that fool you! It's more modern looking too, than the others. It is expensive though at $7-$8 a sf.

    That should solve your problem ;-).

    Here is a link that might be useful: Palais Versaille

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Time for another update: found a fantastic tile store in Long Island City (a neighborhood in Queens just over the river from Manhattan). International Tile - amazing selection of European porcelain tile, including many of the brands I had kind of liked in other stores. The owner totally gets my not wanting to see the "dots". I could have saved a lot of wear and tear on myself (and probably several critical weeks of time) if I'd just found this store earlier.

    They're getting me some samples, and meanwhile the other store is also getting me a sample, so we'll see what happens. I like the border tiles better at the LIC store. There's a random brick travertine that is just lovely, and one of the porcelain tiles I'm looking at has a brick border composed of the various colors in its line. Would it be crazy to buy my field tile from one store and my borders from another store?

    Blondelle, I saw the Crossville Palais tile - very elegant, as you said. Really lovely. And yes, more expensive than the others. Plus there's a longer lead time to get it. It's in the running, though. Thanks for the tip!

    Sheila, and Mom2sethc, they had that Monocibec tile - wow, that stuff looks real!! Too rustic looking for my bathroom walls, but I'm seriously considering one of the darker shades for my kitchen floor.

    I would post photos of the new contenders but, wouldn't you know it, my camera chose this moment to die! I thought it had just run out of juice, but I charged the battery and it still won't turn on. So add new expense to the renovation - I ran out to Best Buy today and bought a new camera. Crazy. Just what I need to be spending money on right now.

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's the Palais with that Hakatai trim I mentioned. I like it because the glass doesn't look too modern with the ripple texture. It's very rich looking together, and will let you use the green towel colors you wanted. I even found a vendor selling 4" X 4" samples of it on Ebay for $.20 each, and as many as you want. 9 samples make 1 sf. and much better than the $35 Hakatai has it for. 8 tiles makes 8" of trim. #270273761608.

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, how pretty, blondelle.

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love it too! Was even thinking of changing my bath design again, but it's not really my colors...LOL! There are only two colors of glass in the tile but when the light hits the tile at the upper left you see the iridescent shimmer. The gold one flashes rose gold. I'm sure it's more subdued in person.

    Simple, but stunning! The stone pieces in the trim are real.

  • writersblock (9b/10a)
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Is there that much variation in the field tile, or did they mix different shades so you can see how they go with the border tile?

  • thankurnmo
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looking to see updates and drooling at that combo blondelle posted. I need to see that one in person (on my monitor it is stunning and then some).
    And charlikin, I was going to get the accents from one place and the tile at another, but it turned out that the one place had them both. So I am sure you would not be the first. hey ya gotta do what ya gotta do...

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That all one color--the Versailles colorway. I haven't seen that much variation though in my samples. If you're interested, download the Commercial brochure of it on their site. Lots of installation photos.

    The tile photo is from their site. The trim piece I put together with it is not from Crossville. It's real stone and glass. I have seen the trim other than a photo, but there are so many shades in the tile it should go. You can also make the stone golder by enhancing it if needed.

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Let me just say that blondelle's picture of the Crossville Palais tile doesn't do it justice. It's really pretty and elegant in person, and very realistic looking. In terms of color variation, writersblock, they only had one tile on the display board in the store, and the photo on the board doesn't show a lot of variation - BUT the online brochure does show some very attractive variation between tiles.

    It's expensive stuff though, probably about $2-3 more per square foot than some of the other tiles I've been looking at. Which I'd be willing to pay if it were absolutely my favorite option... (it's a small bathroom - don't need that much tile!) But something to think about in a larger space. Speaking of prices, it's amazing to me that the European imports don't cost any more than the American tiles... I would think it would be expensive to ship that stuff!! Bizarre. One tile store owner told me that one of the European brands tried to open a factory in the U.S. but they couldn't find labor skilled enough to meet their quality standards! Tile is more of a tradition (and art) in Europe.

    Anyway, thought I'd post photos of the latest contenders. Took these this morning with my brand new Canon SD790 digital camera. (Hooray for image stabilization!)

    This is Porcellana di Rocca Breccia - I liked two colors of it, Crystal and Cappuccino. (Oddly, Cappuccino is the lighter color, and the coffee-colored Crystal is the darker.) Hard to tell from these photos how pretty the tiles really are - very soft/swirly, like stone that's had water running over it for centuries.


    If I choose one of these tiles, I would probably use one of the multi-colored borders shown in the photos. There are two varieties, both composed of the various colors in the line. They're lovely while still neutral enough to let me have my choice of towel color!

    An alternative for the border (goes particularly well with the darker tile) is this travertine random brick:

    Anyway, I'm picking up samples from the store tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!

  • sandra_zone6
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I saw that tile company when I was shopping Monday - beautiful stuff! Personally, I like the tiles from your example on the left with the multi colored brick mosaic on the right - at least from looking at the pics.

    Good luck with your samples!

  • earhama
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The Porcellana di Rocca Breccia is just what I want in my new Master bath. I planned on looking for a botticino marble look alike. This is perfect. I hope to find it in the New Orleans area. I plan on putting it around a jaccuzi tub and connected shower. Thank you for the details of putting the tile 40' up with a 3 x 6 brick pattern. I plan on extending this to the shower area. Let me know what you think about my next idea. Insead of the 1 x 1's and the chair rail, I would use the shinny ice cube 5/8' square tiles sandwiched between pencil rails or perhaps the bronze metal look thin rails. The plumbing is by HansGrohe in beautiful dark brass with a white tub and toilet. Please advise.

  • thankurnmo
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Earhana your plans sound beautiful.
    Tracy- what is the newest? I really think they are all great and you cannot make a wrong choice. Of the last 2 you posted, I kind of prefer the one on the left, but it might be too pale? (again, in real life I guess you could tell better) and possibly the one on the right would be warmer in feel.....how does the white of the fixtures go with each?(only trying to help...) sheila

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Sheila - thanks for following up! Things are still chaotic here. I picked up some of my samples yesterday - getting the rest on Saturday. I'm suspecting this process is going to end up the same way I picked kitchen cabinets - after looking at everything, I decided I hated all colors in all species of wood across all cabinet brands - except for *one* which wasn't so bad. (It was Kraftmaid Ginger Glaze. :-))

    Similarly, right now I'm starting to think I hate ALL tile. Especially once I bring the sample into my bathroom. For example, I really liked that di Rocca tile in the store. But in my bathroom, the color is too dark, the pattern is too out-of-focus swirly, it just doesn't look real to me. (Couldn't see a single dot on it, though!)

    Also, it occurred to me this morning that it might not be practical for me to get a tile with chipped edges, even though I really like the look of (slightly) chipped edges. I'm afraid the cat litter will get into the little crevices and be hard to clean up, especially along the walls. I wish I'd thought of this earlier - would have knocked out a whole bunch of choices right off the bat.

    Such as the Keraben, which is (was?) my front-runner in terms of color and pattern. It has *very* chipped edges, more than I really want on the walls (for aesthetic reasons), and now I think more than is practical on the floor. So much for "if I can't find anything I like better, I'll get the Keraben." Grrrr.

    There's a MagicoGres Emilia in Farnese Bianco that I'm getting a sample of on Saturday that might be a nice color, but it also has chipped edges. Less chipped than the Keraben though.

    I'm actually taking a second look at a Daltile sample that I got from their showroom months ago. It's been sitting in my bathroom as a stand-in for what kind of color I wanted - I never considered that it might actually be "the" tile. It's the Morais line in Ivoire - kind of a soft beige, boring pattern, straight edges (no chipping). The only thing that confuses me about it is that the two samples I have - a 13x13 and an 8x12 - are somewhat different. The larger tile has a rougher texture and better screen print rendition; the rectangular tile is very smooth (which I don't want), and shows the screen print more (ugh).

    Blondelle's Crossville Palais tile might be a good option... I'm not sure I loved the colors I saw in the showroom, though. The Versailles seemed kind of pinkish, and the Louvre too yellow. Maybe it would look different in my home, but I'm out of time!!! Plus it *is* much more expensive than the other tiles. Which would be fine if I loved it, but...

    I know it's all good and it would all look beautiful and I'm obsessing *way* out of proportion to the problem. I wish knowing this would help me make a decision. :-(

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK, I see we need an intervention here...LOL! The Versailles is not pink. It's stunning tile. There are so many shades in it, that you're bound to like several of them;-). The trim above is only $.20 for 8" so that will make up for the tile being more. Here's another option. It's ILVA's Creme Marfil. Only comes in one color with a choice of finishes. Comes in a pretty mini brick with gorgeous glass trim, and metallic liner. Use the smoke glass color or use the other glass trim with it, do a brownish black vanity with the smoke glass or a honey one with the other glass trim, and a matching engineered stone top, brushed nickel trim to match and a stone or smoke glass vessel sink. Stunning bath DONE!!!

    Option #2-Use the Versailles with the gorgeous glass trim. Use a deep honey wood vanity with a goldish UbaTuba on top, but use oil rubbed bronze with it. Stunning bath DONE!!!

    Option #3-Use the Tile Shop Lansdale basketweave on the floor, the subway tile halfway up, and around into the bath surround, use a gorgeous chair rail and 12 " x 12" tiles above. Use that black brown vanity, with marble of Caesarstone Misty Carrara on top. Tried and true combo. Stunning bath DONE!!!

    Pick a number, any number and be done with it, knowing you will have a stunning bath DONE! OK?! NO MORE SAMPLES--except the Crema Marfil...LOL--oy!!!!

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No more samples??? But, blondelle, how am I going to finish tiling my patchwork powder room if I don't collect any more samples??? LOL!!!

    Wow, your combinations are gorgeous - ALL of them!! I *love* those ideas! All the bathroom fixtures are already ordered, though, so the vanity's out. I had some technical limitations, foremost being that I needed a wallmount sink in order to leave room underneath for the cats' litter box. (Yes, there were long threads about my quest for the perfect sink solution! LOL.) I ended up with a Porcher Sapho, which has a large round bowl and two ledges on the sides for holding toiletries. It's beautiful and unusual and I'm thrilled with it. :-)

    It will be topped by a La Toscana vessel-filler style faucet (smaller than a vessel filler). The tub/shower will have Hansgrohe Metris S. All the faucets and showerheads are brushed nickel. (I like brushed nickel. :-))

    As for the tile sample situation... uh... well, let me just preface this by saying I love the Daltile showroom in Manhattan. They are very generous about giving out samples. I love that they *have* samples to give out! You don't have to wait a week for the sample to come from the distributor. I stopped there on the way home tonight. The Morais tile I mentioned above has been discontinued - they said it was so popular, they couldn't keep up with production, so they discontinued it. (Does that sound weird to *you*???) But they gave me samples of lots of other tiles. My store in Whitestone that my contractor favors carries Daltile. It would be very easy and convenient to buy the tile from them, and I would love for *something* about this renovation to be easy and convenient, so I'm really hoping to fall in love with one of these Daltile samples.

    If not, I've got more tiles for the patchwork powder room (which I'll have to carve out of my neighbor's apartment since I live in a one-bedroom one-bathroom apartment!).

    Blondelle, you're a doll!!! And you may get a panicked email from me yet begging you to help me track down that Crossville tile!!! Let me stare at all the Daltile tonight first...

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey, just went thru my new Daltile stash. There are some contenders in there! Funny how in the store they all started looking alike (amazing how many tiles there are with cream/ivory backgrounds and tan/gold markings), but once you check them out in detail, they're quite different. It helps having the larger samples, too - Dal gives you the full 12x12 or 13x13 tile. Most of the other places just gave me 6x6's.

    Anyway, going to take a more critical look tomorrow, but so far I'm encouraged. There may be a happy ending to this yet! :-)

    Night all!

  • overlyanxious
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I just found this blog - Charlikin you sound JUST LIKE ME! And what you are looking for sounds just like what I am looking for. So I thought by the time I got to the bottom I would have my answer ... would you please decide and let me know :-)

    Anyway here's my story. Small 5x8 bathroom. White pedestal sink (3 months to decide that), white toilet. Tile will be on floor, halfway up wall, and a large walk in shower with small bench at one end. Skylight and 4x5' glass block window.

    Now the tile. My first love was Emil Marrakech in Giallo (golden). A nice warm color I thought I'd love. They had just loaned out their board sample so I brought home 4 samples, and on a whim brought home the board sample of Bianco (lighter white/neutral) even though I said it was to much of a cool color. When I got the Giallo in the bathroom, I thought it was too much, and too dark, and I'd become to tired of it, and it would date faster than something with a more marble look. The Bianco started to grow on me. My neighbor said it had a spa like feel. Almost any color of towels will go with it.

    I had a couple samples of Mediterranea Vatican series in Botticello. I like it, although not sure if it has enough shading, so I go on the website. I love it on the website... only ..... now I see it in DaVinci (terracotta) and Michelangelo (grey), and I wonder will I like one of THEM better???? I never thought grey, but maybe, no, no, no I want versatility. Maybe terracotta?

    Did you give up on the Marrakech Bianco? why? I thought you said rough edges. I don't think it has rough edges. Could you take a look at Mediterranea vatican in botticello on the website and tell me what you think?

    I thought I wanted warm. Now I'm not so sure.
    I don't want yellowish. I want some shade variation. I don't want rough edges. I want to be able to vary my towels. OMG I can't even look at trim's until I decide on the tile. How long will that take????? I am drawn to the pretty little glass mosaics ... BUT .... how can I vary the towel colors. It makes me crazy, not to mention my DH. He's trying to be patient. I know he thinks I'm crazy. Now I've spent half a day on the computer looking up websites, reading this blog, and now posting to the blog!!!

    The Daltile Morlais is still on their website. It has a shade variation of V2. I *think* I'm looking for something more. Your picture of Keraben looked interesting. I can't tell from their website ... should I try to track it down in a store??? I work fulltime, there aren't that many Saturdays left ...

    Charlikin, please decide and let me know. Whatever you pick might help me decide.

  • overlyanxious
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I forgot to mention, the website for Mediterranea Botticello doesn't quite represent the color according to the samples I have. The website looks more yellowish, while my samples are quite creamy white/beige. I'm leaning toward tiles that have veigning more than just shading.

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Overlyanxious, how nice to hear from you! I'm pretty sure everyone else on this thread has completely lost patience with me - LOL! I'm comforted that there's someone else in the world who seems as indecisive as I am!!! (Three months to decide on a sink! Wow! Though I think mine took that long too... uh oh!)

    But, really, it's a process. And I'm glad I've done all this, as crazy as it's made me (and everyone else!). I had to keep looking at all of this tile, all of these colors and patterns, to figure out what would ultimately make me happy. I started off wanting some color - something to contrast with the white sink, toilet & tub. But too deep a color seemed too overpowering in my tiny bathroom. Similarly, I thought I wanted some pattern (but not too much pattern!). I thought I wanted shading. But when I looked at it in the context of a 5'x8' room, it was too much.

    I finally got so anxious, I just wanted to choose a "safe" tile - something that wouldn't make me go, "omg, what was I thinking!!!" when I finally saw it up on the wall. Something that wouldn't make me burst into tears every day for the first two weeks after the renovation when my nerves will already be raw - EVEN IF I might eventually come to love it later!! And if this means a more "boring" tile, so be it. More astonishingly (to me), if it means a tile that shows a few screenprint dots, so be it! (Considering that my original priority was to find a tile that looked as much like real stone as possible, this was quite a concession for me!)

    Which brought me to all this "ivory & gold" Daltile from the other night. Pretty much ten different samples of Daltile in ivory and gold. All alike, yet all with subtle differences.

    My favorite of the bunch is this: Daltile Portenza Avorio Antico.

    "/>

    Another interesting one in the Daltile collection is this Capriccio Aria Crema:

    The photo shows two different tiles - they're both Capriccio Aria Crema, that's how varied this line is! I like each tile independently, but am not so sure how I feel about a whole wall full of random varying swirliness - seems too risky to me. (I'm obviously in a fragile emotional state! LOL.)

    MEANWHILE... I went off to the tile store this morning to pick up my sample of that very first tile I'd posted, the Keraben Augusta Bone. This is the one I started having doubts about this week because of the very rustic chipped edges. Since they'd ordered the sample for me, I thought it would be only polite to actually go pick it up, and anyway, I wanted to compare the color to the Daltile. Once I was there (after one and a half hours of commuting on the very efficient Queens bus system), I had about 20 minutes to kill before catching the bus back. I started looking through the boards again.

    And that's when I saw it. :-)

    LONG DRAMATIC PAUSE

    Before I say what "it" is, it's time for a big call-out to all the wonderful people on this thread, and *especially* blondelle, for all their fantastically helpful suggestions on what tiles I should be looking at. It's good to have names in mind, not only so you can track tiles down to the dealers that carry them, but so that if you stumble upon a tile in a store that you didn't know carried it, you know to look at it. (Did that sentence make any sense???)

    Here's the thing. I must have looked at (read: bypassed) this tile a dozen times before. It must have seemed too boring to me, too little contrast, too simple (no chipped edges). But today, having decided I *wanted* a lighter-colored, simpler tile, I looked at it. I noticed the name. I gasped. I looked at it again. I pulled the board out of the display and looked more closely. And finally, I took the board home ($28 cab ride). It's sitting in my bathroom right now. I think it's the one.

    Blondelle, THANK YOU! Ilva's Pietre Travertine is everything you said it was. Here it is:

    I'm still vaguely considering the Daltile Portenza against it, but I'm pretty sure the Ilva's going to win. I have the weekend to decide. Here they are next to each other:

    Very similar colors. The Ilva is a little softer, a little quieter. It's a little like it's through a soft focus lens, which is an effect I didn't like in the di Rocca tiles, but somehow it works better here. And there are NO dots. Quite amazing. The Daltile is slightly more dramatic (but acceptably so for me), with more variation between tiles. It's very slightly sparkly, which I find odd. The screenprint is actually pretty good, but not as good as the Ilva.

    In either case, I would use a simple tumbled travertine mini-brick border, probably in noce:

    Not the most contemporary thing in the world, but I actually like it. The gold tones in the noce complement the gold tracings in the tile (either tile) perfectly.

    Oh, I saw the Ilva in the next darker color, "beige". I thought it was also beautiful, but didn't look quite as natural as the bianco, and it also had quite a lot more contrast (which I'm suddenly nervous about). Here it is. I actually like it better in this photo than I did in person.

    Okay, well, this is quite a long message!!! Sorry 'bout that! (It *is* kind of like a longish blog entry...)

    Overlyanxious, let me address some of your questions in a separate message...

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So, overlyanxious - first of all, STAY CALM. It's all going to be okay. As people here keep reminding me, there are no bad decisions. All the tile is beautiful, anything you choose will be fabulous!

    SO - the Emil Marrakech. Isn't that a crazy gorgeous tile? I liked it in Bianco - the Giallo seemed too yellow to me. But the Bianco seemed too cold, and I wanted my bathroom to be warm. I also got nervous that the shading was a little too much. Plus, at the time I *wanted* chipped edges (now I don't), and the Marrakech didn't have them. Finally, I thought the Marrakech looked best with the rectangular tiles in that brick pattern, but I really kind of wanted large square tiles in a grid - not the best way to show off all that shading! I thought the brick looked too much like "the castle wall", especially with its cooler colors.

    Hey, that Mediterranea tile looks beautiful! Don't think I've come across it in person...

    The Keraben *is* a really nice tile. Great color, great pattern. Ya gotta like the chipping, though. Also, the 13x13 floor tiles are porcelain while the rectangular wall tiles are ceramic (and not chipped) - they look a little different, though. I think the porcelain renders the screen print a little better than the ceramic. My dealer could only get the bullnose in ceramic, so even if I used all 13x13's, I would have had ceramic bullnose - another strike against this tile. Maybe your dealer could get the bullnose in porcelain - the mfr makes it, I just don't know if they import it here.

    I think the best advice I can give you is to GET SAMPLES and look at them in your own environment. Really, the light in the stores is so different from the light at home - it's fluorescent, usually, maybe with halogen accents. Does weird things to the color. And patterns and textures look very different up close and personal than they do on web sites. Especially, I think, in tiny bathrooms - a very dramatic pattern of swirls and shading may look gorgeous in the showroom, but it can be overpowering in a tiny space (IMO).

    If you can get LARGE samples, go for them. One of my mistakes was taking 6x6 samples because they'd be easier to carry. You can't really get the feel for the tile from that - you need the 13x13 (or whatever size it is).

    Good luck! Let us know what you choose...

  • lsudude
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Blondelle I've finally settled on remi beige marble from lowes. But seeing your suggestions would have made my life so much easier. I just love that irridescent brick and such a great price. I swear my husband would kill me if I switched again. Just in case though what is the ebay site?

  • overlyanxious
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Charlikin thank you for your latest post, it was very helpful, even though it does send me out on another trip EXPANDING my selections instead of narrowing it down. However, we must be cut from the same mold. I too am determined to get a tile I will LOVE and can live with for quite awhile. I also started out wanting more color and variation and am now leaning toward more "boring" choices!!!!

    One question - Is the Ilva's really a travertine or is it porcelain?

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    One thing I realized, for whatever it's worth, is that I can take a little bit of "drama" in the pattern IF it's within a narrow tonal range... like some tiles have both tan/gold and gray/silver patterns across them; some just tan/gold. I find I like the latter...

    ANYWAY, the Ilva is a porcelain. Linked below...

    Here is a link that might be useful: Ilva Pietre Travertine

  • overlyanxious
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, that Ilva Pietre Travertine is beautiful in your picture and online. I'm doubting that we have anyone locally that carries it - I'm in Missouri. Am I crazy to consider ordering it from someone online???? Especially if I haven't really *seen* it - in my bathroom???? It is actually quite reasonable online. I wonder what shipping would cost me though!

    BTW - I LOVE the border on the Ilva Pietre board. Looks pretty neutral to me with a *splash* of dark brown? My DH likes the look of it also. So I may go with that no matter what tile I go with. So now where can I find that to make sure whatever I pick coordinates?!

    I like the Crossville also, but I haven't seen that *for real* yet either. Guess you know where I'll be spending my evenings next week ....

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hmmmm.... okay, I *am* the most indecisive person on the planet. (Sorry, overlyanxious!) I keep looking at the Ilva and the Daltile Portenza, and the Dal is starting to inch ahead. I think the Ilva is *much* more authentic looking, but it's also much more sedate and elegant. The Dal is a *little* livelier.

    I actually pulled out my LaToscana faucet from the box to hold it against the different tiles. I was really thinking to see which tile worked better with brushed nickel, but as it turns out, it's a pretty contemporary faucet, and I think it actually doesn't work well with the Ilva! The Ilva is just too darn elegant for it. Too polished looking, too refined. If I'd gone for traditional fixtures, I think it would have been gorgeous.

    The Dal, otoh, has more of a wild streak to it. (A VERY VERY mild wild streak - this is me we're talking about! LOL.) It looked right with the faucet.

    It actually looked better with the faucet than the Keraben tile does, which was quite surprising to me since the Keraben color and pattern remains my favorite.

    Somehow I think that Daltile Morlais would have been the best fit, but I'm sure I'm only thinking that because it's not available. :-)

    Blondelle, although I'm probably going with the travertine mini-brick for the border in the bathroom, I'm taking a serious look at using some of that Hakatai stuff for the backsplash in the kitchen!!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: LaToscana Elba faucet

  • blondelle
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Overlyanxious, order a sample first to see how you like it. The auction link is below. It's ending soon, but I think I've seen others of that same tile. I'm pretty sure it's the Hakatai. Send him the link and ask if it's the same. It's about $37 a sf. at Hakatai.

    Charlikin, you're very welcome. I don't know why you're not considering a 4 legged vanity though that you can slide the cat box under. Much more stylish than a wall hung sink. So many on the market too.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tile Auction

  • overlyanxious
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've found 4 local Daltile vendors in my area. Can you guess who I'll be calling tomorrow ... ? :-)

    That LaToscana faucet is just the one I wanted! (See I told you, you must be my clone on the East Coast!) The price of it was nixed by my DH. But I ended up with a nice one handle faucet anyway .... not as hard to swap out in the future as tile :-)

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Overlyanxious, you've got it right. Faucets are easy. Anything that's not cemented to the walls is easy. :-)

    I just noticed that the back of that Daltile Portenza sample is stamped "impronta italgraniti". I looked that up, and it's an Italian tile company - the tile must be imported and sold by Daltile. Their web site shows a lot of commercial business - tiling stores, factories, showrooms, etc. Explains why the tile doesn't come in smaller "wall-sized" sizes. 14x14 is pretty big - I'd have to decide whether to run it in a straight grid, or stagger it.

    Blondelle, I looked at 4-legged vanities!!! Almost all of them have a shelf on the bottom that prevents you from putting a litter box there. Or they were the wrong size (I needed a 24" size), or they *were* 24" wide but were too deep (I could only go out to about 20"). It was very frustrating. I finally gave up and went with a Porcher Sapho, which is still a pretty cool looking sink (for a wall-mount).

    Here is a link that might be useful: Porcher Sapho wall-mount sink

  • overlyanxious
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So Charlikin, have you made a decision yet?
    I get so close to making a decision, and then I look "just one more place" and find many new options. Now I'm even re-thinking my original decision to rule out marble or travertine. Those seem to be the looks I always pick out. Maybe the upkeep isn't too bad? Does anyone know? This is in a daily use bathroom, it will have 1 to 2 showers taken daily, every day, 365 days a year....

    I also did want to mention that Daltile you *thought* was discontinued (Moralis), is available in our area, only after October 2008.

    Someone, please advise. :-)

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi overlyanxious - yes, I ordered the tile last weekend! I posted in a separate thread "OMG! I ordered the tile!" :-)

    Ordered the late-breaking Ilva Pietre Travertine in Bianco. Color's a little lighter than I really wanted, but the next shade down was too dark - I really wanted something in the middle! But it's going to look great with the random brick mixed travertine border I ordered. *And* with my cool Asian-influenced light fixture. See the other thread for details!

    For the completeness of this thread, I'll just mention that my store also had the other Ilva tiles blondelle mentioned: the Crema Marfil, and the Andes Traful. Both are beautiful, but the Andes had too much gray in it for me - I already knew from some of the Daltile samples that I didn't like gray. And the Crema Marfil - I actually don't remember what I thought of it, just that I didn't like it as much as the Pietre Travertine.

    Don't know much about the upkeep of real travertine, just that it needs to be sealed from time to time, and I had no confidence in my ability to not procrastinate doing it. There are a lot of threads here on that subject - maybe just search for travertine.

    Sigh about the Daltile. They told me in the Daltile showroom that it was discontinued, not just out of stock; I actually emailed Daltile customer service asking about it and they never got back to me. Maybe it's just as well. My reno is starting on 9/29, so depending when in October the Dal would have been available, it might have been (probably would have been) too late.

    Here is a link that might be useful: OMG! I ordered the tile!

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    charlikin, please post pics when your renovated room is done. We can't wait to see your new tile!

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Charlikin, We'd love pics when the tile is installed since it sounds beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Lynn - will definitely post once it's done. In the meantime, here's how it looks right now:

    {{gwi:1470872}}

    Nice, but not quite the look I was going for! :-)

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Charlikin, we would love an updated photo for this post. I hope your bathroom is finally completed since I remember pics of it almost done that were beautiful with your gorgeous tile choices.

  • charlikin
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Lynn - happy to update the thread once the bathroom is actually *done* - but it's not yet! We've been held up because of issues with the kitchen cabinet installation. (Replacement cabinets just went up yesterday!) In the bathroom, we still need to finish the electrical, the heating pipe cover, and then paint. Right now, it doesn't look so good with all the greenboard showing through... LOL!

    Can't wait to post my finished pictures, though. The tile really does look beautiful, and I'm happy with all my fixture selections. :-)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Replacement cabinets are UP!!!

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Charlikin, I replied to your other post. I just love your maple kitchen cabinets so much and feel your kitchen is really coming along. You were so right to make sure that quality work was done and the cabinets fit right. I also love your tile.

    I had so many problems with my foyer tiles and finally chose a different tile (the Akoya Bone) and a different installer who showed up the day after I hired him so I am pleased. I just can't figure out what grout I want and he is grouting on Thursday.

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am no longer pleased and can't sleep. The new installer has 4 different grout size widths and put a border on the small 4 X 4.33 sq. foot size foyer that I did not want since he started in the middle of the foyer and not at the door and didn't know how to transition the pieces.

    I hate grout lines that do not line up. I may have to let him go and find another installer to remove the tiles and redo the front foyer. The back foyer has the wood pulled up but no tiles yet and I fear he will have problems with 4 doors there.

  • susanlynn2012
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I removed all the tiles and I am interviewing experienced installers since I have clients who will see my floor as well as wanting it to look nice in person for resale value.

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