There is statuario with beige veining.

But most of the statuario I have seen is pretty much white and gray.

I don't think it looks dingy, but if you wanted a more pure white, that's not it.

they won't let me return it because it's past 30 days.

i'm so annoyed as i think it's really ugly and not at all the look i'm going for. uggh.

If that does not match the sample you bought and had on site for comparison, then you have a case if the tile installer went ahead and installed the marble. Or, you could have had recourse with the manufacturer if the tile wasn't installed. If you didn't buy a sample for the installer to compare, or didn't inspect the tile yourself after it arrived to make sure it was an acceptable lot, then you can still have the tile changed out, but it won't be on the installer or supplier's dime. Since it hasn't been grouted, it should come up pretty easy. But can you find what you want locally in stock to replace that? HD has a white/grey marble in stock in a 12x12 here, so you might check that if you choose to remove what's there.

Despite it not being the whiter version that you intended, it IS a gorgeous marble.

Threeapples--if it's any consolation...I really love it. I like warm colors and have often thought if I were going to use marble I would specifically look for marble with this color.

I'm pretty sure Athensmom used a marble similar to this in one of her rooms. Just think of all the decorating possibilities that you will have with both warm and cool colors in your marble.

Poor thing...you must be ready for this house building nightmare to be over.

It's my fault for not opening the boxes and inspecting them. I bought a sample tile and it's nothing like the tiles installed. The sample is white. The tile place won't do anything.
Yes, I'm tired of this project. It would be easier if I didn't have other challenges going on while trying to build.

Sorry to hear -- we just went through this same issue -- our tile samples of Calacatta Nuevo were all white, and when the installer started putting them up, we were shocked to see how much beige, gray and orange (!) were in the tiles. I didn't inspect my tile either (lesson learned!) At first we were really disappointed with the tile because it was not what I thought it would look like at all.

A few weeks later, now that the fixtures are in and we're almost done, it's really growing on me. I hope your marble grows on you. I think it looks gorgeous!

thanks, pipdog, and everyone else who complimented our tile. like you, i've learned my lesson and will inspect every inch of every material that walks through our door from this point forward.
i hope this grows on me because i hate it now and am going to have to live with it. maybe if i do some brass fixtures in here the yellow won't seem so odd?
i chose delorean gray grout--think that was a mistake since there is so much beige in the tile?

Delorean gray is a good choice as opposed to beige. Be sure to do a test before your installer grouts the whole space. Let it dry as grout takes a while to show the true color. We tested Laticrete's Silver Shadow on our Calacatta in our shower and it looked really dark. It was strange because Silver Shadow worked perfectly with our Carrara basketweave in our other bathroom and looked significantly lighter with that other tile.

We ended up going with a very light gray grout from C-Cure called White Frost.

If you want to downplay the yellow/beiges in the floor, I would paint the bathroom gray and get chrome fixtures so as to compliment the gray tones in the marble. Brass might emphasize the yellow/gold tones.

We painted our room gray and with the gray grout, and it downplays the beige and warm tones in the tile and makes it pick up the cool tones in the marble.

pipdog, i never thought of doing a sample of the grout. this is a great idea. i'll do that. thanks :)

I love the blend of colors, very neutral but with some interest. And it should hide any stray hairs or such very well until you can clean it! I hope you come to like it, it really is very nice.

I know the feeling. I would be annoyed, irritated and disappointed too.

We did a white marble bath a few years ago. I went to probably 20 stores and bought full sized white marble samples. I wanted a marble that had not veining at all. no cream, no grey, just pure white.
I finally chose sivec marble over thassos.

Then I bought more stone that I needed. Then hand picked every tile and laid them out. Then separated the off color tiles. Put those under the vanity or places where they could not be seen. The rest can be returned to the seller (with a restocking penalty) or stored for future repairs or other projects.

White marble is a very difficult stone to get right.

Can you sell it on CL and buy other marble?

The tile guy said we'd need to rip out the subflooring and radiant heat coils if we pulled put the tile even though there is no grout. Does this seem accurate?
I'll post a photo of the sample next to the actual product in a bit.

I have also heard of a bait and switch type thing from online sellers. Did you order the tile online? They send a sample of a higher grade tile and then when you order ship you the same tile, but a lower grade version (these tend to be browner, grayer, etc.). The whiter the tile, the more expensive it seems.

Do you have any recourse with the seller?

Yes. Stonetiledepot.com. Nope, they won't take it back because of the length of time. Also, it's installed. :(
I still don't like it. Ughh

Look at Venetino. We got ours from Traditions in Tile - places all over the place. It was reasonably priced. It was actually our most expensive tile though - around 7.00 a square foot. It is a pretty white with grey veining. I understand some is greyer, but the ones I saw were still pretty.

I think this falls into the category of not changing it for 20 years so get it right. . . We used travertine in our bathroom and crema marfil for the countertops and tub deck. I love it. I am not a white bathroom person - mainly because I like a neutral colored bedroom and it seems the white bathrooms always go with blue bedrooms:)

Travertine is very inexpensive and crema marfil is not bad either. I am thrilled with how our bathroom turned out.

It may not be the look you are looking for but just throwing out that as an alternative if you need to redo . . .

I tried to take a picture but I have one of those iphones that turns everything yellow so it came out awful. . . It even turned my white marble slightly yellow . . .

Sorry you are going thru this. We are about to have to rip out a wall of subway tile for the THIRD time. First time, completely crooked and wonky - had to redo both subway tile baths. Second time, tile on one wall is totally different (but mixed in with) tile on the other wall. Traditions in Tile guy came out and said it is "normal variation". Wait - I have subway tile in my kitchen (Ann Sacks), and this is the 7th and 8th subway tile surround I have either done or lived with. None have had this problem. Will probably have to pay and redo it myself. . . Ugh!!!

Here is a photo of the sample (towards the bottom) next to what we actually got and is installed.

What would you do if you were me?

It is SO hard to tell from a picture. I have taken pictures of my Alabama White marble and it looks cream and it is VERY white in person. I think if you hate it I would fix it. In the scheme of things, and your house (which sounds LOVELY and is not an inexpensive house), the cost to replace the tile is, while not insignificant, is not huge and it is something you will live with every day for years (I figure our bath will get us close to 20 years before we redo it).

It is at the less expensive stage to redo right now. Is there a local tile shop you can go to and look? I got to the point where I just wanted it RIGHT the first time. Both the basement (floor guy decided this) and the first floor hardwoods had to be refinished. The basement was something he decided himself. The first floor had some issues with the herringbone floor in the front hall. It was beautiful when installed and then the final coat looked very inconsistent. I asked them to redo. I wasn't happy so they redid the whole first floor. Much better. They messed up some of the shoe mold when doing it (gouges from sander), painter said he couldn't paint it, so they are replacing it now. It has been a long process but I wanted it right, as we will live here for 30 years.

My thinking is I want to be happy with the house, not regret decisions. I would hate to walk into my bathroom and not be happy. . . I just can't tell how it looks from the picture. It might be something you can work with - if you are not happy though and think you will regret it I would fix it . . . and perhaps cut back somewhere else if necessary that is not quite so permanent.

Threeapples--let me tell you a story. Might make you feel better.

The guy that did the tile work in my new home 7 yrs ago in my master bath was a hack. He was from Bloomington, Illinois BTW.

My shower leaked from day one. He came and tore the bottom part out and put in a new mud bed and retailed. It leaked again. He wouldn't return my calls. I threatened him. I left him bad reviews online. Nothing worked. I didn't use my brand new shower for over a year. Used my kids shower in my brand new house. I had Paid him and paid for the tile.

Then the floor tiles starting coming loose.

Finally hired a great tile man, gutted the whole shower--had to take out granite, vanities, toilets, the works and retile the floor. So I paid again big time.

We built the house on time and materials. Won't do that again.

This is the time to take that tile out if you hate it....not after your vanities and other fixtures are in in 5 yrs.

Just bite the bullet and do it.

I'm so sorry this has happened! I also think the floor is interesting and nice looking, but the sample is a far cry from what you received. Clearly, you have good reason to complain to the vendor and leave bad reviews, etc. I can imagine a local store might be more flexible about the return policy, but an online vendor just has less incentive to take care of you. I think you're stuck with the problem if you missed the 30-day window.

What to do now boils down to how much you are willing to spend to get it just right. If you can afford it, I'd encourage you to get what you wanted in the first place, because it will bother you to see it. But if it's growing on you and you don't want to spend the money, it looks like a perfectly nice floor.

If you can afford to redo it, I would definitely redo it. I have statuario marble on my island and what is on your floor does NOT look like statuary marble. Your sample looks like my island. My entire house is whites, grays and blues. No tan anywhere. I don't like beige, tan or golds. I would be extremely disappointed in the floor tile if it were mine.

Here's my marble slab:

I definitely understand your disappointment!

deb, your marble is gorgeous. i'm with you--i dislike golds and beiges, too. uggh. to pull this out, purchase new tile, replace the sub flooring, buy new radiant heat coils, and pay the tile guy for his labor is too much money for us right now. half of me feels the tile company should pay for this, but i know it's just as much my fault for not inspecting the shipment before it was installed. with rising costs of other things for this house i fear we have to learn to live with this even though it's not at all what i was hoping for. at least my kids will have a beautiful white and gray marble floor in their bathroom and potentially the guest bathroom will, too.

red lover and athensmom, sorry to hear of your house-building challenges. this is a huge undertaking (building a house), isn't it?

threeapples, isn't it crazy how we agonize over every single detail? It took me months to plan my master bath, and that was before I even started shopping! You are obsessing over this floor right now because it is a departure from your vision, but also because it's the only thing in the room.
I think this floor will be fine. And you will have your white/gray floor in the other 2 bathrooms, and you don't want them all the same, right?

Are you going with a wood vanity? If so, that should be enough to tie this floor in and still give the bathroom the feel you were hoping for. I wouldn't use it on the tub surround though, that would make it a focal point. Floors usually become invisible after a while. And as Williamsem pointed out, with this floor maybe you won't feel like you should sweep every day :)

This may make you feel better (or not). I ordered veneer stone for my foundation from a sample board and when it came it looked nothing like the sample. The company refused to take it back. My contractor loved the stone and we agreed to let him install it on our interior gas fireplace which had only had sheetrock. We loved it and had him go ahead with the foundation. I really love it now. I'm so glad I didn't get what I originally wanted. Maybe you will learn to love it?

Threeapples--my house is 7 yrs old, so this is just a memory for me. Someday it won't be so fresh for you.

The cool colors are so popular right now..try not to despair. Even though your marble has a few traces of warmth...in a few years those colors will be back in again.

The problem is not of cool colors or warm colors. The problem is that of blotchy tones in a white marble.

Think of it as a white shirt that has splotches of tea stains in it. You would not wear it (unless covered with a sweater)!

That is why marble is graded into premium, standard and builder grades. This marble might be considered builder grade and would sell for 1/5 the price of premium grade.

If the sample is splotch free, that is what the buyer should have been sold. Looks like a bait and switch.

The moral of the story is that when it comes to natural stone (and even man made stone), one must inspect every box, every tile, every slab and take action before installation.

Pharaoh, I completely agree about the splotches. We are really frustrated and likely won't replace it because we will have to replace the subfloor and the heating coils in addition to buying new tile and paying for the labor. I agree it was bait and switch and I'm furious with myself for not opening the boxes. I probably deserve these tiles for not taking the time to inspect them. Ughh.

I am as frustrated about your ordeal as you are :) these kind of seller tricks (or mistakes) infuriate me but we have to face the brunt of the problem.

When you put the rest of the items like the vanity etc in, you may not notice it as much.

Here is a suggestion. Put a over-the-top swarovski crystal chandelier. No one pay attention to the floor. I have a marble floor and a crystal chandelier. No one ever notices the marble :)

Pharaoh, that's really funny about your chandelier idea. While I was obsessing about this instead of sleeping last night a chandelier was the only solution that came to mind. But, I feel like a nice, understated Williamsburg style fixture makes more sense with our style. That wont take away from the floor as much though, will it?

post a photo of what you have in mind. What are the other features/style of the bathroom?

If you could get a hold of a Virginia Metalcrafters Williamsburg chandelier, or use a chandelier from The Federalist, those would be the focal point.

So did you decide on what to do? I have to say I love tans, golds and browns and loathe cool colors, but even I have to honestly say it doesn't look right. Sorry to sound so harsh but lets not sugar coat it. Assuming you bought it with your credit card? Can you look into the consumer protection angle?. I think you might have some protection there, no?

i decided to keep it (though i still hate it) because ripping it out, buying new tile, ripping out the subfloor, buying new heating coils, and paying the tile guy for all this labor is not in our budget right now. we did pay by credit card and they are looking into it, but i can't imagine they would give us money beyond the tile itself. in other words, we'd still have to buy new tile, new heating coils, more labor, etc. i'm so annoyed. :( i've had a couple of stone dealers tell me this is, in no way, statuario and that we've been had.

Hi threeapples, just read your story for the first time tonight. I feel so very lucky because we just had two bathrooms done in marble flooring, one a white marble and cannot even imagine what I would have done!! We did not order over the internet but I NEVER CHECKED the boxes either. I never even considered that. You assume that you are getting tile like the sample!!! I also ordered a striped marble and had pieces numbered for install and that got screwed up so as to not align and I thought I was going to have a heart attack with that when I saw it but I CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT YOU DID WHEN YOU SAW THAT IT WAS NOT WHITE. IF YOU CAN PROVE THIS IS NOT STATUARIO, TALK TO INTERNET STORE AND SIMPLY SAY YOU CAN PROVE THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU ORDERED AND REGARDLESS OF 30 DAY STIPULATION IT IS NOT WHAT YOU PAID FOR. ---I WOULDN'T GIVE UP, YET ANYWAY!! Tell them you've had professionals out to confirm and that you will not settle. Have you considered the possibility of going right over this tile with NEW tile? We have radiant floor heating throughout our house and I think any stone product is a conductor of heat. GOOD LUCK!!

I'm in the same boat in 2017. The tile going in is nothing like the sample. I opened two boxes and it as beautiful. Now is all set

What is wrong mellivesay? Too much variation in the tiles? Would you have rather the 'grain' all go the same way? Remember when your fixtures are all in, the room will look and feel different. Unless you are going to take them out and swap pieces around (and be able to be on-site when that is happening) I think it looks like marble flooring.

I think that tile looks beautiful Mellivesay.