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hondagirl

Tiles in bathtub surround

hondagirl
12 years ago

I've been looking at tiles for the bathtub surround. I thought that I knew what I was doing but........you know how it goes.............. here are a couple concerns.

The tub and toilet are American Standard white. The floor is a darker taupe in colour. The tiles that match the taupe nicely are slightly off white or a very light beige. Would an off white tile look dirty against the white bathtub?

Or would white tiles go better with the white tub even though the contrast between the taupe floor and white is more intense?

The tiles are 4"x12". I'm not sure how that would look. Most people seem to use the 3 x 6 subways. Anyone have that larger size tile in their tub/shower area?

I'd love to see some pictures to help me visualize the tiles.

Comments (13)

  • barbcollins
    12 years ago

    I this what you mean?

  • hondagirl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks for your picture, Barb.
    Your tiles are quite a bit darker than the ones I have in mind........I was looking at off-white but then I thought they may end up looking dirty against the white tub.
    BTW, very pretty mosaics!

  • barbcollins
    12 years ago

    Thanks, I find myself to be addicted to this tile. Everytime I swear I am going to use something else, I find myself putting it in the cart (of course it helps that is usally around .69/sq ft.

    Here was the first time thought this is actually two different tiles (you could not tell with a naked eye):

    Then this one when we took out a deep tub out of our master bedroom and replaced it witha retro-shower pan.

    I am getting ready to start on another bathroom, and this time I will use something else because I have some leftover tiles from the kitchen.

  • treasuretheday
    12 years ago

    I think that in Barb's rooms there is enough contrast between her darker tile and the white tub/shower to make it look just fine. With less contrast between a white tub and off-white or very light beige tiles, I think you do risk having the wall tiles look dingy or a little "off". Personally, I love the look of dark taupe and white together. Depending on what you plan for a wall color, you could potentially have a whole lot of color changes going on between the dark taupe, beige, white and then a different wall color. Something to consider, anyway!

  • barbcollins
    12 years ago

    hondagirl - Why don't you get a few of the tiles you want and set them against a white tub and see how they look?

  • hondagirl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    The tiles that I have are glued to a sample board so it's awkward to manipulate against the tub. I can buy some tiles but the store won't take them back.....only full boxes. They are quite expensive and I don't want to waste my money if they don't work out.
    I think I may just stick to the white tiles. It probably is the "safest" option. As treasuretheday said, the off white may look dingy and it's one more colour to throw into the mix. I'll be going back to the tile place to see what other type of subways they have.

  • joyce_6333
    12 years ago

    We have white fixtures in one of our baths. The tile is off white, and I think it looks ok. Used the same tile on the floor. The tile is actually lighter than it appears in the picture. These were taken during construction.


    Here's a close-up of the tile which is pretty close to the actual color.

  • barbcollins
    12 years ago

    Beautiful!

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

    Here's a bath where the contractor used ivory/bone tile by mistake with the white fixtures and it looks just great:

    Here is a link that might be useful: girlcat's great remodel

  • dedtired
    12 years ago

    I have white fixtures and off white tile, but not as beige as some above. I like the contrast very much.

  • hondagirl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    OHhhhh!!! Those are some super nice tubs and tiles. I really love that soft, light look.

    Joyce, your floor and wall tiles are the same which makes a lovely, bright room.

    Writersblock.......thank you so much for the link to girlcat's remodal. Those bone-coloured tiles look great, not dirty at all. I actually went to HD yesterday and bought a couple samples of white tiles. There were no "bone" ones in sight or I would have picked some up.

    Dedtired...........again .......gorgeous tile with the white bathtub. Could you tell me what those tiles are called and where you got them. I think that they may also work with my colours. They seem to have a slight variation in colour which is very nice.

    I also picked up some mosaic tiles yesterday that go really well with the granite counter. I'm just not too sure now if the white tile is too stark a contrast with the mosaics.

    Here are some pictures of my bathroom in progress. The floor tile colour is REALLY inaccurate. It's more of a greeny, gray brown.......taupe. The wall colour is Ben Moore bleeker beige (HC-80). I find it too dark but I'm not changing it now.....maybe eventually.

    Here is a picture of the mosaic glass tiles on the counter and the white subway that I'm not sure about. Those mosaics are very similar to dedtired's.

    White tile on the bathtub ledge. There's hardly any difference in colour.

  • lkgarn00
    12 years ago

    Dedtired - sorry to hijack - can I ask what type of bathtub you have? Is it cast iron? I like the look of it :)

  • hondagirl
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I found dedtired's bathroom reno with her info about the materials she used. I hope she doesn't mind that I posted this.

    Here is a link that might be useful: dedtired's bathroom reno