I don't have subways in our current bathroom, but we used 6x6 glossy 'cheapie' white tiles from Menards. They are fine. I have more issues with soap scum buildup than water spots.

I definitely wish I did not do all white grout. I wasn't that great about cleaning it and keeping up on sealer. I think it would be okay if I had the time/cleaning $ to maintain it, but I don't.

We are getting ready to install Subway Ceramics Avalon white in a different bath and will defintely be doing a darker grout. Delorean Gray is one, I can't recall the other one offhand.

I remodeled my bathroom in June and have Daltile Arctic White subways in my tub/shower. They're semi-gloss but are pretty glossy. Grout is sort of a light mid-gray. Easy to keep clean, not especially spot-prone. I run a squeegee over the walls after my shower but I don't dry with a towel. Takes maybe 30 seconds.

I'm very happy with my tile. It's a fresh, clean look.

We used Daltile semi-gloss white subways, white grout. I squeegee after showering, DH will squeegee once in a while. If there are water spots, I wouldn't notice.

I also have white subway tile, and I went with white grout. I love the look of an all white bathroom! It looks clean and fresh.

It's been about 6 months so far and it's still white. I spray down the inside of the shower enclosure with spray bleach every week or so. I realize the grout will probably not stay perfectly white for the next 10 years, but I'm willing to take the chance.

We have white subway tiles in our shower and white grout. The tiles are great - easy to clean, low maintenance. Just make sure you use a smooth grout, not a gritty/sandy one. Smooth, epoxy-based grouts are easier to clean and stay clean longer. The gritty grouts are a pain to clean - they attract everything except men and money. :-)

I have white handmade subway tile in my bath surround - they are matte finish. I haven't had a chance to use the shower because my glass doors haven't been installed yet, but any wetness on the tile from splashing in the tub and cleaning seems to dissipate pretty quickly without leaving any traces. I did buy the matte tile because I have hard water and I know that hard water sometimes tends to leave spots on glossy tile.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the responses. Never dreamed tile choices would be so difficult. We do have hard water. I just gravitate towards white subway for a shower. It's a small size bathroom and an enclosed shower so I want to keep it brighter.

The amount of grout lines and suggestions to go with larger tiles has got me in gridlock.

lionhart, I am still laughing!

Would love to see photos if you're willing to share. Thank you again!

arapaho, you could use a larger format subway-type tile. We used Daltile Polaris in another bath, it comes in 6"x8" and I believe the prices are even lower than Rittenhouse Square(?)

We have glossy white subway tile in our shower with a medium-gray grout. No issues with spotting whatsoever, though our bathroom's only been complete about a month now. I do squeegee the tile maybe every third shower or so.

My kid's bathroom has oooooold white tile that also doesn't show spots. The white grout in there, though...that's another story.

We have Subway Ceramics in DS, DD and DH's showers, all with, IIRC Delorean Grey grout. All 2x6 iirc as well.

If you go with a reproduction look like Subway ceramics, they are totally flat,not pillowed, and should be done with very very thin grout lines. IMHO the grout should not be white if you want an authentic look, but if you go too dark on grout you will get a very busy effect. We have been in the house 3.5 yrs, no real maintenance comments yet

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but can those of you with white subway tile bathrooms comment on the size of the grout lines? Ours is not reproduction as mtnrdredux mentioned above- slight "pillowing" (but not beveled, they are flat). Our tile setter wanted to not use spacers to make it easier to install but the grout lines look SO narrow to me if they are placed right next to each other. What did you all do?

I used urethane grout. It's noticeably more expensive, but it's pretty bulletproof. No sealing and does not stain.

Mine are somewhere between 1/8 and 1/16. I think my tile might have had those built-in nubs for spacers. My guy didn't use many of the regular spacers when he did the shower/tub surround.

Granted, my bathroom is old (and soon to be renovated) but the grout is white and I hate it. So hard to keep it looking bright, scrubbing it constantly. When it was new it was pretty, but its just too much work keeping it bright and white. Maybe newer grout products are better, but for my soon to be renovated bathroom, I will not use white grout. This time, I am looking at beige shades of tile and will use a beige or tan grout. Less work to keep it looking good.

I have glossy white tile with white grout and I loathe it.

We have very hard water, and even with a water softener, there is always a film, and the grout has yellowed even though it was sealed.

I get very frustrated every time I scrub it. I have used every cleaning product on earth, and the only one that truly worked was a toxic stripper with terrible fumes, that I used before resealing the grout again.

Of course it depends on your water and cleaning habits...

Sorry, duplicate

This post was edited by jlc712 on Sun, Dec 7, 14 at 8:57

mtnrdredux, I would love to see some pictures of your subway ceramics in action. I still haven't pulled the trigger on ordering ours, but I am hoping to this week.

Linelle, what height is your niche? We were going back and forth if it should be tub or shower height? I think settled on closer to the tub edge.

The grout I saw used at the subway ceramics showroom was polyblend urban putty. I like it a lot for the historical application. It looks like finely aged white grout really does.

kats, the bottom of my niche is 49" high from the floor and 31" above the tub deck. I'm 5'4" and it's the perfect height for me taking a shower. It's been 6 months and I still haven't taken a bath. :O Clearly I'd have to move a few things down to the tub deck if I were taking a bath.

We have hard water, so the glossy tile from our master shower has spots. I keep hoping to find time to get them off once and for all, and then wax the tiles...but it's just not a big enough issue I guess. The white grout still looks white, two years later.

Putting white glossy tile in our main bath as well, and I will wax these as part of finishing the remodel. Went with white grout, but part of me wishes I had done light grey instead. I was afraid it would look too busy, but in retrospect I think it would have looked great!

melle sacto: Just curious....What kind of wax do you use on your tile?

I had read on the internet that auto wax or gel gloss helps make it easier to clean the hard water spots off. I think it's true because I started applying gel gloss to our white ceramic sink (once I had cleaned hard water spots off) and I found that as long as I re-apply every couple months, the hard water spots clean off really easily.

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in responding to all the helpful info you've provided. My Mom took a fall so trying to balance her care which is the priority with making decisions for remodel. Contractor here doing demo - we had more water damage that we thought!

Will come back and read each reply in detail, but wanted to say thank you now. I rely so much on the valuable information everyone is so willing to share.