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sixkeys

Master bath - help picking floor tile

sixkeys
9 years ago

Hi everyone!

Here is a general sense of my MB finishes so far.

The small grey tile is for the shower floor. The rest of the tile will be a marble look-alike in porcelain. The main floor tile comes in 12x12, or 12x24

Here are my options for the floor:

1. Just the 12x12 tile, simple diamond pattern, similar to this:

Traditional Bathroom by Dc Metro Interior Designers & Decorators Liz Levin Interiors

2. 12x24, brick pattern, similar to this:

Traditional Bathroom by Salt Lake City Photographers Scott Davis Photography

3. 12x12 diamond pattern, with mosaic strips in between

4. 12x12 with little grey squares (the ones from the shower floor) as accents. Like this:

Transitional Bathroom by Newport Beach Home Builders Spinnaker Development

My dream master bath would have marble basketweave, but I am concerned about durability.

Thanks so much!

Comments (16)

  • sixtyohno
    9 years ago

    It's important to know the cost of laying the tile. We tiled our entire MB in 4x6 subways, floor to ceiling. It took forever and cost $$$$$$. The downstairs bath we did in 12x12 and it was much more reasonable. So I would see if there are cost considerations.

  • melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/
    9 years ago

    I prefer the simpler floors, so either the diagonal or running bond w/o accent tiles.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    9 years ago

    Id get the marble basket weave . It's been around forever, has some visual interest but isn't trendy, and is avail cheap. ( at least a few yrs ago, HD carried it). Wear is less noticeable in a small pattern. IMHO

  • edie_thiel
    9 years ago

    I like the first image with the diamond pattern. I think it would be easier to keep clean, and the look will work for years to come.

  • User
    9 years ago

    I think the first one seems like of dated.

    I like either the second or third.

  • CherrieHub
    9 years ago

    Maybe the 2nd or the 4th, but I agree, you should consider the cost and the work as well, as a deciding factor.

  • busybee3
    9 years ago

    of the pics you show, i like the 1st one best... but they also look like real marble floors which i like...very classic.
    i think it somewhat depends on the faux marble floors you choose-some have a much more subtle pattern, some less so, some look very much like marble, some less so...

  • User
    9 years ago

    When I had my kitchen and bath tiles laid, I was told to use a brick pattern if I didn't want to call attention to the floor. Your finishes are all pretty quiet, so the floor can handle more interest. The 12 x 24" repeats all the rectangles in your MB, so a diagonal breaks it up. I like any of the diagonal designs.

  • theclose
    9 years ago

    I would do marble basket weave. Very classic and it is what you really want. Second choice is number 2, brick pattern. Also classic. I also think the diamond pattern is a little dated and I am not a fan of accent strips.

  • patricianat
    9 years ago

    My travertine bath is like #1 and the other baths, slate and ceramic, are like #2.

    The owner of the tile store where I purchase (pretty savvy business of many decades) told me to choose simplicity as it kept it from appearing dated.

    I admit, after having mosaic floors 3 homes before, that it certainly looks much cleaner than the mosaics and the little connective diamonds, but then I had 3 young boys at the time of that house.

  • dedtired
    9 years ago

    Any one but 3.

  • sixkeys
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you everyone! So sorry I disappeared from my own thread. It is very interesting to see the variety of responses. My least favorite (for this bathroom) is the second choice - I am using this pattern in my mudroom and the laundry room, but I am not feelin it with the MB. I wish this tile came in a larger size, 14x14 or 18x18. I think it wouldn't look as dated. I have found other marble look alikes in bigger formats, but I thought they all looked fake or too busy for my taste.

    I keep waffling about the real basketweave. It is a good 2x as expensive as my other options for the material, and there is the durability factor. I would hate to spend the extra money and then it doesn't look good.

    Time to do some more thinking!

  • sixkeys
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    And, by thinking about this more, I came up with another option! Yikes. Here is a herringbone in 12x24:

    [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Omaha Architects & Designers Becki Wiechman, ASID, LEED AP

  • User
    9 years ago

    Unless you have a really large bath I think a lot of the choices are going to look pretty busy. Our master bath has travertine in your #4 arrangement above, and I hate it. I would do the running bond pattern #2. The first pic looks dated to me, too, and the rest too busy.

  • sixkeys
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great point! Here is my layout. I would say the size is generous but not huge. The main bathroom area (not including the shower and WC) is about 7x12.

    I was really envisioning a square tile, but I think the size (12x12) is making it look too dated.

    I did find another tile that has 18x18 or 24x24 that I liked. I need to look at that.

    I am still considering a marble basketweave or hexagon, but then I don't know what to pick for the shower or around the tub (I don't think my original plans would look good).

  • gsciencechick
    9 years ago

    I think #1 will always be a classic choice, diagonal or not. I think diagonal makes the room look bigger.

    Love basketweave,and if I had an opportunity to make it work, I'd probably go for it. People do use it for floors all the time.