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What is the best tile surface to use for a shower floor? The tile folks are telling us to use unglazed tiles (1″ or 2″ square) but the white is not a pure white, and, our carpenter is steering us away from them, saying that they will stain too easily (from dirty feet etc) and it will be hard to clean.
Originally, we wanted to use the floor tile in the shower as well. The floor tile will be a netted 12″ square of white matte 2″ octagon with 1″ square glossy black diamonds. Tile folks has told us that that will be too slippery in the shower, but it is OK for the bathroom floor.
I’m thinking that a compromise would be to use white marble 12″ square mosaic sheets made up of 1″ square pieces – a bit more costly, but brighter white, not so slippery (more grout lines) and it will pick up the color/feel of the white marble threshold on the curb of the shower base.
The house is from 1918, so we were looking to use the smaller floor tiles and then white subway tile on the walls, to give it a bit of a period look. The shower floor is about 12 feet square – about 3 feet by 4 feet. We’re doing a mud job for the shower base.
Any comments or suggestions???
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What is "best" is a tough question to answer. Esp when trying to gauge the amount of tile face vs grout lines over the ether.
If I recall, you're building a rather large house, and seem to be concerned with the quality of materials that are going into it. I applaud you for that.
You hired the "tile man" for what reason? Possibly his expertise in the field in terms of product knowledge and quality of installation? And for what reason did you hire the carpenter? Because he hammers a damn fine nail or for his expertise in tile?
My advice would be to tell the tile man (which it seems you have already) your concerns. Let him give you what he believes are two or three alternatives that will work in this installation. Make your choice based on the merits and aesthetice of each product with the aid of your tile man.
If you have reason to distrust your tile man, bounce your ideas of a tile supply house or another tile installer...another professional in the field.
If you really want to have fun, tell the carpenter the tile guy said he framed a wall (or installed cabinets or cased a door) improperly...
Good luck...
*You go Mongo. I completely agree with you.Diane, the unglazed tile you speak of is made of very dense porcelain. Yes, it will stain, but not from dirty feet. Mostly rust or oil-based products and then only lightly.For that period, the tile of choice was typically 1" hexagon, glazed for the floor and unglazed for the shower.Whichever tile you decide to use--the 1" marble will be fine--for the shower floor, you'll have a fine looking installation if you go with a tile 2" or less with a grout joint of 1/8" or more. Choose a light color for both tile and grout, it'll hide the soap residue and water deposits better.
*For this type of home and installation, I would go with Dal Tile 1" ceramic hex. Expensive, but very strong, won't crack, and easy to clean.You might also consider posting your question at a specific tile buletin board:http://www.jlconline.com/forums/tile/
*Have you thought about pennyrounds? Used them in a shower I just did 'cause the hexes weren't available in the color we(?) wanted. While it's probably not an "authentic period detail" it gives a nice sort of old time feel, plus it seems pretty non-slip.
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Thanks to all of you for your responses and advice. It is appreciated. The link to the tile website is a great one....and I've posed my question there, too. I will poke around it for other information, too.
I've seen those penny rounds but never priced them out. I'll take a closer look at that option. I haven't seen the hexagon tile around here (CT) but I remember it in my grandmother's bathroom floor. I remember it had rings of hexagons in another color here and there in the floor.
My hubby wants to know from anyone who would like to respond.. .........he really would like to use marble tile on the other bathroom floors but is concerned about how easy marble scratches. Any opinion on using marble tiles for the bathroom floors?
I'm thinking that by the time anyone gets to the second floor bathrooms, the grit should be walked off the soles of one's shoes by then, thus, there shouldn't be too many scratches. And I figure, so what if there is some wear? Marble is classic and beautiful and even with wear, it has lasted since the Roman and Greek times!!
Mongo, you have a good memory...we're the ones with the rather large house. We are picky about the quality of materials and while it' cost more and taken longer, its been worth it so far. But we're also good at price shopping and so we get the best price we can on things.
I should clarify that we haven't hired a tile guy - yet - I was referring to the folks at the tile stores I've been to. We did a whole house renovation about 10 years ago, and the tile man we used then is still around. He was good, fast, and accurate but is a bit expensive these days. We have him in mind, however.
My carpenter is really an all-around guy who works on the slow side, but he is damn accurate and never has to do anything twice. We had two other sets of carpenters that we fired and this guy has fixed the work done by the previous carpenters. But we had to pay twice, too. He is pickier than we are, so he understands where we're coming from regarding quality. This guy can do it all - rough framing, finish framing, mud floors, tile, drywall, light electrical, light plumbing, finish work, and bathroom and kitchen installations. He really is talented and creative and we are lucky to have him. His expertise is finish work and kitchen installations. He's done most of the work in his own house. But he is frustratingly slow, which is very aggravating at times.
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What is the best tile surface to use for a shower floor? The tile folks are telling us to use unglazed tiles (1" or 2" square) but the white is not a pure white, and, our carpenter is steering us away from them, saying that they will stain too easily (from dirty feet etc) and it will be hard to clean.
Originally, we wanted to use the floor tile in the shower as well. The floor tile will be a netted 12" square of white matte 2" octagon with 1" square glossy black diamonds. Tile folks has told us that that will be too slippery in the shower, but it is OK for the bathroom floor.
I'm thinking that a compromise would be to use white marble 12" square mosaic sheets made up of 1" square pieces - a bit more costly, but brighter white, not so slippery (more grout lines) and it will pick up the color/feel of the white marble threshold on the curb of the shower base.
The house is from 1918, so we were looking to use the smaller floor tiles and then white subway tile on the walls, to give it a bit of a period look. The shower floor is about 12 feet square - about 3 feet by 4 feet. We're doing a mud job for the shower base.
Any comments or suggestions???
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A framer who does and finish, or an artist who just happens to do some framing? You are quite fortunate to have the latter.
Artists--you did mention creativity--do tend to be picky and maddenly slow. It's the nature of the beast. Dollars to donuts, even as he is going "slow", his mind is racing at 10,000 RPM.