I have seen some variation in calacatta tile depending on the stores I have gone to, and they all call it calacatta or calacatta gold. You may just want to look around and see if you find something you like that pairs well with your slab. The tile will never be a 100% match to your slab anyway. We are in the process of remodeling our master bath and will be installing calacatta on the counter, floors and as an accent tile in our shower niche...rest of the shower will be white subway. We are also planning on putting calacatta in our hall guest/family bath with the calacatta on the tub/shower surround and on the walls chair rail height. Floors are going to be a wood porcelain tile and the countertop will be a quartz. I think it looks good to break up the marble with another stone/texture....as long as it doesn't get too busy.

Thanks, redroze-- I love the Jado IQ faucet too! We chose the angled sink shape for aesthetics. So far, the good thing about it-- the shape keeps the faucet from splashing as much as it would on a flat surface. But, because it's so deep we had to cut out a fair amount of the inside of the vanity to fit it in (and we lost some storage space in there). Good luck!

Oh I didn't think about cleaning the carrara... is it really that difficult? Ugh... I love the hex border idea. I thought about an area rug, but I'm nervous about getting the spacing wrong without the tub in place. Or having real rugs overlap with the tile one. I'm also nervous about putting them around the tub in case the tub goes in place and they are off centered or something. I have OCD fears ;) Thank you for showing me photos of your lovely bathroom shanghaimom! Any suggestions for a backspash? I'm thinking about a blue-ish wall color too. This bathroom is so pretty:

chitowngrl the best "tile" forum inside gardenweb is the bathroom forum. Post there. Since stone is a natural material, its reaction to this grout cannot be predicted over the internet. Starting with the smallest box of grout, try it out. Years ago I posted on a tile forum about Freezering most of the mixed grout and using it gradually. I was a pioneer in this. I have found it only works when it works. There are many factors in this equation. Too many to add here now. It IS possible to split the contents of a box and mix only half a box. This puts you at risk of getting more than half the hardener in one of the two batches, and less than half in the other batch. Measure carefully. If the less-hard batch gets put into the freezer, it will last long. Vice versa, if the more-hard batch goes into the freezer, it will not work well at all. It will harden in the freezer. -- Epoxy grout is good for DIY because they have the time to read instructions and do things right. Professionals experienced in Portland cement type grouts have a hard time with it because it requires them to unlearn some deep habits and to pay attention to "new" aspects of grouting.... so you are best continuing as a DIY. -- Without seeing it, I'll venture a guess my strategy for that wall would be to begin grouting the wall with a Portland cement type grout in the same color. I would not fill the grout lines fully. Then I would go back over it all with the epoxy product you mentioned above. This is because epoxy grout is good on vertical surfaces when it only has to fill shallow gaps. Epoxy grout is a little bit like molasses. Even when it starts hardening up, it can still slump. My thinking is that epoxy grout can slump, in many of the spaces where you want it not to slump. This does not result in the flat grout surface you want; it can look very unprofessional. Slump means like cake batter or peanut butter sliding down and getting thicker protruding at a point where it's blocked, and obviously also being thinner in other places, which leaves the stone protruding. I cannot say what to do specifically. I'm not an expert at the highest level. I have used epoxy grout a lot, in many renovation projects. I have used epoxy grout to cover over other grout too. You can confirm that this is possible. Call or email the manufacturer. Somewhere you will read that this grout is good (guaranteed) when it fills shallow spaces like e.g. 1/8th inch. Pre-grouting with old fashioned grout is a fine step to do, it's not overkill, it's something a DIY can do. Mixing thinset or Portland cement type grout to partially fill the grout lines may sound like a chore, but it isn't when you encourage yourself by reminding your self it's the only way to get the result you want. -- If you want to consider alternatives, read up on "Grout Boost" for Portland cement type grout. It is great for kitchen backsplashes. Grout is one of the most detailed subjects imaginable. Ignore the comment emknc made.