Jess-- I just put that exact floor into a public bathroom at the Maine Historical Society, with black grout. This tile is not one that will mark up easily, and it WILL wash off without much problem. I wouldn't worry a bit about it.

(just between you, me, and a few thousand good friends-- this is actually octagon and dots. :-) )

ok. . . .you've made me feel much better!

i keep asking my family's advice and they say NO WAY, so of course, that makes me second guess myself.

I have white hex in every bathroom in my new house. I have 9 children still at home and am not worried a bit about my floors, I love them. The construction grime cleaned right up.
I say, go for it.

I have that exact floor in my laundry room, which is off the garage and so gets a ton of traffic. It's been in for 3 years and still looks brand new. Dark grout is definitely the key.

DH and I don't have kids, but we are not neat freaks and I've had white floors (of some sort) in every bathroom we've ever had. I just put white hexes in my new bath we're renovating now. I've never found them difficult to keep clean - the only thing is you see things like those stray hairs, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I want to see when I need to swiffer those up. :-)

I also just put white hex in a bathroom that will get a lot of traffic, and so far, so good. As others have mentioned, we used dark (gray) grout, and it looks great.

How about this...

The bathroom shared from 1974-1990 by my brothers and I had that floor. I remember thinking it looked like tons of panda bears side-by-side when I was a little girl.

It never looked grungy. My mother probably used Pine Sol or something like Mop-n-Glow on our floors back then.

Congratulations on your panda floors! :)

thank you all so much!

i keep debating. . .then my contractor told me that the tile guy wouldn't guarantee those floors, but he would the 12x12s? go figure. . .

so then. . .of course, i second guessed myself, but i'm going for it!

thank you all so much for your responses!!!!!!!

Then it's time to tell the contractor you'll get your OWN tile guy, and get that schmoe out of your house if he can't do an elementary installation and guarantee it!!

WHAT A MAROON!

Seriously-- get him out of there!

This tiles are called Victorian Octagon with black dots. I grew up with them in my house in the 1970s and now one of my bathrooms - I live in a very old apartment building - still has the same type of tile! If I were renovating, I would not use this style, it is old-style and that means the rest of your bathroom would have to match, including the towel bars and hooks. I find this style outdated and I don't understand why anyone would want their bathroom to look old and outdated, unless you want the retro look, but then you would have to be a pretty darn good if not great designer which, gauging from the sound of your inquiry, you are not anywhere near a good designer. I say "Blah!" and "Yuck!" to these tiles, they remind me of my childhood days when the bathroom was only used for pee, poop, and accidental throw-up!

Isn't that a bit harsh of a comment for a post from 2009?