Reveal: small bath with large format "marblelain" tile
In a recent post, GWer Hunzi coined the word "marblelain" as a name for porcelain tiles that look like marble. So thanks to Hunzi, this is the first marblelain reveal on GW.
The bathroom in this reveal is my daughter's main bath. Since she is a busy, working new mom, I pre-shopped for tile, countertop, plumbing fixtures, cabinets and lighting and then she and her DH choose from the selections I found.
The bathroom is 76" x 61" plus the 36x60 tub alcove area. The house was built in 1964 and the bathroom had been updated once by the previous owner. In that update the original tub was re-glazed from a pinkish brown color to white. The white glazing was wearing out and the tub looked like it has a case of measles. The tub was also very shallow (water depth about 8 inches) and my DD really wanted a tub that she could soak in. So wanting a new tub lead to a complete gut and rebuild of the bathroom. My DD also wanted a vanity linen cabinet because there was no linen closet in the house. Adding a linen cabinet, meant that she would lose 18 inches of already limited countertop space. She was able to reclaim about 9 inches of counter space by replacing the previous 21 in wide oval sink with a 12 inch round sink.
This is the only before picture that my DD had of the bathroom:
Being a young, modern couple my DD and her DH wanted a modern more contemporary look for their bathroom so they opted to use large format tiles. Since they didnt want any brown/gold tones they went decided on gray and white. They liked the look of marble but didn't want to deal with the maintenance of it so I searched local tile stores and GW for faux marble tile.
The tile that she used is Daltile's Florentine series in their Cararra color. The tile is available in several sizes with either a matte or shiny finish. They chose to use 24x24 for the floor and 12x24 for the tub surround with both sizes in matte.
Here are a couple pre grout pictures of the tile.
And a couple with the tile grouted:
The cabinets are Fieldstone. They have a tinted varnish finish. The color is called Pearl and it is a very light gray. They seem to be a very nice quality and were a good price point. She used an 18" linen tower and a 27" sink base. We were able to get by without using any filler and thus able to keep within the 30" code required for the toilet area.
Since her countertop area is so small we didn't want to pay for a whole slab of stone so we had to find a remnant that would work. The fabricator had lots of whites to choose from but they were the wrong shades of white or were too busy looking. Since the cabinets were such a light gray color the kids decided to go with a dark gray/black countertop. We were lucky to find a piece of Hanstone Black Coral that was the right size. They extended the counter over the toilet for a little extra space.
Here is a close up of the countertop and the 12" round Porcher Marquee sink with Kohler's Forte faucet. The sink really is big enough and deep enough for their needs.
They love the Kohler Archer tub and the multifunction Kohler Forte Shower head.
The mosaic they used is Florida Tile's Pietra Art Bliss Iceland. The vanity light is Tech Lighting's Metro Bath Bar. The mirror is the Colby from Crate and Barrel.
In addition to the vanity light, they have a solar tube and 2 recessed lights in the ceiling.
They still need to put some pictures or shelves on the walls but for now they are very pleased with their new bathroom. They had a fabulous contractor who was also the tile man. The project was completed in under 1 month.
To close this long post here are a couple close ups of the tile and mosaic
Comments (43)
10 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Plain white, glossy tile - large format size - under $3.50 sq/ft
Comments (9)White ceramics or porcelains are not the easiest thing to find because white is difficult to get "white". It's worse than the 10,000 posts a year in the Décor Forum asking about the "perfect" white. Most tiles actually aren't all that white when you objectively judge them against a white balance scale, especially the red clay based ones. White glazes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. And the whitest white tiles are the most expensive because of that difficulty. The whitest white tiles are usually a white bodied porcelain, with an expensive white glaze for the top surface. "Plain" is also more difficult to achieve than a tile with a little bit of a swirl or movement to the color, or texture to the finish. A plain glossy tile has to be absolutely perfectly smooth, or you notice it. Simple IS usually the hardest thing to create in any design, because of the much tighter tolerances and no trims to fall back on. You're asking for a double whammy, truly white and plain,...See MoreWhat are your opinions on large format hex tile?
Comments (35)Thank you, Allison. I have seen walker Zanger but have not seen Village Lagoon yet. I hope not to have standing water but we are doing a jetted curbless large shower so not sure how much water will puddle. Hopefully none. I also have young kids who may shower in this room who do create lots of puddles in their own bathroom. i am going to ask about sealing them it seems that would counter the absorption issues. off to look into Village Lagoon. Thanks....See MorePutting large-format tile on wall in master bath
Comments (18)I'm grateful I read this, for I am considering installing large format wall tile onto drywall, that is in a non moisture area. I was concerned that the drywall would not be as strong as backerboard and could possibly cause structural failure. However MongoCT makes an excellent point, that large format tile with the same square footage as any other tile will share the same weight. "🎵 I can see clearly now, the rain is gone 🎵🎵👍👍...See MoreLarge format floor tile layout dilemma.
Comments (10)The toilet is at the far right side in the back. The vanity is a stainless steel open console with a granite top along the right side so the tile along the right side will be visible. The shower base will have a glass enclosure with the shower entrance from the side away from the door. Here is an early version which gives a rough idea though the shower size is not accurate, and the vanity I purchased has a single sink and is a bit smaller. If the layout is shifted to have a full tile next to the shower, I then end up with 2 1/2" wide cuts all along one side. Since the vanity is open, the right side will not be buried at all. The left side is behind the tub and behind the door but still not exactly buried and a 2 1/2" strip seems very bad unless it is totally hidden....See MoreRelated Professionals
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Hunzi, glad you didn't mind me using your new word. I think it's a great word.
I agree with you Writersblock, that many of the faux marble tiles do have strong patterning. My DD like the more understated look. We did have a sample from Florida Tile Gallant Carrara that was also more subtle. We preferred the sizes of the Daltile. I believe the Gallant does have more trim pieces like listello, and chair rail so if you need that kind of trim, check out Florida Tile.
You are correct Enduring, the extension over the toilet is called a banjo. It is only 8.5" deep but every inch counts in a small bathroom.
My DD and her DH are both very appreciative of the work I did so it makes it all worth it. Plus, I am so glad the my first grand baby has a nice tub to take baths in:
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Feisty68, sorry my pictures disappeared. I guess I exceeded the my photobucket limits.
I agree with you that large tiles are practical. I think the space actually looks bigger with the large tiles, especially the floor. Larger tiles mean less grout lines to keep clean and that's a good thing.Here are some of the missing photos:
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MGMum, I will be going to my daughter's house tomorrow so I will check the paint can for the color name and brand. I do know that the cabinet color was called pearl. The cabinets are Fieldstone. The pearl color is actually in their white/ off white group of colors but it is definitely a light gray. We had some trouble finding cabinets that came in the right shade of light gray because we didn't want green or blue under tones. Dura Supreme Cabinets also had a couple good light gray colors. I think the two we liked were called Zinc and Silver Mist.
My daughter knew she didn't want white countertops so that drove her decision to go with the light cabinets and dark counter. She was lucky to get a remnant of Hanstone's Black Coral for the countertop. It's great because it is not a shiny black so it doesn't show water spots.
Here was her sample board. I can't make out the paint color name though. Will let you know tomorrow.
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Thanks again Hunzi for the compliment.
MGMum, the color used in my daughters bathroom was Glidden's Seal Gray but we had it made with Kennsington Clark paint from Ace Hardware.
Here's a shot of the shelves and towel ring she added after the previous pictures were posted.
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cdpettiete, I just checked the tiles in my DD's bathroom and honestly you have to look closely for the the gold veins. It appears to me that there are 6 different patterns/variations of the tiles and if you flip them around you get 6 more. Your sample seems to be the same as this tile in my DD's room.
I counted only 5 of this pattern on the tub walls and from a distance you barely notice the gold.
Most of the tiles have no gold in them at all or a much smaller amount than your sample. I really don't think you have to worry about the gold veins.
I like the mosaic you picked out and think it will be a nice focal point running vertically. As enduring mentioned though, check the small white tiles in the mix to make sure the undertone of them is good with the background of the large tiles. On my screen the small white tiles appear to have a yellow undertone. In real life they might be just fine with the wall tiles in your bathroom, only you can be the judge of that in your room. I have noticed that big tiles appear to have a white background until you see them next to bright white like my daughter's woodwork, then you see how the background is more grey.
Are you planning on using the matte or the gloss finish tiles. My DD's wall and floor tiles are the matte finish. To me the shiny tiles look quite different from the matte finish. We preferred to have the floor and walls look the same so we didn't put the use shiny ones on the wall.Be sure to post pictures when you finish.
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Thanks ya'll! The white tiles In the accent are definitely not a bright white. But not yellow. They are a limestone which is what I Am leaning towards for shower floor. I have one other tile from daltile I liked (Invoke in sheer glow) but my designer does not like it with the carrara countertops I'm doing. What do ya'll think...
Here's the bathroom run down, wait.... am I hijacking hit his thread? Should I be saying a new one? I have never posted before so I hope I'm not!
Carrara countertops, accent tile will also be the backsplash behind vanities. black walnut vanities, 12x24 tile in shower running vertically with accent stripe running vertically. Will most likely use same tile that I use for shower walls on bath floors but possibly the 24x24. If I go with the florentine Carrara I was thinking matte, I have not seen the polished.
Shower tile sketch
Option 2- invoke sheer glow
Option 1- florentine with other elements.
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cdpettiette