We have been installing glass in our pools for over a decade, from the waterline, to perimeter overflow, to the entire pool bottom. The right mosaic glass can be stunning and turn your pool / water-feature into a work of art. This info is from the web..but its advise that we typically share with every homeowner. Durability Although known as one of the longest-lasting pool and spa finishing materials, glass tile can be subject to both cracking and chipping, especially when exposed to rapid changes in temperature. Such failures are generally the result of substandard products that have found their way into the market. Research your selected manufacturer and ask friends, your designer, and even your installer for recommendations. A qualified tile worker can often spot a material problem by how well the tiles stand up to being cut for installation (questionable material will chip when cut, for instance). Such overly brittle material will be susceptible to failure. • Rough edges Some glass tile products have sharp edges, due largely to the manufacturing process, as well as trimming during installation. The problem can be eliminated by careful buffing after installation by a qualified installer, but homeowners should always discuss this potential issue with their swimming pool designer and the installer. • Quality installation Glass tile is tricky to install compared to other types of tile. Installations should only be performed by tile setters experienced with the material. Otherwise, the work could be visually marred by uneven grout lines and even subject to failure (such as tiles falling off the surface), sometimes within just a few weeks of the initial installation. http://www.houzz.com/pro/urban-landscape http://urbanlandscape.com/

I feel for you, Marjie. It sounds like you have a leak that you need to address. But with only one full bath in the house you cannot afford the time for the whole shower pan construction. I bought my house in February, and they started the construction right away. I am still waiting for a few final details to be done, not to mention the correction for the shower problem. But at least we had a basement to live in while it was going on (complete with full bath!). Btw, our tub downstairs is that all-in-one construction (fiberglass? acrylic?), which I know isn't the dream shower you were probably thinking of, but one could probably be installed in a day or two without any tile work since it goes up the walls. It has nifty ledges on it. I'm curious what our pros on here think of that type of solution. You could still have a beautiful tile floor which wouldn't have the same waterproofing concerns. I spent a lot of money of my master bath, and I love my design, but the aggravation has not been worth it. And there is still no consensus on what is wrong, or the proper fix. Oh, and another thing. I prefer my new $36 shower head in the basement to the $500 one in the master bath that is too hard for me to turn the settings for the jets because my hands are too small. It wasn't like I got to see it before he installed it. This one does everything my expensive one does except that it doesn't have the slide bar: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JV5HO3G?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00 Actually, it does more. You can run the rain shower head and the hand held at the same time.

I just wanted to update everyone on what I decided. I really struggled with the idea that I would have to bump this out from the wall to deal with IKEA's 15" deep wall cabinets and whether the 24" projection ( 21" + extra 3" depth of bump out) it would be in the way. I decided to forgo the cabinet above the vent (useless anyway) and just have DH build a bulk head where the cabinet would be but at the standard 12" depth. That also gives me more flexibility to set the height of the hood exactly where I want it. I saw a picture like this and thought it looked nice - actually more interesting than everything being the same depth all the way across. I could always cover the bulkhead with an IKEA door front or side panel to make it all match. Or I might do something totally different there - cover it with tile, hang plates on the front or something else decorative. Post pics if you come across any that might provide some inspiration! A side note- When we went back to buy the hood I found that the store did not have the utensil rack that is supposed to come with it. Not really sure I will actually use it, but I emailed Zephyr to explain that I was buying a floor model with the rack missing and asking if that part could be purchased separately. Lo and behold, they emailed me back right away and told me to send them the serial number of the hood and my address and they would send me one at no charge. Way to go Zephyr! I also asked about switching out the halogen light bulbs with equivalent LEDs. They said I could but the LED light would not be dimmable so the light would only work at one setting. Not sure if they realized that you can buy dimmable LED bulbs but at least they didn't tell me it could damage the unit or "melt" as tea4all mentioned hearing. Again, not sure if I will look into getting LED bulbs - but at least not right away if the halogens work fine for me. So I now have my first official purchase for the new kitchen - which is planned to start next fall after the summer rental season is over. Nest step is to figure out where to put the microwave since I won't be doing the dreaded over range version! Thanks to everyone who provided guidance and suggestions!

I like those last 4 x 4s on the floor, Beth. But they are not the pure white glazed tiles, they have some variation in color and shading. And they are not paired with identical wall tiles. I don't think that using the same 4 x 4s on both will work well. It will look like the homeowner found a sale and either bought too many or could not find the funds or the imagination to do a different floor. Organic Cook, how about using a large format hex tile on the floor, like the ones in the green and black bath and the white baths just above? It has a nod toward the vintage, by going hex on the floor, with a foot in the modern by not doing mosaic tile. They come in 8 inch size (maybe larger), so will decrease the number of grout lines in comparison with the vintage mosaics. You could look at a nice tile with some variegation, like the 4 x 4 floor above has. You could look for a color that is related to whatever the floor color is in the hall, so that the floor color flows between the rooms. If the hall has a wood floor, look for a tile that has about the same amount of color as the two tiles in the last bathroom in Beth's post above mine. Not a wood-look tile, but a glazed or color-body tile that has tones that tie into the hall flooring. Another idea would be to go back to your original choice of gray and white. Here are two 10" hex tiles from Tile Bar that would look good with white wall tiles.This one is a cement-look porcelain at $6. I love the variegation in color. Link This one looks like it may be beige, which would go with some wood floors. This one is at Home Depot and is more expensive. $15.95/sq ft. If you go to this link, there is a video that shows it grouted with both white and dark charcoal or black. Wayfair has this Carrara-look hex on sale. They show it with dark grout, too. $7.51 sq ft. I can't get an image saved to my computer, so I can't post it.