Cathy-- no, this is the first time I've heard the term, but not the first time I've heard of the system. I just never knew what it was called. And if it's a short sale, it's probably a great deal. Bigtime short sale. For the condition it's in right now, the offer was for about 1/3 of the full value. To that, right off the bat, we'll be adding quite a bit of upgrades, including all new replacement windows throughout the house, a brand new heating system, and blown in insulation, which will only add to the value, making it an even better deal. We'll see. I still haven't heard from the bank yet, which means they didn't take it as a joke and refuse it right off. We'll see. As for the bathroom, I'm not sure what we're going to do. Personally, I'd prefer to do all new fixtures, and really fire it up. But my wife is another one who likes the vintage fixtures, so I may be overruled. :-) Gotta keep Momma happy!! One thing is for certain-- the tub will lose the showerhead, and a separate shower will be built.

Bill, I have those traditional white cabinets (photo above) and narrow room with the same layout as the hopscotch bathroom (photo above), if you imagine the bath twice as long and a bit narrower. I've been trying to imagine how I would use the final 3 brands I like to help decide. Rondine has really large, thick veins that run lengthwise on the 12x24. Because of that, people either run the 12x24s across the wall so the big veins go horizontally across the wall, or vertically so the the big veins go vertically up the wall. I'm trying to figure out if it's best to have thick veins going horizontally or vertically if I use polished 12x24s on the walls (in a narrow room with a window on the end). And then what pattern to use on the floor for horizontal veins or vertical veins. Eg if the veins are horizontal across the wall, I wonder if it is best to continue the horizontal 12x24 pattern onto the floor across the aisle. Or maybe it is better to have a clearly different pattern on the floor and use the 12x12 diagonally with veins in random directions. Eg if the veins are vertical to the ceiling, I wonder if it is best to continue it onto the floor and run the 12x24s lengthwise down the aisle. Or if it is better to have a clearly different pattern on the floor with 12x12 diagonally with veins in random directions.

Hi overlyanxious - yes, I ordered the tile last weekend! I posted in a separate thread "OMG! I ordered the tile!" :-) Ordered the late-breaking Ilva Pietre Travertine in Bianco. Color's a little lighter than I really wanted, but the next shade down was too dark - I really wanted something in the middle! But it's going to look great with the random brick mixed travertine border I ordered. *And* with my cool Asian-influenced light fixture. See the other thread for details! For the completeness of this thread, I'll just mention that my store also had the other Ilva tiles blondelle mentioned: the Crema Marfil, and the Andes Traful. Both are beautiful, but the Andes had too much gray in it for me - I already knew from some of the Daltile samples that I didn't like gray. And the Crema Marfil - I actually don't remember what I thought of it, just that I didn't like it as much as the Pietre Travertine. Don't know much about the upkeep of real travertine, just that it needs to be sealed from time to time, and I had no confidence in my ability to not procrastinate doing it. There are a lot of threads here on that subject - maybe just search for travertine. Sigh about the Daltile. They told me in the Daltile showroom that it was discontinued, not just out of stock; I actually emailed Daltile customer service asking about it and they never got back to me. Maybe it's just as well. My reno is starting on 9/29, so depending when in October the Dal would have been available, it might have been (probably would have been) too late. Here is a link that might be useful: OMG! I ordered the tile!

I fell in love with a floor tile called Calacatta Breccia Grigia. The only problem is that it's slippery when wet, too slippery for me to feel comfortable putting it on a bathroom floor. I'm looking for a similar tile, but with a non-slip surface. Any suggestions on where to look? Here's a link to the tile: Here is a link that might be useful: Impronta Intalgraniti Calacatta Breccia Grigia