Hi, I am using basketweave and subway tile as well. I just got my carrara basketweave today ($14.99 per square foot). I don't really know why it is cheaper than some of the high end stuff, but but it arrived today and it is GORGEOUS!!!

Mine was already honed so I cannot answer how to hone it. I'd be a little suspicious of doing it myself. I also don't know what I'm doing grout wise but I'm thinking light grey also. Do a search on that - there are extensive posts about what color grout to use with subway tile on this forum and on kitchens.

Anita

Hi Siobhan,

Just came across your post. Have you decided on a grout color? We are going with basketweave in our master bath and though we like the clean look of white, we want to be practical about cleaning as well.

Thanks,

Kevin

We're doing a very light grey (haven't selected the specific color yet) with our honed marble basketweave.

Anita

Anita, where did you get your basketweave?

I'm settled on the marble basektweave, too! I bought one piece just to stare at until I place my order. :)

From the store:

By the way, just over a week ago, the flooring and the matching marble subway times cost $9.99. I don't know if it was some sort of sale or if the prices just increased.

"The tile has a polished finish but I want honed. The salesman said all I had to do was dip it in acid to get rid of the polished finish. We were interrupted at that point and I forgot to ask him what kind of acid & how to do it. Is that really a good idea? I have read here about sanding it to get the honed finish. I wonder if that's something I can do myself? I wonder if it's practical with all those little black marble dots on the net."

Don't dip it in acid! Complete the installation, then sand it to take it from polished to honed. The sanding will also level any slight lippage in the floor.

Sanding "opens" the pores of the stone and makes it more susceptible to staining, so it's prudent to seal.

non-acidically,

Mongo

Thanks for all of the replies. Sorry I haven't replied sooner but I got sidelined by work. Can't wait until I win the lottery - hehe - sure.

I still haven't picked a grout but will probably go with grey on the floor that will be dark enough to accent the grey in the tile and hide any stains. On the subway tile I'll go with a barely light grey or offwhite. If necessary, I'll use that aqua product that Bill has mentioned to seal it & keep it looking good.

Thanks for the advice on the acid dip Mongo. I ordered the tile & another salesman tried to tell me that some product they have for a cleaner (I think) has acid in it & would take the marble from polished to honed. I'm taking your advice and skipping the acid wash. My contractor said he'd sand it down. I will definitely seal it after.

Jeannine - the second picture you posted is the tile I've ordered. I bought a piece too just to stare at it. I bought it just in time too, the price on the web went up to $13.19 a square foot the day after I bought it in store for $11.99 a square foot.

This whole process has been slower than sludge on a slope for a number of reasons. Thank goodness I have another bathroom and live alone.

The ideas and advice gleaned from this site have proven invaluable. My next project - hardwood in the living room and bedrooms. Then the family room, laundry room, 2nd bathroom reno and finally the kitchen!!! It will be long, painful, fun, and soooo expensive. I've waited a lifetime for it and I'll only do it once - thank goodness!!

Siobhan in beautiful Southwestern Ontario

The salesman said all I had to do was dip it in acid to get rid of the polished finish.

Not for nothing, but your salesman's a moron. That would've destroyed the finish on your stone beyond repair.

Try ebay. I got mine for $10 a sq ft with free shipping.

Was the Ebay vendor Oracle something? If not can you share the vendors name? The Tile Shop Carrara isn't true Carrara. It's Chinese material. Real Carrara is grayer, and doesn't have the brown, and cream in it that this has. That's why it's less. The Italian Carrara is too gray for me. This is warmer looking. It's not the best grade, but I like the variations in it better.

Is the Lansdale and Devonshire the same stone but in different sizes? If not, which do you like better?

The Tile Shop Carrara isn't true Carrara. It's Chinese material.
AH HA! So that's why it's so inexpensive. How do they get away with calling it Carrara? I even said "is that marble?" when I saw it and the salesperson said it was.

I was told the new pricing from the Tile Shop includes shipping now while the older price did not. I also asked how it's called Carrara as true Carrara comes from Italy. I was told that's why it's the second name on the tile. Bianco Carrara also has Carrara as the second name and that's the real deal. These marbles are Chinese.

Real Carrara as far as I know has been running very gray, with the background a light gray and not a clean white. I think you should forget the names and just get a stone that appeals to you ;-).

Thanks so much, Blondelle. I'm a first-time home owner and didn't know any of this. I still love the tile I saw at Tile Shop, but I clearly need to find the real deal to see if I like it. I'd rather spend a little more for a high quality product.

The quality in this has to do with how free the tile is from imperfections. It doesn't mean it will hold up better. I saw a better quality basketweave today, and it looked sterile. More like unglazed tile than marble. Quality in Carrara has to do with no yellow tones, consistant grain, and backgroud color. I like this tile better as it has more warmth. It's, it's own look. It really shouldn't be called Carrara as it's beautiful marble in it's own right.

Italian Carrara can be very gray, and dingy. that's the way it's running now. Here's another basketweave that I think is more modern. Has larger darker tiles which make it stand out more against the field tile. It's $9 a sf. + shipping. From a seller called Oracle on Ebay, although he's not selling this tile now. Here's a photo.

Hi, I just got over 100 square feet of the Delray Basketweave shipped from The Tile Shop. It's very beautiful, but mostly cream/tan coloring. I see very little grey at all in the many boxes I've gone through. I'm thinking I'll need to reshift my color scheme away from grey to tan/black/white. I'll also be doing white subways on the shower walls and not sure if I need to rethink my grouts--instead of silver/grey use a more beige color? Also, not sure what to use now for my vanity top since I had planned to go with a much more grey carrara. Siobhan, I'll be interested to see what you choose to do. Cate

I got my carrara basketweave for $14 a sq ft plus $1 per sq ft shipping from an online vendor recently. Here is how it looks:

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My neighbor had purchased her tile from him recently otherwise I would never have had the nerve to buy online. I was impressed, though; originally only 6 of 8 boxes showed up. Two were lost in delivery for weeks. Eventually as my deadline approached, he shipped me two new boxes and when the others finally arrived I refused shipment.

If you're interested in his information, let me know. I don't want to shill for him but will share :)

Anita

Here is a better picture of my basketweave on the shower floor. Not yet grouted.

{{gwi:1471693}}

Anita

thanks for the info - i love the curved look of the delray basketweave!

Hi, mythreeblondes, I just got the Delray and I, too, was surprised at how yellow/creme it was. I had been planning on white beadboard and white/grey tile in the shower surround. Not sure now what my revised plan is. Let me know what you end up doing.

I have bought Carrara Basketweave from Builders Depot Direct $11.25SF. The product was incredible a perfect white with Gray veining. I have attached a picture of a Builders Depot Direct Carrara it shows the perfect 3x6" Subway tile along with Carrara Hexagon for just $10.95SF with free shipping. That's what kills the price shipping but if they ship any amount for free - then that is incredible. Anyway too many words here - I think the images on this person's blog speak for themself.

Here is a link that might be useful: $7SF Carrara Subway Tile and Carrara Hexagon