Subway Tile: which brand and which white?

13 years ago

I am about to tile around a tub with white subway tile. After reading posts here I was going to just go to HD and get the daltile. The daltile website lists 3 different whites to choose from. I have a Toto cast iron tub which is a very bright crisp white. Just picked up a tile sample from HD and it turns out that they no longer carry the daltile, but instead now have U.S. Ceramic. There is only one choice of white, but it seems softer and not at white as my tub. Was hoping for a cleaner brighter white. Am I over thinking it? Does anyone know if the subway tile from Lowes would be a better white for me? Lowes is a long drive for us, so I don't want to make the trip unless I think there is a good chance I will prefer that tile. Also, anyone use the U.S. Ceramic Subway and have an opinion on quality?

Featured Answer

fluke67

13 years ago

if the HD subways are too creamy for your tub, your tub is probably toto's cotton white. the subways stocked at my lowes are american olean, and they're creamy white, similar to the stock us ceramics at hd.

i think dal's artic white is the "whiteist" i've seen (i also got samples of their three whites from the daltile showroom)

Comments (7)

katmu
13 years ago
The Lowes by me carry the Daltile Rittenhouse Square subway tiles that I believe come in 3 shades of white. Samples are also available (for a cost) from dal's website if that would be easier for you than a long drive to Lowes.

I also originally looked at the US ceramic white and it didn't work for me either.
klabocki
13 years ago
I went with Lowes because they had the matching chair railing trim that I was looking for...I believe their tile is 25 cents and Home Debot was 23 cents. Lowes was able to price match for me.. wouldn't usually matter but I was buying A LOT!
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karena_2009
13 years ago
Did you try the Daltile artic white? I think it's about the whitest in my opinion. I believe it is a part of the Daltitle Rittenhouse line. I was able to get a sample from the local Daltile shop for free. In my case, I'm trying to match it up with the Daltile Navelli carrara look alike tile.

Good luck!
northcarolina
13 years ago
We just had our bathroom tiled in the US Ceramic subway from Home Depot, I think the color is called "snow white." It's definitely off white, and how it looks with your tub will depend on your tolerance for mismatched whites. We installed an American Standard toilet and tub (Americast), and those go very well with the HD subway tile. That's partly why we chose that brand of toilet and tub, in fact. Our sink is bright white and it's fine because it's small... but I don't think I'd like the difference if the tub were that color. The white shower curtain that I brought home looked awful against the Home Depot tile. (We ended up with one that matches the wall paint instead.)

Whichever one you choose, check out the in-stock trim too. Lowe's has a couple of different whites but there are different trim pieces available for them, and you don't want to be stuck having to use trim you don't like. Home Depot had limited trim pieces available for their US Ceramic snow white (the only edging was plain bullnose). I wanted a Victorian or chair rail cap and was able to find it at a local tile store that also carried US Ceramic, but I think I was lucky.

I am pretty sure Home Depot also carries "ice white" tile but I can't remember if it comes in subway or only in square tile. I know they had both "ice white" and "snow white" grout, anyway.

All that said, I really really like the Home Depot tile in our bathroom... it's soft and not "clinical" looking and is very pretty with our greenish-blue wall paint. But then our tub matches it, too. Good luck to you with yours!

p.s. Oh yes, do remember to check out your flooring with the tile as well... we had to rethink ours when we saw it at home under the "real life" lighting. Matching whites is a bear but we got it to work out in the end.
bluemick68
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks so much for all the info. From all your advice I have concluded that the Daltile arctic white is the brightest white and will match best with my Toto cotton tub. I began calling local tile dealers that were listed on the Daltile site as distributors to get some prices. They ran from $38 to $45 a box (12.5 square feet in a box). I do have a Home Depot right up the road from me, so I just called to see if they could order it. Sure enough they could special order it for $35 per box. So I went ahead and placed the order yesterday and expect the tile in a week. Now I just have to decide on a trim tile....maybe a Carrera marble. All these decisions could drive you crazy! I will post another follow up with photos in a few weeks.
karena_2009
13 years ago
Great that you decided on the tile! I am looking forward to seeing pictures of your completed bathroom. It's so hard making all of these decisions, I keep going back and forth on my choices ;-).