We are also laying onyx floor tiles 9a mini mosaic), in master bath. One thing that many threads here have noted is that you (or your tile contractor) have to use white thinset, like the kind you'd use for glass tiles, becasue onyx is translucent. if the installer uses the wrong thinset (the usual gray stuff), it totally ruins the look (grey shows through).

All good suggestions. I personally wouldn't suggest it for floor applications because of how easily it scratches, but some people aren't bothered by that.

One comment I DO have though about what's been said so far-- with respect to the diamond blades-- there's no such thing as a "sharp" diamond blade. It cuts by abrasion. So long as the blade still has some diamond rim left on it, and it's not warped at all, I'll take a blade that's been through the war and make it cut like brand new, just by running a concrete patio block through it a 1/2 dozen times or so to make the blade show new diamond.

Thanks for the input everyone.

The scratching problem is the only thing that is making me hesitate. I bought a section of the tile so I could "play" with it. I can easily scratch it with a pair of scissors. I can imagine what a pair of shoes with grit on the soles or a woman wearing spike heels would do to it. I am assuming that once it is scratched, it can't be "fixed".

Then again, this is a very small room that doesn't get much use and I really do like the look of the tile.

ARRGGGHHHHHH, I hate making decisions.

Can you instead use the onyx just as a border detail around the floor? Or on the walls?

My tile store has an Onyx counter in a bath display -- only a couple of years old.

It looks beautiful from the distance, but up close its so scratched up -- I could not live with that.

I commented on that, and they said they put that counter in so people can see how sensitive onyx is...

I'm thinking it would be quite a mistake on the floor.

I stayed in a small town in Mexico where the only industry was mining onyx.

Because it was local and cheap, most of the floors, walls and countertops were onyx. It scratches! The restaurant floor was deeply scratched, as was the cashier's counter.

But my bathroom had a 1-piece pink onyx tub and pink and grey mosaic tile walls and a grey slab onyx floor and pink carved onyx pedestal sink. It was so 1930s Miami Deco decadent!

if you have young boys in your house i would shy away from it. urine drops on the floor will etch oynx as well as marble. always ends up a dull horshoe around the front of the toilet

as much as i love oynx and working with it, i consider it to be like the furniture at grandmas, looks nice just dont go near it

I'm using it in my shower and as a 4" border around the rim of the room in my mbth. I wouldn't use it on the whole floor for the reasons stated. I figure no one is walking on the shower floor in heels or dirty shoes.

This is what I'm using. interesting in that they put it on a black mesh which gives them the look of being dingy and grey/green. once they were taken off the mesh and set in white thin set they look a lot more like white and yellow onyx and even more so when they're enhanced.

Here is a link that might be useful: onyx shower floor and border