pps7-- Thanks for the great pix. I ordered a sample of the Catarina tile. And many thanks to the person who posted the American Olean website link for the tile. That was so helpful. I thought it would be simple to find a Carrera Marble look alike tile but it has been an ordeal! Guess I was looking in the wrong tile stores (about 7 total, with one find that turned out to be discontinued!) **On another note: Where did you get your beautiful medicine cabinet? Is it wood, and do you like the quality? I found one at Pottery Barn online (Hotel is the brand) but can't look at it in person, so would have to buy first. I also saw one at Restoration Hardware but the quality didn't seem top rate. Thanks for any help.**

I am going with a similar look and am doing a carrara & nero marble basketweave faux rug for the floor. I will probably have darker bardiglio tiles around the edges of the room and there will be a cararra twisted rope border (and nero liner tiles on each side of the rope) to delineate the "rug". This way, the pattern does not overwhelm the room and it is a very pretty look in and of itself. I wish I had a mock up of it because even dh has not seen what I chose (other than the basketweave middle), lol. Oh... and am using dark gray grout because white would be just plain suicidal in our house. Maybe Bill V has done similar and has a pic?

Those pictures are of the most technically perfect installation I've ever done in my life. They don't look like much, but if I were to point some things out, and maybe add a couple more pics, it'd shock you what went into them. Four showers and two tubs-- 5 months, the first two weeks of which I was there with only a level and tape as a consultant to the plumber, carpenter, and electrician showing them what needed to be where in order for my work to come out right. :-) Just one quick example-- if you look at the 3rd picture, you see the top 4 courses of stone directly in front of you look different from the rest. There's a good reason for that. The rest of the stone is 12x12. That part of the wall is canted like the shower in the last picture, and just like that last picture, I had to take 24x24 stone (obviously from a different lot, hence the shading) and cut it down to 12x13 5/8" (I still even remember the measurement!) to make those rows still line up with the 12x12's on either side. Trust me when I tell you-- that's just scratching the surface. :-)

Here's a shot of our Montauk Black slate floor. It's been 2 1/2 years since our kitchen reno and so far no problems. When installed, we applied 4 coats of sealer and to date no staining or water absorption. If you're going to use slate, you need to know where it comes from. Slate is often subject to delaminating resulting in sharp surface edges which are both a real PITA when cleaning and a danger to bare feet. For some reason slate from Brazil isn't subject to this problem. If you decide to go the slate route, get a few samples so you can see both color and quality before you commit. We love our slate floor. It's pretty much bulletproof and very easy to care for.