Master bath tiling advice using carrara marble mixes

11 years ago

I'm a sleep deprived first time mother of a newborn and I really need some help! I really want to use different carrara marble tiles in my master bath. I've attached pics of the layout and actual room. We are putting a cast iron pedestal tub in front of the window. The shower has glass doors. Here's what I'm thinking. Small hexagon carrara tiles for the shower floor. 6x3 subway carrara tiles for 1/2 the shower wall, a transition piece, and then smaller 2x4 subway carrara tiles for the upper portion. For the floor, I was thinking about doing square carrara in a diamond pattern. But would love to do some accents with the hexagon tiles because I really like them. Perhaps in the shower cubby cutout area and somewhere on the floor. I thought about under the tub area but then you won't see them that much. Perhaps some kind of design in the middle of the floor? I need help figuring it all out! The vanity counters will be carrara too. This sounds like carrara overkill but I'm hoping it will all come together. Oh and I'm thinking all honed marble rather than polished. Input or ideas???

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Comments (11)

caminnc
11 years ago
Sounds pretty. I think I would put the hexagon tiles around the tub.
porkandham
11 years ago
I have honed Carrara vanity tops and floors. Love them! My floors are square tiles in a diamond pattern. My shower floors are basket weave. I have solid pieces as the "shelf" in each cubby. My shower walls and the backs of the cubbies are plain white subway tiles, but the backs of the cubbies would be a nice place for you to repeat the hex.

What if you made an "area rug" out of tile in front of the bath tub?
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Threeapples, I live in Philadelphia but found the tile online at a granite and marble slab wholesaler in Jamesburg, NJ (EGM). The company had a section on the website called closeouts, or something to that effect, with various lots of remnant tiles including photographs and lot size. I went up to see it and told them that I saw online that they had some remnant tile. They looked puzzled, and I told them where I saw it on their web site. The impression I got was that they don't ordinarily sell that product direct to customers and that section of their web site has since been removed from public view. Regardless, they were very helpful in going through their electronic inventory to find a size of calacataa gold in a honed finish that would work for my application--a remodel of a bathroom in a 186-year-old house. They had it shipped from their Brooklyn location so that I could see it in person, and I then bought 200 square feet of it and packed it into a rented SUV and drove it back to Philadelphia.
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Thank you so much to everyone for the advice. That's what I was afraid of...too many elements. It's an older home and I want to keep the "charm" of an older space. I was planning to use honed black granite for the counter tops. It's going to primarily function as a kid's bathroom. I am using the antique brick in a few other areas of the house. I recognize the riskiness here, but was hoping it would come across with a charm that is original to the home. The antique brick blends better with the other elements in the home than the carrara does. I'm still not sure how to bring it all together. I know that the white porcelain is timeless. Will the carrara/black and white bath be outdated, considering it's been such a popular choice the last couple of years? What about the subway tiles? [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by New York Architects & Designers Jane Kim Design [Eclectic Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2104) by New York Architects & Designers Jane Kim Design This post was edited by TXBluebonnet11 on Fri, Jun 21, 13 at 4:04
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Flo, thanks so much. I just got home from the tile shop. I like the basket weave with the black dot (not the dark grey I was considering) and the guy I’ve been working with at the shop suggested just buying field tile that matches the dot and use that as the liner on the rug (cut into 1/2” strips). His thought on the wall is to either use that same liner, to match the dot, or skip it. I’m leaning towards skipping it and letting the floor be the focal point. Do you still think this a tough tiling job? Is it the basket weave or herringbone subway or ...all of it together?. I imagined that the wainscoting would be easy. To answer your question, no I don’t dye my hair at home, but thanks for the heads up.
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shanghaimom
11 years ago
Hi Graceshan,

I too, love mixing up my marble tiles. I did opt to do porcelain for walls, because it seems like there are so many cleaners you're not supposed to use on the marble. I just want to be able to scrub the heck out of the shower walls and not worry.

Hex in the niche, basketweave on the floor and Calcatta for the vanity top:
pricklypearcactus
11 years ago
Sounds very pretty. You could do a border on the floor around the room in the hex. I like honed better than polished, both for looks and hiding etches.
graceshan
Original Author
11 years ago
Oh I didn't think about cleaning the carrara... is it really that difficult? Ugh...

I love the hex border idea. I thought about an area rug, but I'm nervous about getting the spacing wrong without the tub in place. Or having real rugs overlap with the tile one. I'm also nervous about putting them around the tub in case the tub goes in place and they are off centered or something. I have OCD fears ;)

Thank you for showing me photos of your lovely bathroom shanghaimom!

Any suggestions for a backspash?

I'm thinking about a blue-ish wall color too. This bathroom is so pretty:
{{!gwi}}
porkandham
11 years ago
Here are some pictures of my master bath:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}
graceshan
Original Author
11 years ago
Oh my! Simply beautiful... did you opt for regular tile in the shower for maintenance reasons too? Do you mind if I ask about your color and vanities? I love them both!
porkandham
11 years ago
Thank you! I would say that maintenance and finances both played into the decision to go with regular porcelain tile. The vanities and the little cabinet that you can barely see to the right of the shower were made by a local cabinet maker. The sinks are Kohler, the faucets are Delta, and the hardware came from Restoration Hardware. The wall color is BM Wedgewood Gray.
sserra85
11 years ago
Just thought I'd chime in. First, I don't think it's ever carrara overkill, especially since you're thinking honed. Secondly, what about mixing the 3x6 and 2x4 in alternating rows? As for the hexagons, you could do a center rug type area either following the shape of the room or just in the tub/ vanity area. I don't think you could go wrong either way. You're heading in the right direction and with a calming classic look like carrara you can use lots of other details to play up the bathroom.. paint, lighting, faucets, etc
catkin
11 years ago
Lovely!

Where did everyone purchase their carrara tiles? Thanks!
graceshan
Original Author
11 years ago
I've found carrara all over the place including Home Depot and Lowes.

Question: Do all carrara tiles need to be sealed before grouting?!

Master bath tiling advice using carrara marble mixes

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Master bath tiling advice using carrara marble mixes

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