I'd do bamboo (the good stuff - non-caramelized from a fabricator who uses mature bamboo).

Is is water resistent? Do you know of any retailers that carry this?

I think subway tile would be as slippery as ice when wet.

I also think white floors are a biiig mistake. Our best friends have white tile on the bathroom floor and it is such a mess after we stay there....I have to get on my knees and wipe up with a kleenex! (J, I hope you're not reading this!)

How about a blue/green slate-look ceramic? There are some amazing look-alikes out there right now.

mldao, will be following this thread with great interest as I posted a question at Baths regarding the "best" flooring & got little response.

I'd prefer not to go the ceramic tile route due to the grout-cleaning hassle. Bamboo? Seems there are as many cons as pros. Everything is as slippery as glass when wet I suppose, so a non-slip mat outside the tub is essential, regardless of material. It's a challenge! Good luck!

Yes, all-white floors and especially slick tiles are a big mistake. I like the small vintage tiles, hexagonal white ones with a black ones accenting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics of bathroom floors

Properly harvested/manufactured/installed bamboo is a wonderful bathroom floor. It's even a bit textured to help with that slippery issue. It's also a neutral so if you get tired of the blue you don't have to worry about changing the floor as well. If you go over to the bathrooms forum and do a search on bamboo you'll see some recommendations on manufacturers.

elenkao: I hadn't thought of the slip factor. I love subway tiles but I guess it better on the walls. I'm using it in my kitchen for a backsplash and thought hey why not in the bathroom? I'm so glad I posted asking for help.

amysrq: I've had white tile flooring in this bathroom for 10 years and keeping it clean was pretty easy. I'd like to stick with a pretty neutral color flooring. My girls are 6 years apart and their taste change so often. I can get away with their different color schemes with a neutral background.

stinky-gardener: I'm not a fan of grout lines either but I don't know what else there is besides wood.

michellephxaz: It's so funny you mentioned white hexagon tiles because I was thinking that might work. Do you know what size and do they come in sheets? Does each hexagon have to be grouted? I love the vintage look of black and white flooring. Do you think this would look good with an all white bathroom and blue walls?

I agree that white tile is more difficult to keep clean, but if you still want it (which it sounds like you do), do consider doing grey (not white) grout since that is where it really shows the dirt (as you can see on your present floor). Floor tile does not have such a shiny/slick surface so whatever you choose make sure it is for floors.

For white tile, I like the Chloe series by American Olean in a black/white pinwheel. It's a classic combination which can be used with virtually any color scheme.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Olean Chloe

I think either black and white hex or a larger, textured grey ceramic would work.

Bathrooms are so small that sealing the grout once a year is really no big deal.

I actually just put the Chloe tile in my teen daughter's bathroom. I think (hope) it will be more forgiving than a solid white would be.

Parma, I've never heard of sealing the grout! Will that really seal out dirt? In my master bath which is large, I have tiles the size of mldao's current ones & I'm constantly at it w/ a toothbrush & bleach. Fortunately the bath I want to change the floor in is far less than 1/2 the size of the master. I've gone through so many toothbrushes, my knees are sore, & the thought of purposely installing more of this material to take care of makes me cringe! That may be what I end up getting though, as there seem to be few options that are durable & low-maintenance for bathrooms.

Mldao, don't mean to highjack your thread! I am learning about this subject too, & am looking forward to seeing what you decide on!

Stinky, you just buy grout sealer at a place like Home Depot. It goes on clear. DH applies it with a small foam paint brush, I think.

Water beads up on it and dirt is easy to remove. Lasts at least a year. :)

Mldao - We're getting ready to do our son's bathroom in the Daltile White Octagon and Black Gloss dot tile. The walls are SW Steely Gray (which can look blue or gray depending on it's mood!). Our trim is white. We are doing a black, white and gray glass mosaic backsplash around the sink. The B/W Octagon and Black dot tile would look great in your bathroom!

Elaine

To answer your questions..the tile comes on a netting in a 12 x 12 tile, very similar to glass mosaics, yet it is sold by the square foot like regular tile. We are using a gray grout and will have it sealed as well.

Elaine

Just a note: The tile experts I've talked to have said that beach is the WORST thing you can use to clean tile and grout. It removes any sealer you may have and actually eats away at the grout making the dirt and mold problem much worse. The one suggestion I've seen is to use Oxiclean when necessary.

Stinky: No worries, you can hijack any of my threads at anytime. We're all here to learn and help it each other.

Parma42: I never thought of sealing my grout. That's the first thing I'm doing when BR flooring is complete.

Amysrq: Love the look of the Olean Chole. Older DD liked it younger one didn't. The younger one won this battle since older DD is leaving for college in less then years and younger one has another 8 years before college. LOL

mom2sethc: I'm so torn between octagon with B/W or laying tile in a brick pattern. Do you have pics of the tile? I'd love to see them before making a decision.

Pbrisjar, thanks for the warning about bleach! Have used other cleaners too, but always feel bleach is so disinfecting & gets the grout so white! Will switch to Oxy!

Mldao, thanks for being so gracious!

The tile patterns you're considering sound really nice. I know you'll come to a conclusion that will be stylish & functional. If you could come up with those gorgeous slipcovers for your dining room chairs, you will figure this out!

We went with an octagon and dot tile in the girl's bathroom. It has a vintage flavor, but was a lot less expensive than the hexagon tiles we priced out. We went with all white, but they also make black and white .. where the octagon is white and the 'dot' part in the middle is black. We did use a light gray grout though for easier upkeep. We bought the tile at Home Depot and it was very reasonable, like $2 a sq ft, come in 12" x 12" sheets.

zipdee: Thank you for posting a picture of your pretty tiles. I just showed it my tile guy and that's what I having installed. I hope it's in stock at my local Home Depot. I've been on the internet and phone for the last 2 days trying to find 6 X 12 matte white tiles to lay in a brick pattern. Not one manufacturer makes a white 6 X 12, and here I thought it was a pretty generic tile. After seeing your picture I realized I'm putting way to much thought into this and your tiles will look great in my daughters bathroom. Do you have a finished picture of the bathroom? I'd love to see it. I'll post a picture of mine once it's installed. Thank you again.

Mldao, I'm glad the picture helped out! We've had the floor in for quite a while and it's been easy to take care of, just swifter and mop as needed. The girls keep the floor cleaned up by themselves no problem. Below is some pics of the floor installed. Hope you share pics when your tile guy is done. :)

These are all pics as we are doing the floor, then starting to pull the room together. The first pic the grout was drying still, that's why there is light and dark spots.

Would you consider a high quality sheet vinyl? We just did two bathrooms with sheet vinyl (we are not DIYers) and everyone thinks the floors are tile. The price was right and they look great- lots of options out there, too.

The hex tiles come in 12" square sheets, you cut off what you don't need when you get to edges. A tile nipper will help you shape around the sink and toilet and edges.

I, too, recommend a dark grout. It really makes the floor look good and is MUCH easier to keep clean! Also, don't forget to seal the grout. It helps stains keep from forming.

As for your question about grouting each tile, yes you do, but grouting is the easiest and most rewarding part of the installation. You take a rubber grout float and glob the grout in a pile. Then you pull the float at a 45 degree angle back and forth to make sure all the grout hits the base of the tile and fills each separation completely. Then you take a damp sponge and gently go over the whole floor to clean off the tiles. Don't scrub too much, you don't want to mess with the grout in between the tiles, you just want completely clean tiles. You will have to do this several times with clean buckets of water, that excess grout collects fast!

When the grout has set for a half hour or so, use a dry rag to polish the tile, removing any leftover haze.

Once it is completely dry, you will seal it. That is easy, a small sponge brush works great.

I think these floors are wonderful, will always be in style, and are safer than larger tile. And there are SO many patterns and colors to choose from!

Ask someone at HD or Lowes in the tile department which kind of grout, some come premixed, some are powder and you add water, but see if a sanded grout would be best. Sanded grout would help create a little grip to the floor, so even with slippery tiles you have extra protection.

Please post with whatever you decide, I would love to see the results!

You should never put ceramic tile on your floor that isn't specifically made for flooring. Flooring tile is non-slip and is manufactured to different standards than wall/vanity tile.

I would also never put wood floors of any kind in a bathroom...but then that is just me. Most home inspectors will tell you that ceramic tile is the preferred flooring for bathrooms as far as safeness is concerned (and going through our selling/buying process the last few months, we have had 3 different home inspectors and they all said the same thing)....I love the colors you have chosen by the way.

Zipdee & Michelle phxaz: I really like the look of the hexagon tiles but I'm not having any luck finding any in stock. I've been to 4 home Depots, 2 Lowes and 3 local tile dealers and nothing. I had one store give me 4-5 week leadtime! I didn't want my girls to go that long without a working bathroom. We're down to 2 working sinks & toilets in a house with 4 bathrooms and 8 sinks combined. I'm slowly losing my mind. Sorry for the rant. Zipdee how long ago did you purchase your tile from Home Depot. They're telling me they don't even carry the tile you showed me. Maybe I'll have better luck on Monday.

cattknap: Thanks for heads up about flooring tile. I'll make sure mine is made specifically for floors. Thanks for the color compliment.

Mldao, I'm very sorry you're having a hard time finding the tile! It's been a while, that pic is date 9/06 .. so right around that time is when the tile would have been purchased.

What about the larger ceramic tile (16 inch) that has the travertine look. Maybe you can find something that has a white vien but is predominately taupe/beige or tan? I agree with the comment about sealing the grout. However, bleach will remove the sealer, so if you seal it, dont keep using bleach to clean it.

Zipdee: You purchased it in 2006, that might explain why I can't find it in stock anywhere locally. Your inate sense of style was ahead of its time. I'm still determined to get it installed this week.

gk5040: I checked out travertine looking tile in person and even with the white veining it's not quite white enough. There's a a lot of shiny white and silver in the bathroom and beige just doesn't look good. I brought home a very light off-white with creamy white veining and it looked blah and muddy next to the white cabinets and tile. Thanks for the suggestion.

I have the Daltile octagon and dot in my bathroom too:

And now here's where I will get myself into trouble...I love the look but hesitated for a long time because EVERYONE warned that it would be very hard to keep clean, the grout would look nasty soon etc etc etc. Thing is, using dark grout on white or light tile because it 'won't show dirt' to me is like saying okay, let's just make it look dirty from the get go.

What I ended up doing was going with my heart and putting in white grout with my white floors. Then, before I started using the room I applied white Aquamix grout colorant and 2+ years later, everything looks just fine and dandy. I will say this isn't a bathroom that gets abused by tons of people or messy kids (it's a master and mostly my daughter and I use it) but it does get used daily. I even have the tile w/white grout in my shower and it's still looking fine as well. I mop weekly and in the shower I use some Soft Scrub with a dilute bleach spritz and it all has held up quite well.

So my long winded message is that there are alternatives to just giving up before you start and grouting the dirt color into your floor :).

Ann

I think it is a great idea. More grout lines actually help with the slip factor. That is why most floor/shower floor tiles features smaller tile. I think it is a classic choice.

running: My tile guy told me he found the most amazing grout cleaner but of course he forgot to bring it with him today. He doesn't know the name of it off the top of his head but swears he'll bring it tomorrow. I've never heard of Aquamix but that's not saying much. Where can you purchase it? I finally found the Daltile octagon shape and it should be delivered by next week. YEAH!!! I live on the west coast and it's coming from the east (just my luck). I love how the tile looks in your bathroom. Thanks so much for posting a picture.

sarahnc: This explains the smaller tiles in my shower!?! I swear I'm not usually this dense. Thanks for confirming the classic look. That's exactly what I'm trying to achieve.

ml, I've linked below to the page from the manufacturer about Aquamix grout colorant. It's similar to a sealant except it actually comes in colors.

Bill Vincent, the godfather of all things tile :), suggested it could be a way to rest easier if I decided on white grout from the outset. So what I did was instead of using it to restore discolored grout, applied it to the *brand new* white grout before it got discolored. It wasn't hard to do at all, though I suppose if you have a very large bathroom it might be tedious. I have found it has worked like a charm. My white grout is still white. I actually studied it this morning after my post to the forum, and yep, looks okay. It probably could use a cleaning after a couple of years but there are no discolored/grungy areas and I like the effect of the white floors a lot.

Good luck with your decision. I do like to reiterate periodically that it IS possible to have a white floor.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aquamix Grout Colorant

Mldao, I'm glad you found the tiles! I'm on the east coast ( in NC ) so maybe that pattern is more widely distributed here. Hope you share pics when it's installed!