it's hard to say from pics. i looked at some porcelain calcatta last week---it was called evolution, i think. it looked pretty good...especially the honed!! the polished looked abit more "fake"...not nearly as dimensional as real marble. the pricing on that was more like 11 or 12$/sq foot tho... $3.89/ft is really cheap if you like the look! my opinion tho is you might want to go with subways or something different in the shower, just so it wouldn't so much of that look....especially if it's polished--- i'm basing that opinion on the evolution tiles i saw in person.

Bill, I have those traditional white cabinets (photo above) and narrow room with the same layout as the hopscotch bathroom (photo above), if you imagine the bath twice as long and a bit narrower. I've been trying to imagine how I would use the final 3 brands I like to help decide. Rondine has really large, thick veins that run lengthwise on the 12x24. Because of that, people either run the 12x24s across the wall so the big veins go horizontally across the wall, or vertically so the the big veins go vertically up the wall. I'm trying to figure out if it's best to have thick veins going horizontally or vertically if I use polished 12x24s on the walls (in a narrow room with a window on the end). And then what pattern to use on the floor for horizontal veins or vertical veins. Eg if the veins are horizontal across the wall, I wonder if it is best to continue the horizontal 12x24 pattern onto the floor across the aisle. Or maybe it is better to have a clearly different pattern on the floor and use the 12x12 diagonally with veins in random directions. Eg if the veins are vertical to the ceiling, I wonder if it is best to continue it onto the floor and run the 12x24s lengthwise down the aisle. Or if it is better to have a clearly different pattern on the floor with 12x12 diagonally with veins in random directions.

The Porcelanosa store did not have a sample of their rectified porcelain carrara. I have no idea if they have new carrara products that just came on the market and this was the reason why it was not available. They ordered me some samples and I should have them by the end of the week. Their rectified porcelain carrara looks more white than gray from the catalog photos. I'll post a photo when I get the samples. I did see a sample of their crema marfil porcelain next to real crema marble and although the match wasn't perfect, I thought it looked pretty good for a procelain. I want to use the rectified porcelain inside a steam shower and am thinking of using real carrara on the floor, countertop and outside shower trim. I definitely don't want to use a fake looking carrara, so we will see.

I'm repeating this because I accidentally posting it on your other thread: Corinne Masterson I responded to your other thread about looking for concrete-looking tiles. The Emser Hangar and Emser Uptown were not expensive at all! I got 12 x 24 Emser Uptown Sugar Hill for my shower walls and ceiling (steamer), and bigger tiles are usually less expensive. I got a 2" x 2" for the floor, and those tend to be more expensive, but it's a small area. For my Dad's house I got Hangar Sand 12" x 24" for the bathrooms floors, and a darker Hangar color for 2" x 2" shower floor. The tile cost is one thing, but skill, experience and pro-labor is another. My tile pro is so fantastic, he build my steamer, installed a very $$$$ entire linear mosaic wall, plus the 12 x 24 field tile walls and ceiling in my master; and believe me, I am not worried about waterproofing problems with him. AND he was able to make all the super-cheap Home Depot tile look like a million bucks in my 3 upstairs bathrooms he remodeled. The pro that you hire for the installation is more important than the tile you choose IMO. Cheap tile + cheap installer = a disaster of waterproofing problems, lippage, horrible layout, yucky and uneven grout lines, sliver cuts; don't do it!! Cheap tile + excellent/expensive installer = great for any bathroom: upstairs/ kids /guest /rentals /master: If the tile you like just so happens to be cheap, such as from HD or Lowes that's fine. An excellent installer will make it look wonderful! Seriously, my awesome installer was totally fine with HD tile for all our upstairs kids'/guests' bathrooms, and it all looks beautiful. And again, no worries about waterproofing when you hire an experienced pro and pay them for their skill and expertise. Expensive tile + cheap installer = so sad; you buy this lovely, beauitful, expensive tile, and then a hack installer ruins it and you get a disaster of waterproofing problems, lippage, horrible layout, yucky and uneven grout lines, sliver cuts; don't do it!! Expensive tile + excellent/expensive installer = the best of both worlds. We bought a very expensive mixed glass/marble/porcelain mosic for an entire wall of our master shower and the tile pro I hired did an excellent job installing it. There were some issues with the tile I selected, but in the hands of a real pro, it can all be handled. The reason I didn't type "expensive installer," is because "excellent/expensive" is the better description. I had an expensive hack trash my bathroom. Expensive doesn't always mean excellent. That's another story...