I personally would want as little grout as possible in my shower. I have 12x12 slate tiles in my shower with minimal grout and still have trouble keeping it clean.

Does anyone know if I use epoxy grout if that'll make a difference?

Marble would never work for me in a shower. I dye my hair AND use harsh cleaning products. I have had tile smaller than subway tile. It was annoying, but not significantly more so than larger format tile. In my next reno, I would not use tile period.

Search here for marble in a shower and you will come across a s--t ton of horror stories.......................

We used 30x60cm (12x24 in.) in several small showers. It looks awesome!

I have subways in my current shower and I used them in my last home as well. Never again. They look great, but keeping the grout clean is a huge PITA. I'm going solid surface next time for sure!

biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) - what would you use for a solid surface? I have the builder basic fiberglass insert right now and I can't wait to get rid of it.

I am planning to do Corian - do a search for Corian showers on this forum and you'll see lots of photos and ideas.

nlmackay,,I have a very large shower. I used 4x12 subway tiles (your 4x16 would be fine) that were self spacing w/very small grout lines. I used Mapei Flexcolor CQ (similar to the epoxy only this is an acrylic urethane stain proof grout. easier to use than the epoxy grouts).

I also have a honed black marble floor that was sealed with a quality sealer. White marble will have more upkeep. do you dye your hair?? might not want to put a white marble on the shower floor. I chose the carrara in a honed finish, outside of the shower.

I have white subway tile in the shower and the maintenance is not better or worse than other showers I've had. But I always run the fan for 30 minutes and leave the shower door open for awhile. I suspect quick drying and good air circulation cuts down on problems.

The small format floor tile, OTOH, is another (sad) story.

My showers (not redone) have the 4x4 square tiles, so lots of grout. Never have had trouble keeping the showers clean.

I found a similar looking porcelain basketweave tile that I think may be a better choice for the shower floor. Would you recommend tiling the niche with that same basketweave?

The contractor has suggested I get a stone corner shower shelf like this (so that I can put my foot up to shave). Any issues with these breaking off if I accidentally have too much weight leaning on it? Is this stone going to cause me the same trouble/worry as the original stone floor I picked out? Do I go for glass? He also wants me to get a stone threshold for the shower entry.

I wouldn't throw in a 3rd tile choice. look for a solid white ceramic shelf or have him do a little corner bench seat like this one.

this is also a foot rest for shaving.

or do a little inset for the foot.

using the natural stone marble agains porcelain marble doesn't look very good. On mine I did a solid piece of carrara and sealed it. It's also honed. Perhaps you could do the curb in the same material as the basketweave, but in the large format tile that he can cut. say,, 12x24 or something similar? what basketweave did you find?

your threshold/curb could look like this if he used the large porcelain tiles and cut them to fit.

I like my little corner bench. It's great for leg shaving and handy for staging miscellaneous stuff (dog shampoo, dirty flip flops, etc.) that are going to be hosed down.

Here's a picture of what I found today. I actually ended up picking out a different subway tile. This gray was a better match. The original one I posted took on a bit of a blue tone. The floor tile will be re-grouted to match whatever I pick for the shower. What do you guys think? Should I also use this basketweave to line the niche?

The entry to the bathroom currently has this stone threshold.

Please excuse the messy bathroom! We are under construction and moving out tomorrow for our hardwood floors to be refinished. But here are some more pictures. I have a plain white vanity that we're keeping.

We are also going to demo the ugly tile surround on this tub and replace it with wainscoting around the sides as well as the backsplash (if that's what that's called) We don't use this tub, but wanted to update the look on a budget. We also need to find a new tub faucet, as well as the shower faucets (we need 2 in the shower).

The subway tile in the shower will go all the way to the ceiling and we'll be installing a glass door.

By the way - tile shopping has made me go insane with the many choices of grays and whites! Good grief! After I finalize these choices, it's on to the kids' bath. That was supposed to be re-grouted and ended up being torn up. I'm going for a 6x12 tile and having it done in a herringbone pattern (they have the same vanity in their bath)...I haven't picked the tile yet. That'll be another post! :)

Hate my regular sized subway tiles..Pain to clean..Wish I would have at least gone with grey grout..Go big.

I think you could leave the threshold unless you have to change it. how has the shower been waterproofed?

yes, the two tiles you've picked out look great together. I would still do the gray grout,,,maybe Mapei silver or pearl gray. yes to that same basketweave for the niche.

make sure you find out if those gray subway tiles come in bullnose for your edges. find out how he's going to do the niche FIRST. I've seen some horrible niches done w/subway tile because they don't properly measure and/or do the bullnose edging.

If these tiles come in a long/bigger size, get those.

your tile guy should really plan out the size of the niche in relation to subway tile placement. you don't want little slivers or a lot of cuts. the niche should fit perfectly within the tile layout. make sure you know how high you want it, and try and place it out of the way of the shower spray. I was super picky about mine and made sure I didn't get any small cuts. The bigger one was visible for the dispensers, and the little one down low is for stuff you don't want to see.

compare to this one below. see the tile cuts on the top part of the niches? There isn't one on the bottom part so it looks asymmetrical.

this one, below, is ok. would have been better if it didn't have the small cuts on the right side, both in and out of the niche. Remember,,what ever is on one side should be on the other. If he had widened this box by a few inches, it would have been better.

this box below has the exact cuts all the way around the box. look at how well the lines all line up too. Good layout.

this one below is a NO

btw,,,when he lays the sheets on the floor, make sure he staggers them so you don't get a grid effect.

Oh wow, Beth H. :! So much to think about! These tiles are Valmori Cotton and the color is Perla. http://www.valmoriceramica.it/en/cotton-en/ They come in a lot of different sizes. 3x6", 3x12", 3x16", 5x16" (of course subway is the most economical option at $6.50 per sq. foot). What size do you think would work best? My shower is 47" wide and 37" deep. My husband is stuck on getting subway tile....the grout worries me! The contractor plans on using epoxy grout. These tiles also come bullnose.

I'm not sure how the shower will be waterproofed?!?!

Also, Beth H. : thank you very much for all of that information along with the pictures! I never would have thought of all of that in advance, yet it would have bothered me after the fact. Small details that end up making a big difference!

3x12,,,that size will be perfect. so figure out where you want the niche placed. normally it will go in between the studs. If you want a custom size, the studs will have to redone:

Waterproofing is number one on the list before tile goes up. When your current shower is removed, it will look like this underneath (above). If he's putting up cement board, there has to be a moisture barrier behind it just in case water gets behind those tiles. That cement board seams all have to be taped and mudded and should have a waterproof membrane applied. (no green board in the shower). The shower pan needs to be waterproofed and sloped properly. This is what you need to know so you can make sure your tile guy knows! Jjust do your research on "how to tile a shower".

everything you need to know about tiling and prepping is here.

http://www.johnbridge.com

Here are a lot of different bathroom renovations that we have done over the years. Notice the bathroom niches, the bathroom tiles, and the faucets.

An Ensuite · More Info

Chicago Master Bath Remodel · More Info

Cottage House · More Info

Glenview Master Bath · More Info

Hip Master Bathroom · More Info

Northshore Bathroom Renovation · More Info

We have subway tile in our bathroom. We spray it with Tilex then leave the door open and the fan on for about 10-15 minutes. No problems so far.

Hi everyone - another question, do we do a round or square drain?

I did square to match the shower head but I think it's really just a personal preference.

What do you all use to clean your tiles and grout? Porcelanosa recommended i use a neutral or mildly alkaline detergent (with a pH valueof between 6 to 8*)

I use dawn dishwashing soap. I have carrera look subway tile and marble hex floor. london fog color grout

typeandrun's ideas · More Info

Is dawn neutral and mildly alkaline enough and do you use a brush on the grout? I notice some specks of mold or mildew on grout. Is this antibacterial dawn or regular one?

I use the green one which I think is antibacterial. No brush, a sponge. Marble floor has been sealed, and wall grout has been sealed.
No mold or mildew. This shower gets used twice a day, every day.

okay ours was sealed as well yet i see a few specks. So i should not use a brush just a sponge then? Maybe this isnt mold but dirt specks i try with sponge to see if it comes off.

Slothy,,,pH of 6 is acidic. too much for marble. 7.2 and above is what you want.

I would not use Dawn on marble. use a cleaner that's meant for stone. My marble guy recommended this. it's a concentrate that you mix w/water and put in a spray bottle. they have this one and a heavy duty cleaner that's more alkaline.

okay the floor tile is Porcelanosa Morse white Floor its matte nature porcelain rectified. the shower wall tile is Porcelanosa lino blanco shower its gloss rectified recycled.

my bad..sorry. i saw the other comment talking about marble, thought yours was as well!

I haven’t read the comments because I am just responding to the OP. Do not do marble in your bathroom,,,ever. One drop of anything acidic…perfume, hair spray, toilet cleaner, nail polish remover, and just to get down to basic bathroom behavior…urine, (hey, it happens) will spoil your gorgeous marble install. You will try and try to remove the stain…won’t happen.

So many other wonderful choices...

Sorry i posted asking about tile cleaners on sat and never got a response so i thought id post here,

So I am in a TOTAL panic. Just discovered that the tub we were going to try to salvage is a no-go and must be demoed tomorrow....meaning, I need to find a new tub (I'm thinking a freestanding soaker) AND new floor tile to go with the gray subway and basketweave I picked. I'm SO upset! Had I known we'd have to renovate the ENTIRE bath, I would not have picked gray subway...I would have done white subway for the shower. I need to decide ASAP if we should rip out the gray subway and start from scratch (a costly mistake!) And now, what the heck do I get for flooring?!? We had to get a Carrara marble threshold for the shower, and a Carrara marble shelf for the niche. So I have 3 different things going on....the bit of marble, gray subway and basketweave on the shower floor....now what do I do for the rest of the bathroom floor? I'm so afraid this is going to look so all over the place with tile. I'm devastated and so stressed! I'm not home because the house is under renovation, but I'll post pics tomorrow, :(

If you go with freestanding, make sure there is plenty of room around it to clean, etc.

Just try to relax. It's just subway tile it can be fixed but it might not be as bad as you think. Try to get some pictures. I have found often times the hiccups on a Reno have led us to even better things than we planned. It'll be okay.

Heres where we are at right now... I can't decide if I love it or hate it! Last night my husband wanted to rip it down and figure something out from scratch. I hate to waste all that money, especially since we now have to get a new soaking tub and bathroom floor. But, if we're going to do this and live with it every day we want to do it right! Given this tile, the basket weave floor, and the Carrera marble corner and threshold that's going to go in, what on earth would you suggest for a bathroom floor option? We are also thinking of doing a drop in rectangular soaking tub to the left of the shower and doing a wainscoting surround, rather than doing a freestanding soaking tub. What are your thoughts on that? I'm wondering from the plumbing standpoint, if doing a drop-in would save us some money. I'm going to be sending a plumber over some pictures of tubs were considering and seeing pricing ( he's my brother-in-law, so I only have to pay for supplies)

What waterproofing is being used in the shower?

We have done subway tile on our own bathroom and many bathrooms for our design customers. My recommendation is to keep the grout lines as tiny as possible. I prefer to butt the tiles up to each other and use a darker grey or black tile. I've also used black slate floor tiles for the shower floor and have had few issues with cleaning it or maintaining it.

Like a previous commenter said, make sure that you leave the shower door open and that you have a great exhaust fan sized properly for your bathroom and that vents outside (not in your attic). Letting the moisture linger is the quickest way to attract mold, milew, etc.

If you haven't picked an exhaust fan, here is a quick guide: http://designinside.com/picking-the-proper-exhaust-fan-for-your-bathroom-renovation/

Design Inside - Chicago, not sure if you saw the 2 pics in the post above yours, but we have tiny grout lines. What do you think of that with the basketweav and Carrara marble shelf and threshold?What would you suggest for a bathroom floor?

I agree with your husband, tear out the gray and put in white subway tile. It is best to have only one pattern IMO. Therefore, what about a Cararra marble to match floor to match your Cararra marble corner and threshold?

When one has more than one pattern, they fight with each other.

I agree with everyone here and elsewhere urging you to not use marble in a bathroom. With the unlimited patterns available in porcelain, why not use something that's going to be bullet proof? We have porcelain that is indistinguishable from wood, polished stone, and marble unless you have a magnifier.

You have install problems but..... How is he or she finishing that niche?

I see all these grout issues and wonder what people are doing to have them? First off subway tiles are butt against each other on lugged tiles giving about a 1/16 grout line. The larger format tile the larger the ground line so I am lost at the reverse thinking. How dirty i that 1/16 grout line getting??

A lot of grout issues are related to your water and bath products. Some bath products have heavy dyes in them. Water can leave white or even a pinkish hue on your grout.

Showers require maintenance END OF STORY!. There is NO tile or bath install that is maintenance free. The smaller the grout line the easier it is to keep clean.

As mentioned above Flexcolor is a great grout but with small 1//16 grout lines it can look odd because it mimics a sanded vs unsanded grout.

Do not use marble in an everyday bathroom there are too many options today.

What you should have used is ran a marble liner horizontally and the shelves integrated into that line in both corners. I would have run 2 bands like that and maybe switched the pattern between the two bands of marble liners. The liners won't be an issue as a floor will.

The gray is fine look at the whole room not just that zoomed in pic. Pic a tile and stop looking as that is where you get confused. There will always be something better. Buy them, install them and stop looking at tile.

The tile guy said it is best to use a stone threshold going into the shower and also urged me to get stone to line the inside corners of that niche (and then the backside of the niche will be the basketweave. The basketweave that is being used on the shower floor is porcelain.

Thank you all so much for all of your help, suggestions and advice! I thought it would be less confusing if I started a new thread about re-doing the entire bathroom floor: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/i-need-major-design-help-before-i-create-a-monster-dsvw-vd~4875018 I'm hoping to go tile shopping this morning.