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Remodeling Design Dilemma Bathrooms

Gutted bathroom which has 9/10-foot high ceilings. 1928 House

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

All the pictures I see online show the tile going up to the ceiling. To me they look very nice. My contractor does not want to go past 8 feet and he says all the pictures shown only have 8 foot ceilings. He thinks it would look better with painted wall board above the tile for the last 1 &1/2 feet. The tile on the rest of the walls will go to 46 inches. The basic room is only 9'6" by 6'2". The shower will be about 40" x 40" and will line up on the same wall with a 24 inch pedestal sink and a toilet. There are two entries into the bath and a closet. The paint above the tile in the other bathroom peeled off in huge patches so my experience is negative. The new bathroom will have wallboard while the old bath has plaster walls. Please help. What would look best and be easiest for cleaning. Thank you.

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Sativa McGee Designs

5 years ago

The paint peeling is due to improperly prepped surface or using the wrong type of paint.

Paint above tile does work just fine.

I personally would continue the tile all the way up and tile the ceiling as well, it feels more custom, and gives you one surface type to be cleaning..

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Comments (15)

Huntingflower
5 years ago
I would tile it to the ceiling especially if you have other walls only going partially up. It will look a lot nicer imo. If you do any colour for paint that doesn't blend in with the tile, it won't look cohesive if you just go to eight feet.
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This old thread got revisited. @dani_m08 to answer the question about extra probe, I believe I ordered an extra one when I bought the set up. The probe wire is just setting in the junction box I think but honestly I cant remember. When I laid out the underfloor heating and the probe, I just ran another probe near the first probe, and it was then sealed into the floor self leveling compound as per instructions. then the end was just threaded into the wall like the one that would be live, and not connected, but just laying there in the box. Regarding the tile layout. I just decided to run it this way, after getting instructions on the 90Degree way, IIRC. The herringbone that I love is from my childhood and the side walks in my neighborhood that all ran at 45Degree. so that to me is herringbone. I know you posted on @sochi thread about her amazing bathroom and a wall mounted faucet. I would totally do it if I had the right sink for it. In my case I had made my sink out of soapstone and an integrated backsplash. The pictures of this bathroom reveal are no longer available because of the use of photo bucket, when it was Gardenweb. I did not keep my account with photo bucket. I'll add some of the reveal pictures so you can see the sink and floor. Regarding the sink there is no ledge for water to drip from my hands when using the faucet. The water drips right into the sink. In my other bathroom with a deck mounted faucet I am always wiping up drips and it is a nuisance. I much prefer the setup for this sink. Below: I love the flush finish from the faucet to the bottom of the sink. nothing drips on a counter or edge of a sink. Below: looking in from the doorway. Below: Here I am finishing up the sink. the backsplash was epoxied on as a separate piece. The whole soapstone install in the room took next to nothing to buy as they were all small pieces that I epoxied together with a 3 part stone epoxy. Below: this is the counter at the tub, and is in 2 long pieces but I was able to epoxy them together at there edges to make a wide slab for the top. All the soapstone was finished with a 60 grit sandpaper to be rough and this lovely soft tone of blue/green/gray/white. I did not oil it so this color tone would remain light. Below: If I recall correctly @sochi helped me decide on this Hubberton Forge Mirror. I have 3 different metals in this room, but they are all a cool silver to black color. Below: the center of this tower shares space with the kitchen on the other side of the wall. there is also some extra space that houses some electrical wiring. this is an old simple house. this bathroom was an add on when it got move to the farm in the 30s IIRC. The plumbing was all rearrange and some of the details that were orignially there I kept but updated it, such as this tower feature. The old one went and the carpenter did a wonderful job with this one. Below: This feature was another thing I kept from the old bathroom but flipped it from the other end and had the carpenter put drawers in it. Before it was a hell hole. things got lost and the build was soooo old and creapy I didn't like using it for storage. Now it is perfect for storage.
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William Roy Designer Kitchens
5 years ago
Running tile to ceiling is TOO MUCH (for myself anyway.)

A tall wainscot possibly 4' to 5' tall with a cap at the top won't overwhelm you with one element.

Agreed, a properly prepped wall and decent paint will not peel on you.

Have fun, do what turns you on but don't forget, timeless always works.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
5 years ago
Tiling higher than eight feet is usually too high. Match the height of the door casing for the tile so it looks intentional.
artemis78
5 years ago
I honestly think it's a wash. The PO did our bathroom reno, but we have tile up to about 7' (which is level with our doors) with 9' ceilings. It looks fine. It's painful to clean (as all tile can be) and when we first moved in, we had chronic peeling/mold issues with the paint above it. We put in new ventilation and primed and painted the area above the tile with primer that had mildewcide and bathroom-specific paint (BM, would have to look up which one). It hasn't been an issue in the years since then. If we eventually renovate, I think we'd keep the tile height as is just to minimize the cleaning.
PRO
Pearl Remodeling
5 years ago
Don't leave a gap, tile all the way up for sure!

regardless, If it applies, I'll advise all home owners that wherever they have tile butting against drywall to add another sheet of drywall so that the drywall and tile end up being at the same level without the need of using any trims, it looks super clean! (Notice the drywall above the toilet) Follow me to see more ...
Modern Wood Panel Bathroom · More Info
ci_lantro
5 years ago
Tile to ceiling only if you want to spend a lot more money. Not just materials but labor costs at a premium because a scaffold will have to be involved. A lot of trips up and down a ladder to the scaffold with heavy material (thin set, grout, buckets of water to clean up the grout) and trips to the tile saw. Premium rate charge for that because it will slow down the work plus wear & tear on the tile-setter. Plus hauling in a scaffold, setting it up, taking it down, hauling it away.

No need to avoid paint above tile. Proper prep, primer & paint will yield a good result.

I suspect the peeling paint in the other bathroom was a case of improper prep. Since this is an old house, very likely someone came along and painted over a glossy oil-based paint with water base paint and omitted the bonding primer.
PRO
JAN MOYER
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Windows depending? Drop the entire ceiling with drywall to eight and a half and have the darn tile. There ya go It's only 6 x9 space. Eight and a half will feel fine in there.
thinkdesignlive
5 years ago
This is not the best example - what looks nice for your conditions would be to take the finish up to door height and continue it all the way around the room (as Hallett suggested). Then it looks intentional and you don’t loose the grand height of the room. So, more $ but to tile all walls or bead board 3 walls with tile in the shower - all being capped off with same trim treatment. Best to study all elevations in order to find the right height which may be slightly below door height.
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scottie mom
5 years ago
Do you mean in the shower itself, or throughout the room? I’ve got a 1920s house with 9’ ceilings in the bathroom. I don’t love bringing tile up to the ceiling with that height. Aside from the aesthetics, Cilantro brings up a very good point. leave enough room at the top so it doesn’t look like a sliver, and make sure ventilation and wall-prep are done right. Good luck!
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years ago
IMO tile to the ceiling will make that space feel even more like a tunnel . To 8’ is good and make sure your ventilation is also upgraded.
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Diana Bier Interiors, LLC
5 years ago
A 1928 bathroom would not have tile going all the way to the ceiling. Here are some photos of bathrooms with a vintage/early 20th Century look where the tile is partway to the ceiling. They are all beautifully done and perfectly appropriate for a home of your era:

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catbuilder
5 years ago
Hey, folks, the OP clearly stated that there will be tile wainscot to 46", not tile all the way to the ceiling throughout the room. That means they are talking about the SHOWER tile going to the ceiling. That is done all the time, no scaffolding is needed, and it will look fine.
thinkdesignlive
5 years ago
Yes they said it ‘will be’ wainscoted lower however now is the time to improve the design if it’s not built. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here asking for advice. I also agree it shouldn’t go to the ceiling. That’s why they have higher wainscot detailing - to the door height (ish). Works really well in tall ceiling spaces.
thinkdesignlive
5 years ago
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