I would not do white. It sounds like you are having hard water issues that are discoloring the tiles. Short of getting a water softener, you might want to consider doing something different from before. If it only happened once, I'd say it's a fluke, but since it has happened twice, I would try a different route if I were you.

Like some other people here, I definitely wouldn't put tile in a kitchen. It's bad on your feet/back if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and if you drop anything on it, it's bound to break. Not to mention the grout lines... there's a reason tile isn't popular on counter tops, and the same would hold true for a kitchen floor: the grout gets dirty! Of course, you can remedy a lot of this with lots of fun floor rugs - you'd end up spending more money to cover a new floor, but the plus-side is tile (properly installed) won't suffer water damage. Speaking of which, we installed laminate. I would've liked wood, but we went with laminate in the kitchen for fear of water damage (leaky sink, fridge, dishwasher, etc.) could all cause severe damage to the floor. Turns out the same holds true for laminate! Just 6 months after we got the floor, we had to replace a part from water that got in through the back door. That was frustrating, but the cost/work of replacing wood would have been even worse. Nothing will be perfect - in the end, you have to go with what you love. :) Kate

Thanks for asking Kerrica. With the pandemic, we have been in limbo. Our bathroom is torn apart, prepped and ready to go as soon as things open up. We've decided to go with Taj Mahal quartzite for the counters and a "wood" porcelain tile for the floor. We want to extend the floor tile into the shower with a linear drain. I have to agree with others that, if we go with a natural stone for the counters we should go with a natural stone in the shower, However, I'm having a hard time finding something that goes well with the Taj. We're thinking of using large tiles to avoid too much grout. Slabs for the shower seem too expensive and have too many installation problems. Any suggestions on shower tile would be most appreciated! We are open to other flooring options if it would go better with the shower tile.

Your insights @J D and @thinkdesignlive were invaluable last year. Before I jump in too deep, I'm curious if you consult on interior design / bathroom finish decisions. I'm not sure how to go about messaging privately. Here's the update: not much, other than me being a basket-case. We held off the whole project because of Covid and now are slated to begin our 2 bathroom project in January/February. I'm not sure if it was clear in previous posts, but there are 2 bathrooms at hand; the new one that's being added (let's call that one GREEN- it was the focus of the previous posts) as well as the existing one that will be completely gutted and redone (and let's call that one BLUE). I'll add BLUE's plans below--if you think I should start a new thread for it, please advise! OVERALL ISSUE: I don't have a vision for the finishes of either bathroom. I'm more settled on GREEN (see the "board and batten" post for inspiration and drawing--but we will not do a wall-hung toilet). The vision for BLUE is more ambiguous. So, I need to decide on: - tile: manufacturer, layout, etc - medicine cabinets (want a large mirror but a craftsman look) - wood vs white vanity (they will be custom- I'm leaning towards wood for GREEN and white for BLUE) - vanity top (which will be shower curb in GREEN and bathtub ledge in BLUE, too, right?) - faucets - lights/sconces - sink (maybe as easy as Kohler Caxton in both) Re TILE: I couldn't commit to Fireclay tile because I thought the minimum grout was too wide. I also heard a few concerning stories. I've recently requested samples from American Restoration Tile and will go look at Mission Tile West in person next week. I'm open to other manufactures, too. I know that: - we want a small hex floor in both baths; for the green bath this will extend into the shower - we want to have a color element (hence the "green" and "blue") in both baths - we will probably go with a 4x4" wall tile in both baths, though undecided - I love trim pieces but also am concerned about $$$ Houzzers, if you have advise on how to go about creating a vision, making decisions, what to prioritize (I know with supply chain issues, everything is a priority!), or something else, I welcome it. Thank you!! Here's the BLUE plan...not committed to the tile as shown: