bathroom tile help...I’m exhausted from looking!
I’m at my wits end with bathroom tile. I would really like a light, bright coastal feeling room with soft sea glass as my accent color. I’ll be darned if I can get there.
First 2 pics show a lovely blue-green accent tile (perhaps a bit bolder than I had in mind originally) with a few different shower flooring choices, which don’t really appeal. I don’t think the 2x2 “marble” goes at all...and neither do the gray penny rounds. White penny rounds could work, but I’d rather they were mini bricks or hexes for less grout. Final pic shows the wood look plank flooring that will be in the rest of the bathroom. It also shows a different color scheme that is nice, but a “blue and tan” scheme which I have never really been a fan of. No sea glass colors really going to work in that third one I think. Too blue. The glass tiles are my splurge (they are both in the $40-45/sf range) so looking to control my cost on the wall/floor. Ideally I’d do an almost all white shower with two different tile sizes on the walls with my accent tile set off between molding (something lighter that’s the blue green shown here). I cannot seem to find a line of well priced, white tile with several sizes in it though. (I get my builders price if I go through my builder’s preferred supplier, and they don’t have a line of tile to do this and matching whites from different lines seems like a very bad idea...). Thoughts or suggestions???
Comments (37)
chispa
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoKim
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Adding Fantech inline exhaust system to existing bathroom
Comments (7)I will wholeheartedly agree with southernroots that 50CFM is not sufficient for your bathroom, but the 200cfm that he suggests is far too much. The first step of the project is to determine exactly what size of fans you need. Properly, the bathroom exhaust fans should produce 4 complete air exchanges per hour so the question then becomes how many cubic feet is four exchanges per hour? The main part of the bathroom is 10'x 12' which is 120sq.ft. Now assuming an 8' ceiling we get 120sq.ft x 8' vertical equals 960cu.ft in the room and we desire four complete exchanges per hour so we need to move 960cu.ft x 4 = 3840cu.ft per hour. We then divide 3840cu.ft/hr by 60min/hr and we get 64cu.ft/min. The shower is 4' x 5' so it is 20sq.ft and again assuming an 8ft ceiling we get 20sq.ft x 8' = 160cu.ft in the room. Four air exchanges per hour would then be 160cu.ft x 4 = 640cu.ft/hr. Now dividing 640cu.ft/hr by 60min.hr = 10cfm. For peak efficiency I would put a separate light/fan unit in each room sized to the nearest nominal trade size which is equal too or greater than the theoretical size from the computations. By example, you already know that 50cfm is not sufficient, but I doubt if you will find a 64cfm fan. The solution would be to then select a 75cm fan. Actually the slight increase would work to your advantage because it allows for line resistance of the ductwork, but to just arbitrarily install a 100cuft fan would result in way too much air flow, and keep in mind that you are paying to operate your HVAC system to condition all that excess air. Now, while you can run the duct up and out through the roof, I would prefer to run it horizontal to the nearest external wall and install a wall vent to the outside. That not only reduces the line friction loss in the duct work, it totally eliminates the possibiity of a roof leak where the line passes through the roof. Taking this to the next level, keep in mind that you are venting warm moisture laden air and as it passes through the ductwork it will cool and condensate moisture in the duct. For my house, I made the ducts with PVC pipe and installed them horizontal with a 1/4" per foot downward pitch to the wall outlet. In that manner I do not have to worry about metal ducting rusting or water pooling between the folds of flex duct....See MoreDo you need a bathroom exhaust fan?
Comments (25)If you're not trying to be 'defiant' of our reasoning, you're certainly trying to convert us to your way of thinking, and I don't think it's going to happen. Clearly you are not open to this idea, but others may at least consider it. So far the inspectors have not said anything. I consulted with two of them, the city engineer, my contractor, and fan suppliers before doing it. Firstly, I'm not going to contradict a building code, especially when there's no discernible logic (ok you disagree but fail to impart what actual advantage your system offers) or advantage to it. I'm not going to run to the library immediately to check the code, but I do get there reasonably often and will check. Again, the inspectors who are familiar with the code are okay with my installation. It could be that a fan is not required simply because I have ventilation into the room via the AC ducting and/or a window, so whether I have a fan in the room is my call. You mentioned your area does have mould issues....(as do all areas I guess) - your system is particularly unwise due to that. You are creating an unnecessary hazard. There seems to be no mold issues in the southwestern deserts or the Rocky Mountains. Our weather is heavily influenced by the Gulf of Mexico so we have humidity in the summer. I don't think it is going to be a problem but is certainly is an issue. Definitely not a hazard. You may even have created a fire hazard You're being alarmist. Explain to me how my house catches fire because the bathroom doesn't vent to the outside. There are a couple advantages to my system. First the fan draws only dry air into it. This keeps the wet dust from collecting on the fan blades and reducing the fan efficiency to near zero in a few months. Second, the fan is mounted 24 inches above the floor in the bedroom. If I need to clean it, which I doubt I will anytime soon, its right there at knee level instead of overhead on the ladder. Third, the air at 24 inches is blown up to the ceiling in the adjacent bathroom 9 inches down from the 9-foot ceiling. As you pointed out, warm air rises. My system blows relatively cool and dry air in a the ceiling height to thoroughly mix the warm/moist air with cool/dry air to get a more uniform air temp and moisture throughout the room. Fourth, air sucked into a fan is only sucked extremely locally. Without a few classes in aero I can't really get into how that works, but you'll notice the exhaust of a jet engine, or even an electric fan for that matter, can be felt much farther away from the blades than the intake air induction can be felt. You have to hold your hand directly to the back of a fan to feel any air intake at all. My system, even with a diffuser at the opening into the bathroom, blows the air into the room hard enough that I can feel it against the far wall, thus ensuring thorough air stirring and mixing. Fifthly (?), in the winter humidity is not a problem here. In the summer it can be if your AC is not properly designed. Mine seems to be but this room has not endured an entire summer. Actually spring is slightly worse for humidity because the humidity is up but the temps are not warm enough to trigger the thermostat. In the summer the AC runs day and night as the outside temps sometimes don't come down into the 80s for several days at a time. It's rather like 'vacuuming' or should I say reverse vacuuming, a room by blowing it all out with compressed air. There may be something about that system you like, but you're just taking the dust from one room (read humidity and bathroom smells) and spreading it throughout the rest of the house. And your vacuum system sucks dust in from outdoors and blows it all over the house. Which is better - the dust you already have indoors or the new dust your vacuum system is sucking in? I knew which fan you were talking about, but I was way off on my house fan power specs. Apologies. I'm not sure what model of blower I was looking at but mine is 3/4 horsepower - more like under 500 watts versus the 750 watts used by my directed fans. If one of my little fans wears out, I have backup. If my furnace fan wears out, it's a service call and a $12,000 AC system (mine is ready to be updated). Your bizarre method and logic may make the condensation evaporate more rapidly (or so you may think) because you are encouraging it to evaporate I guess into a larger area, however, that capacity would diminish over time, since the overall humidity will increase to the point of what is it - equilibrium? Where the air will hold no more moisture, and condensation begins to reform. This is where the structural damage sets in, mould forms and it becomes an unhealthy environment. From a heat transfer point of view, you need to watch your terms better to make that make sense but I think I know what you were trying to say. Still, the last sentence is the important one. The humidity increase from a shower is unlikely to saturate the 18,000 cubic feet of air in the house. However, this is exactly what I'll be looking for in the summer. These bathrooms are at the far end of the house. The concern is getting that air moved out of the confines of the bedrooms and out to the AC air intake in the living/dining rooms. I don't think it will be a problem in the summer with the AC on all the time, but we'll see. I'm more afraid of freezing my butt off in the shower with all that dry air coming in on me. I may have mentioned that I do not get any condensation in my bathroom now and I do not get any even when the fan is off. The reason for that is not clear. I'm working on the theory of massive tile heat sink where the moisture is actually condensing on the cooler tile but there is so much tile that I'm not noticing it. But there is never any fog in the bathroom and no condensation on the mirrors. Ceiling fans may have their drawbacks and I don't love cleaning them either, but I think I'd prefer them to a bunch of fans sitting around on the floors Clearly I'm not going to change your mind on that either but I have convinced several friends to use floor fans, especially in the winter, to mix the hot air at the ceiling with the cold air on the floor. Suddenly my short friends can get warm and my tall friends don't have cold feet. If the thermostat is at 5 feet off the floor and you're 5 feet tall, you live in a world where all the heat is above your head no matter what you set your thermostat to. But if you're six feet tall or taller, your face is always hot and your feet are always cold. With the little fan on the floor pointed at the ceiling behind the sofa, the air mixes in the entire room and everyone is comfortable. Everyone I demonstrate this effect to is amazed. A ceiling fan can be reversed and pointed at the ceiling, but you get into the problem again of the air intake being at 8 feet off the ground blowing air up to the 9-foot level. You really have to have the fan honking to blow that air to the walls and down. Then people seem to complain about the wind in the room. My little fans simply punch a localized hole in the thermal layers and mix them up. I keep ignoring the indelicate subject of bathroom odor, because that does not seem to be a problem in my household. It must be all the lard in the tamales down here ;-) Actually my wife pumps the veggies and fruit into us - I'm not a dietitian. Sorry I'm getting so wordy. Maybe this will stop now that we realize we're not going to change each other's minds....See MoreMaster bathroom help-crosspost from bathroom forum
Comments (19)olychick, thank you for taking a look. :) I'm relieved to hear you think a white shower pan is best. I am heading out now to find porcelain marble look tiles for the shower walls to pick up the gray as you suggested. I want a shiny finish to the walls. Tell me if you think that's a misstep. I am avoiding marble as I have a marble topped vanity now that is pock marked with etchings. As far as seeing myself in the vanity, yes, I think I will be able to do so. I was planning on a black framed mirror spanning the vanity. My current vanity is 32 1/4" high (as will be the new vanity) and when seated on my vanity stool my reflection is seen up to my chest. The only issue currently is that my knees are pressed against drawers. I failed to mention that I was thinking of using absolute black granite for the vanity top for two reasons: one being cost and the other being to avoid etching. Will doing so deviate too much from my inspiration? Lastly, I had the idea of applying pieces of beveled mirror framed by black molding floor to ceiling along the back wall and continuing behind the toilet (similar to this only floor to ceiling with the exception of base molding & crown): [Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Northbrook Architects & Building Designers Michael A. Menn Thoughts? Suggestions? Thank you for reading this far. :)...See MoreLocation for bathroom exhaust roof vent caps
Comments (7)IIRC, code requires a bathroom exhaust fan if there is no window. You could probably get by with only one fan, especially if you use Panasonic or similar products that have high air flow (110+ cfm). Do not use one of the cheap Broan or Nutone fans from the big box store, since they are noisy and the air flow sucks (usually 50-70 cfm). HD and Lowes do not stock Panasonic fans, but you can order them online for delivery to the store. https://na.panasonic.com/us/home-and-building-solutions/ventilation-indoor-air-quality/ventilation-fans Bruce...See More
PROSkippack Tile & Stone
4 years ago
PROJAN MOYER
4 years agoKim
4 years agoSkippack, shower floor is partly the issue. (The subway tile is glossy.). I ended up here because I originally wanted a simple white shower with two different size white tiles and tile molding - but apparently there aren’t any lines in my price range at my supplier so we wandered into this territory...more along these lines:
mvcanada
4 years agoI remembered seeing some pretty tile and I went to have a look. Wayfair has this line, Ivy Hill Tile...probably other places as well and it is rated for floors and water.
They are showing 3 sizes, 1 X 1, 2 X2 and random size.
Ivy Hill Tile Aqua 2" x 2" Glass Mosaic Tile & Reviews | Wayfair.ca · More Info
Ivy Hill Tile Aqua 2" x 2" Glass Mosaic Tile & Reviews | Wayfair.ca · More Info
Ivy Hill Tile Aqua 2" x 2" Glass Mosaic Tile & Reviews | Wayfair.ca · More InfoI think I like the 1 X 1 size best - would that work for the shower floor? And a different size for your accent?
And for white tile....have a look at this line:Self Natura White, which comes in many various sizes and has trim pieces so you could use that to frame your sea glass tile. I saw this tile in person and really loved it. It is a bit wavy on the surface and they had at least 4 or 5 different sizes. I also saw one called Lego white gloss ceramic but I can't find a manufacturer for that one. Both have that uneven surface which I think would look fabulous in a coastal setting.
Kim thanked mvcanadaKim
4 years ago
PRODragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoKim thanked Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.Kim
4 years agoKim
4 years agoKim
4 years agochispa
4 years agomercurygirl
4 years agoDaltile is another good choice for field tile, relatively inexpensive. They have some nice colors, maybe you could do a liner in one. Here is the color Spa.
Kim thanked mercurygirl
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoA vertical band of mosaic tile can be a nice accent in a shower
https://www.diytrade.com/china/pd/9682013/Hexagon_glass_mosaic_tile_glass_mix_glass.html
Kim thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
PROBeth H. :
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agothe 2nd choice is nice. do the wood look outside the shower, herringbone for shower floor, large white subway for wall, and the niche in the glass. (you could run a vertical band down through your shower head/control if you like. Or, use that tile above the vanity.
as for the blue green glass, the color is fine, but you need a peacock or blue penny round (or hex) that works with it
you could also use the penny above the vanity,
or use the expensive tile as a backsplash.Or, use the penny round on the shower floor and the outside of the shower on the floor.
these are $22
https://www.glasstileoasis.com/tropical-sea-blue-hexagon-glossy-frosted-glass-tile.html
4x12 mint green glass tile
another idea for the floor is this porcelain tile
https://www.glasstileoasis.com/marseille-aqua-decor-glossy-porcelain-tile.htmlsame site, this 5/8" glass in the colors you like. $16
you don't need to go overboard w/the tile. use in the niche like they done here
Kim thanked Beth H. :rnonwheels
4 years agoThese pebbles that are flat cut are not expensive and make a good floor for the shower or accent tile or both, they would look good with dove grey field tile on the shower walls and a wood look floor for the rest of the bath.
Sliced Sea Green and White Pebble Tile Border · More InfoKim thanked rnonwheels- PRO
Beth H. :
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agojust saw this one. this is a mother of pearl and glass. would look nice on the wall in the niche, or a vertical strip w/your white subway tile, or behind your vanity. use with a white grout
this would look great on a shower floor with soft gray grout.
It's subtle enough without being 'too beachy'.
trying to post pics of the other bubble look tile. some have marble/glass, or porcelain/glassKim thanked Beth H. : 
Design Girl
4 years agoKim
4 years agoKim
4 years ago
PRODebbi Washburn
4 years agoKim
4 years agogirl_wonder
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
PRODesign Interior South
4 years agoHi Kim, so many comments to fish through but I think the only for sure thing so far is the wood look tile flooring? SO do yourself a big favor here and commit to white tile. Keep it clean and classic. Bring in fresh color with your paint. If you want that blue tile then do just a touch as a stripe or trim in the shower. What are your counters? Cabinets? Fixtures? Here I've used the wood plank tile on a herringbone for floor.
Sainsbury · More Info
In shower kept it simple with a beveled white large format subway for walls. Inset niche with a Carrara hexagon and did the same on shower floor.
Sainsbury · More Info
Sainsbury · More Info
It leans coastal with the paint color and Capiz shell chandelier.Kim thanked Design Interior Southmercurygirl
4 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
4 years agoKim, it would take a skilled tile setter to do the 'broken glass' being that it's a bit transparent. the thinset would need to be white and also smoothed to remove the ridges prior to setting down the tile. But if done correctly, it looks beautiful.
Similar to how these look (but the one I posted is closer set)
Kim thanked Beth H. : - Kim thanked Andrea
Kim
4 years agoHU-527663426
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoWe installed one whole shower wall of Emser Lucente Lazarro mixed linear mosaic. It’s a light green/gray, white/green marble, and clear/opaque glass combo. We bought it at our local Emser Tile, but here is an image I found online. In my shower it looks a little more green than this image. It’s a soft and soothing color palette.
It’s called Lucente Lazarro. The Lucente collection has lots of other color combos if you’re looking for something that leans more blue.
- PRO
Design Interior South
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoKim I did a blue vanity in a secondary bath and LOVE it. Don't second guess the blue cabinets!!! They are stunning and it is way easier to paint a cabinet in the future a different color than it is to retile a bathroom.
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