Thanks everyone for all of the kind words. The paint is Sherwin Williams Krypton. karena 2009: I chosed the floor pattern because I had seen something similar and fell in love with it. I've heard that putting the border around the tile is called a rug pattern. I also read somewhere that the rug pattern makes a small bathroom look larger, but I don't know if that's true. Also I wanted something that you couldn't find at HD or places like that. The mosaic is honed but the border is polished. It is not slippery at all. If it was only the larger border tiles than I think it would be very slippery. I mop it with water and a mild soap and that works fine. All the tile is white carrara marble. The border is polished 6X12's, and the inside is the honed herringbone mosaic.

Weedy I know you constantly renovate properties and the idea of redoing a bathroom now, and then having to redo it again in 20 years doesn't seem like a big deal but I don't think it's very sound advice to say not to worry about it now because you are going to want to do it over later anyway. (And that's probably not really what you mean anyway) There's a big difference between updating a bathroom cosmetically and having to redo it for functional or accessibility purposes. There's nothing wrong with getting an accessible door (32'-36" wide), an accessible shower (Even if not technically fully handicap accessible) and a layout that it at least fully adaptable NOW, and not having to think about it again. It would be very easy to get the shower right and use a wall hung toilet, and with the vanity and linen cabinet toward the lower right corner at least get the Plumbing right for a wall hung or accessible sink with finished floor and wall around it. Then you could install a more conventional vanity and a linen cabinet for now and if you Need it to be accessible in the future take out the conventional cabinetry and put in the wall hung sink

crl- Wow- I just went back and read your thread. I remembered when that started, but must have lost track of it at some point. How incredibly stressful- you definitely have some remodeling scars. It's kind of ironic. I had suggested to the contractor I was using (the one I fired who then threatened to put a lien on my house, but couldn't because the contract he had us sign wasn't legal- long, ugly story) to use a linear drain and he said it wasn't needed. I knew it was right to fire him in my gut and your experience just reinforced that. Unfortunately he'd already finished BR#1 so when the bigger problems probably start showing up down the line, I'm looking at another shower tear out then. I've also come to the conclusion curbless won't work for me because the shower is just too close to the door. But the information in your thread will be incredibly helpful when I talk to the tile guy and plumber I've hired about the best approach for my space. So I'm really sorry about the experience, but the end result is beautiful. Thanks for posting your pictures and experience. I really appreciate it. Lisa

Durock's website says to install on wood. But I found this info... Manufacturer Recommendations James Hardie Industries, makers of HardieBacker®, and USG, makers of Durock®, indicate that their respective cement backer boards should not be installed over concrete. James Hardie: HardieBacker specifications specifically exclude concrete as a base for installation. USG: Durock does not expressly exclude concrete, but the material is specified only for minimum 5/8-inch exterior-grade plywood or OSB. One source reports that USG will not officially validate the Durock-to-concrete attachment simply because they have not tested it. The lack of testing may be simply because so few customers express a need for applying Durock to concrete. There is no problem with the two materials being compatible. The issue, as Bud Cline of The Floor Pro says, is more about how to attach the cement board to the concrete. A powder-actuated nailer is out of the question since nail depth would be impossible to regulate. Concrete screws, Cline says, have heads that are too small to hold down the cement board. His recommendation: Work with the concrete surface so that it is strong enough and porous enough to accept tile mortar. Portland cement-based fillers can take care holes and cracks. Painted concrete can be sandblasted, sanded, or ground down to bring up a nice, porous surface. Most tile professionals, including John Bridge, concur: Attaching cement board to concrete is not an acceptable way to surface the concrete prior to tile installation. Thin-set alone will not help the cement board stick to the concrete slab. Screws are the only logical way to do this, but it would entail an extremely tedious and time-consuming process of drilling pilot holes before sinking the screws. Additionally, you would be fighting against the thin-set bed under the cement board when drilling the holes and driving the screws. The View of Tile Professionals But the manufacturer prohibitions or omissions are warranty issues. The questions remain: Can you effectively pair two cementitious products—cement board and a concrete slab? ************************************ I went to Wedi's website, and the foam panels CAN be used on concrete for floor tile. Installation over concrete subfloors Floor application for wedi Building Panel All wedi Building Panel sizes and thicknesses can be used as tile underlayments over concrete subfloors. Modified thinset mortar, combed through with a minimum 1/4” x 1/4” notch trowel, will then provide a ribbed bed into which the wedi Building Panels will be laid. All joints should be staggered so that no seam continues throughout the length of the floor. Apply weights (i.e. tile boxes) onto the surface and where transitions are located while the mortar is setting up. After the mortar has set, wedi alkali resistant fiberglass mesh tape, or wedi Sealing Tape or wedi Joint Sealant should be applied to all seams, then tiling can begin. So Wedi panels may be easier and faster for us to install after the marble tile is gone. I also found a new floating porcelain tile product that Dal Tile started selling. It is like installing laminate flooring or vinyl planks. Dal Tile Revo Tile - they said I could install it over the marble as long as I level the floor with self-leveling compound, including where the missing tile is. I still need to follow requirements per tile industry as to x " per 10 ft. I can't remember ... 3/16" or something like that. https://www.daltile.com/revotile $4.50 sf plus $25.00 for tools, $58.00 for 9 lbs of grout. Underlayment $54.00. Adhesive tape for seams. $542.00 and I can install it. I am calling We Ship Floors tomorrow to see if their floating Supercore Extreme Vinyl Tiles can be installed over my marble once the floor is leveled. And if I can install over Wedi panels. For someone who works with mud day in and day out, I am sure it is much cheaper, but I am afraid that I can't do it. Three more tile guys today told me wrong installation procedures for backerboard on the marble and for the tub surround, so I will not be calling them back. Just because they owned a trowel doesn't make them an expert on tiling,