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Should I use 3x12 or 4x12 for tub walls, what sz vanity and countertop

4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

Update with pictures! We went with 4 x 16 tile! Thank you to all who responded!



We are gutting our hall bathroom. Bought a 1960 ranch home on an acre. House is original in need of major remodel our first project is the hall bathroom. We like traditional, farmhouse look. I can’t decide between the 3 x 12 or the 4 x 12 white subway daltile from HD. I know the bigger the tile the less grout lines. I like both just can’t decide. Should I go with a light gray grout delorean gray Or keep it white? All vanities and cabinets will be custom shaker painted alabaster. Should I do a 72” vanity with 2 sinks or a 60” vanity with 1 sink centered. Possible wall color will be sea salt. Shampoo nich will be large on back wall with angora herringbone. Floor is rustic bay tile from HD. I’ve included picture of current bathroom it’s being gutted this weekend. The color board is painted alabaster with the floor tile, wall tile and trim pieces and Taj Mahal countertop probably won’t use that. I’ve included a pic of a remnant but they don’t know what it’s called but it looks good with the floor. Thank you for any input!










Comments (49)

  • 4 years ago

    Regarding the vanity question. How many people in the house will use the bathroom? If you have multiple children, then do two sinks. If you’re by yourselves and only guests will use the bathroom, do one sink. I also think two sinks are attractive for resale.

  • 4 years ago

    our son is currently living here. I also think a double sink is good for resale.

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  • 4 years ago

    Found out the remnant is marble and only 2cm.

  • 4 years ago

    Starting demo on the bathroom soon! Any other thoughts on tile or vanity size. What about Taj Mahal or cambria torquay for countertop?

  • 4 years ago

    We also bought a 1960 house from the original owner with no updates. We are in the process of updating and restoring everything. Below is our master bath- we opted for a single sink even though 2 of us use it daily. Love it.


    Becky H thanked lmp1959
  • 4 years ago

    Imp 1959 beautiful bathroom, congrats! love the vanity!!

  • 4 years ago

    Love your vanity and shower!

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Thanks, we are happy with the result. The process was pretty painful because of our crappy contractor. We have hired a new one and are well into the major phase that includes the kitchen, foyer, office and living room. Ugh. I just keep repeating my mantra, "it's going to be great when it's done." And Wine.:)

    Regarding Taj Mahal- so pretty, that's one of my top contenders for our kitchen if I can find slabs on the cream/white side. Also considering porcelain.

  • 4 years ago

    Well, I was hoping you would get more answers as I too am trying to decide between 3x12 and 4x12! I “think” the 3x12 leans more modern while the 4x12 leans more transitional. I will be going with a grey grout because I like seeing the contrast as opposed to a solid white wall.

  • 4 years ago

    I’m thinking of a light grey grout. We demod the bathroom! We are looking into moving the return air vent and widening the entry door. It’s currently 24” want to go with 32”-36” possibly going with wheelchair accessible. That means we will loose the current linen closet we will only have 72” so thinking of doing a 48” vanity and 24” linen tower/closet/cabinet. Still haven’t decided on tile size.




  • 4 years ago

    I think the proportions of the 4x12 are more appropriate for a ranch remodel unless you are going MCM in your home. With the other materials you’ve chosen leaning more traditional, I think the 4x12 size will work well.

    Becky H thanked vhamley
  • 4 years ago

    @Imp1959 what color floor did you use with your bathroom remodel?

  • 4 years ago

    @lmp1959 Love your trough sink! Can you share what model/brand that is and how large? Thanks!

  • 4 years ago

    For easy cleaning, I only use solid slab material and undermount sinks for bathroom vanity counters. I avoid grout as often as possible.
    I like to have two sinks in any regularly shared bathroom: a master bathroom or the bathroom our two daughters share. Each person needs a bank of four drawers for smaller things and the cabinet under the sink can hold extra towels and soap. If there is room, I add a 15”-18” wide tower to store extra toilet paper, tissues and cleaning products.

  • 4 years ago

    @BeckyH: 48” vanity and smaller linen closet is my vote. More people regret NOT doing the two sinks than the reverse. And you still have a storage tower.
    @lmp1949: that is a WONDERFUL renovation of a bathroom! I like the medicine cabinet too. Great decisions, sorry about the contractor. Can we see more of your decisions? Good luck with the rest of the house.

  • 4 years ago

    We’ve decided to go with the 72” double sink and a cabinet above the toilet if needed. I like this one from HD. Any thoughts if it will go with what I’ve already chosen. Thank you for helping!




  • 4 years ago

    sorry I haven't checked in for a bit.

    @EMC Horne- Our floors are the original terrazzo that are throughout the house except kitchen and office. Those had carpet and vinyl. We are replacing with hardwood. The bathroom terrazzo is a grey with multiple blues.


    @smalloldhouse_gw- The sink was purchased through Ferguson. One note, it is not supposed to be undermounted on quartz. Fortunately our fabricator was able to make supports underneath. We've had it for about 3 months and love it. I was a bit concerned about sharing a sink, but it's not an issue- even on the rare occasions we use it at the same time. Hope this helps.

    Petra 7

    Model # MTCS-747

    41.125" x 14.375" x 4.625"


  • 4 years ago

    @RedRyder Thanks so much! Here's a couple more of the bathroom. Currently deep into stage 2 of building this house from the inside out :)





  • 4 years ago

    Where did you find the nightstand? What brand is it?

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    HomeGoods, no brand name, sorry. I also changed the pulls to match those in the bathroom.

  • 4 years ago

    @Becky H- Does that vanity include the top or are you looking for a piece like the remnant in your original post- so pretty. I like the larger tile and definitely go with a grey shade of grout- I believe ours is called Frost- it's still on the light side, but not too white. Cleaning grout is no fun. What did you decide on your tile size? Looking forward to seeing this come together!

    Becky H thanked lmp1959
  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    DeLorean gray is on the lavender side of gray.

    I'd go w/Warm Gray from Mapei. I used it here w/my 4x12 tiles


    It's not too dark, or too light, and the perfect shade.


    Make sure you get the tiles w/the bullnose edges . I got both the vertical bullnose (for the outside edge) and the horizontal bullnose, for the tiles on the top

    also make sure to place your niche properly so that you won't have tiny sliver cuts of tile around. do the proper measuring so that the niche will fit perfectly inside your tiles. (see how mine don't have any tiny cuts? it's lined up perfectly w/the height of the 5 tiles)

    Here are the 3x12 white tiles w/Oyster Gray grout from Custom


    this was a "pre-formed" niche, so we had no choice but to cut a tile. If you make your own niche, you can do whatever size you like.


    and another 3x12 tiles w/more of a handmade look with a light gray. (notice the niche placement. no tiny cuts. pencil liner was use on this one as there were no bullnose tiles in this finish)


    as you can see, not much diff in grout lines w/that inch.

    Becky H thanked Beth H. :
  • 4 years ago

    @Imp1959 yes that vanity comes with the top. I do like the remnant I found but this one has a better price with all included. If I can find a reasonable price vanity with no top I can get the remnant.

  • 4 years ago

    @Beth H. :Thank you for the pics! The 4 x 12 I have picked out is from Lowe’s has the 2 x 8 bullnose. The 3 x 12 is Daltile from HD there is a 2 X 6 bullnose and pencil edge. I love your bullnose! I didn’t know they made horizontal or vertical bullnose. Where did you buy your tile? Our tile guy is great! He’s done work for us many times. I’ll look at those grout colors.

  • 4 years ago

    @Beth H. : I too would like to know where you purchased your white subway tile. I am having trouble finding 12x4 with bullnose edges. I ordered a sample from one company, but the color of the bullnose pieces did not match the subway tile.

  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Jeri, go to a large tile place. they should have a large selection of diff white tiles (mine didn't really have a name on it)

    A lot of companies make bullnose tiles along w/their regular tiles. If they don't, look for a diff brand. You can't mix and match because the white colors won't match (as you've discovered)

    (my place is called State College Distributors in Anaheim. call up and speak to george if you need information on my tiles. he can order the same ones for you)

    here's a close up of when we were dry laying the herringbone.



  • 4 years ago

    @lmp1959 - great renovations! The bathroom was a double take. Hard to believe it’s the same room!

  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Becky, the 3x12 or 4x12 tiles should have the same size in a bullnose. how are you going to use a smaller tile bullnose? doesn't make sense

    so here is a close up showing the 4x12 tile with a Vertical edge bullnose:


    on this portion that borders the painted wall,(going towards the ceiling) I used a Horizontal bullnose ( the top is rounded (bullnose) on the longer side


    So any tile you get, you'll need to find out if they carry bullnose edges. Some don't need the long edge unless you plan on turning your tile vertical for the edging, or doing what I did (not going all the way to a ceiling. I could have gotten away w/o using the bullnose, since it's so high up, but it's just a better finished look.

    having a 4x12 tile with a 2x8 (?) bullnose is useless. how are you going to put those two together?

    on the dal tile w/the 2x6 pencil, that's diff. that's what I used w/the edging on this shower (look at the outside edge) This liner was 12" and not 6. (I've never seen a 6" pencil liner)


    this manufacturer did not make a bull nose tile for their subway, but they did make the pencil liner.

    however , a 2x6 bullnose tile w/a 3x12 isn't going to work together.

    Becky H thanked Beth H. :
  • 4 years ago

    @Beth H. : Thank you so much!

  • 4 years ago

    @Beth H. : Thank you for the great info. I looked on HD site they do carry a 3 x 6 bullnose but it’s diff than what’s sold in stores and it’s currently s/o. I found Daltile at a local tile store I’ll go see what bullnose they have. Here’s a pic of samples I’ve brought home. The small pieces are the bullnose. And a pic that was on HD site they must have used the 2 x 6. What do you think about using a schluter?





  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    they don't carry a 12" long liner, no? that's weird.

    How about finding another white subway tile? Do you have large tile place near you?

    I think Floor and Decor carry Artisan Frost white tile. It looks nice installed

    https://www.flooranddecor.com/porcelain-ceramic-decoratives/artisan-frost-ceramic-tile-100500982.html





    has the 12" liner too



    they also have the Meringue 3x12 tile

    BTW, Tilebar has a bunch of white 3x12 tiles. (maybe grab some samples)

    https://www.tilebar.com/collection/subway-tiles.html?filtercolor=White&filtersize=3x12%2B%2B

    I know some of them have the bullnose tiles

    For instance, The Manchester white tile, 3x12, does have a bullnose tile avail.

    https://www.tilebar.com/manchester-bianco-3x12-ceramic-bullnose.html


    https://www.tilebar.com/manchester-bianco-3x12-ceramic-tile.html

    you could also do the Schluter. I did it around my herringbone design and around my niche. They come as thin as 1/16" (although mine is thicker)




    this is a nicely done niche using long side bullnose tiles for the edge. and get a piece of quartz or marble for the niche shelf. don't use your tile.


    for mine I used marble for the sides and bottom shelf (in the small one) and a marble mosaic accent for the back. .

    on the larger one I actually used a thin Schluter in the gold as a inner border for extra design. the tile guy thought I was nuts, but agreed it looked cool after it was done/ So if you want a thinner edge on the outside w/your tile, get the thinner one! you can see how much thicker the black edging is.


    the outside edge would kind of look like this. (comes in white too)


    I really don't care for this look when they turn the tile and use it as edging. looks cheap to me.


    Becky H thanked Beth H. :
  • 4 years ago

    @Beth H. :Thank you for the links! I did go to floor and decor and purchased a 3 x 12 tile for sample. They were out of stock in the 12” liner. I will defiantly keep looking! The stores here are low on stock of a lot of items. I live in the Houston area.


    What is the best sink shape square or oval? And what type faucet for rustic/farmhouse look? 8”, 4” or single. Thank you everyone for your opinions! I’m also going to buy a vanity with no top and use the remnant I found. It’s big enough for my hall bath and a 1/2 bath that has a 24” vanity.

  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    becky, can you do a wall mount faucet? it's not that difficult to move it up in the wall if the wall is bare (meaning no vanity in place. )

    since you have a 24" vanity, the wall mount would give you more counter space.


    I used wall mount on my current bathroom, with oval sinks (13X15 I believe) on this 72" vanity. And, you can use some of the countertop as your backsplash


    Brizo.


    since you like farmhouse, you can see how they mounted it on top of the shiplap walls.


    this is a great idea too. the wood shelf




    if you can't do wall mount, then do a single faucet






    BTW, since you mentioned rustic farmhouse, I like the floors they used here


    Floor and Decor has this one" Finland White wood mosaic tile


    Becky H thanked Beth H. :
  • 4 years ago

    I like the single faucet with the shiplap! We already have our floor bought. It’s been installed in half the house that’s already been remodeled. We’ll install it in the other rooms as we remodel. Here’s a pic of our floor.




  • 4 years ago

    @Beth H. :My husband said he’d like to go with a bigger tile. HD has this 8 x 24 Daltile. Should I go with my original plan of 3 x 12 or switch to the larger tile. All these tiles are ceramic is that ok for a wall or does it need to be porcelain?


    We remodeled our condo after the Harvey flood we went with a large white tile that was porcelain. My hubby likes that sz we rent the condo to our dlaughter she has a more modern style we are more traditional. Here’s a pic of the condo hall bath.



    We’re putting the exact tub in the bathroom we currently remodeling. I like this sz shampoo box too. Thank you all for any advice!


  • PRO
    4 years ago

    I like that tile around the tub! looks great.

    and yes, less grout lines. the ceramic is fine as long as it's rated for shower walls. (should tell you on the specs of the tile)


    I like that niche done too (but just make sure it's properly centered and placed to where you won't need to have sliver cuts of your tile!) Do the match and do a dry layout to see when the niche will be.


    these are larger tiles, but look how symmetrical the boxes are. perfectly placed.


    This is a good job too. No sliver cuts. the niche is perfectly placed in between the top/bottom tiles so there are no thin cuts. they used a finished edge of the tile on this one. I might have used something else like a shchluter metal edge, or instead of tile for the inside bottom, I'd use a solid piece of quartz.


    You can buy 6" X 6' quartz backsplash pieces for $60, in just about any color. your tile guy will cut and fit them to the niche

    Like this one:

    solid pieces of quartz to go around the inside of the niche, and then you can use a decorative mosaic if you like on the back panel


    see how this niche was perfectly located between the tile rows? no sliver cuts of tile.

    They used solid pieces of larger glass tiles as the inside edging.


    if you tile has pencil liners, or the bullnose, you can also use those.


    this is nicely done too. look at the placement within the subways. no small cuts. very nice tile job


    two on the back wall. also an option.


    Becky H thanked Beth H. :
  • 4 years ago

    Thank you for the pics and helpful info!

  • 4 years ago

    @Imp1959, can you share the dimensions of your bath? It looks identical to the remodel we’re doing now. Is your shower curbless? Our contractor said going curbless will add $2k to bid so we’re debating if it’s worth it. Also, how wide is your shower door?
    Beth, great insight in this discussion. We’re going to use a number of the ideas here. Thanks!

  • 4 years ago

    I had the marble in mind when I picked everything out. Decided this week to go with something different had to go with a remnant that was available. It’ll be installed next week. The paint color is SW sea salt. That also had an eternal callcatta gold but my hubby thought the Laza has more to it.

  • PRO
    4 years ago

    bathroom looks great! I like the laza. you want to use that 8x8 as the backsplash? I'd wait until it's all installed and see how it's going to look. personally? I think there are better options.

    Becky H thanked Beth H. :
  • 4 years ago

    Thank you Beth! The 8x8 was for the kitchen going up the wall behind the vent hood. But if we put the Laza in the kitchen then I’ll probably use it as back splash or a plain subway tile maybe even in herringbone behind vent hood. For the bathroom back splash so far just the 4in Laza. I have a large 70” mirror going above vanity. It matches vanity.

  • 4 years ago

    It’s always a good idea to hold off on choosing a backsplash until the room is completely finished. Once your kitchen is done, with the lighting installed, you May see these tiles differently. There’s a ton of backsplash regrets on this website. Beth is helping you so you won’t go wrong by waiting.

    Becky H thanked RedRyder
  • 4 years ago

    Bathrooms almost finished!



  • 4 years ago

    Thank you @beth for all your pictures and advise! We used the warm gray grout, schluter, 4 x 16 tile, paint is sw sea salt. The door used to be 24” we relocated the return air vent and removed the linen closet so we could put in a 32” door


  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Becky, turned out very nice! I like the shower tile. quick question on that. Did the tiler use grout or silicone caulking in the joints between tile/tub, vertical corners and in the niche?

    you will know by scraping it w/your nail. if it's grout, go over it with 100% silicone tub/tile sealant. especially in the tub/tile joint and the niche corners (water is more likely to get in those spots)


    then just get a few accessories to finish off the space!





  • 4 years ago

    We still need to replace the window.



  • PRO
    4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I like the idea of doing something next to the door, since you have space. a cool, vintage apothecary cab would be perfect.

    I know this one is too large, but this is what I had in mind








    Ikea Hemnes has a hack you can do like this:



    or the Hurdle one would also look cute. I like the sharp color option. maybe a deep blue? black?


    you could even paint one of the billy glass door bookcases





    Becky H thanked Beth H. :
  • 4 years ago

    Great ideas for decorating! My hubby is going to do the caulking. I already bought it he just hasn't had the time.

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