The pattern of the tile is fairly common for 12x24 tiles(stock set). However, it should always be discussed with the customer first( with at least a drawn detail of direction and how it is to be installed, Second, worked from the center of the room so it looks balanced to the eye, also if that back part were the wall is in fact a an extremely small shower, then the comment before me is right, you do have MUCH bigger problems. I have been a floor covering contractor for close to 30 years, and no matter how small a project is, it is important for an installer and customer to go over the customers wants( best to get it in writing). One can always show a customer setting patterns with some tiles(as they are not tile contractors. Some customers will say,(you are the expert, do what you feel is best), which can result in customers being upset with the end result.

Thanks, Patricia. I'll try to upload some pics. I was able to get one uploaded but the others won't. Ok on painting. A friend of ours painted and sealed some of their floors a few years back and they still look great. I've read that textures can be different but color scheme should remain the same, or at least very close. Thoughts? My main question, at this point, is whether I should match the rest of the house with a reddish-brown floor (regardless of material), without regard for the bathrooms, or consider the bathrooms and go light gray. Fyi, the kitchen floor is coming up after the holidays and will be replaced with a hexagon tile. I'll upload a pic if I can. It's a Spanish / Mexican style tile with off-white, reds, rust, orange, etc. and matches existing wood. The flooring store manager suggested painting the hall and bedrooms white or light gray and do kitchen and foyer in this tile. Anyway... thanks again.

I would stop burning money. We are in the very early stages of a national emergency. Now is not the time to waste money. After we emerge from this situation, at least 18-24 months from now, you might want to do something different. In the mean time, buy a lovely area rug to put in front of that door, to keep dirt from being tracked through the house.

OK...Here are some suggestions. If you KNOW the tile is coming out in the next 5-7 years (I call this the 7 year renovation time line....which you plan out EXTENSIVELY before you TOUCH a single surface...right?) I HIGHLY recommend you put in a SOLID hardwood upstairs. You will have it SITE FINISHED to the colour you want for then next 25 years. Leave the stairs alone for now. Recarpet if you must...but leave them alone. You will choose a REGULAR 3.75" narrow strip hardwood in a regular wood (Maple, Red Oak, White Oak...nothing crazy or exotic). You will do this with the FULL KNOWLEDGE you will *most likely run this through the MAIN LEVEL at some other point in time. You want to be able to source the product in 7-10 years time...so you can have a consistent WOOD throughout the home. You do NOT have to have the same COLOUR on the two levels but you really want to try to keep the same SPECIES, WIDTH, and CUT for future renovations/refinishings. You will 'match' or 'compliment' the stairs to the MAIN LEVEL flooring (not the upstairs flooring). And THAT'S why you leave the stairs until you refinish the DOWNSTAIRS. Believe me, you have a lot of PLANNING to do for the next 5-7 years worth of RENOVATIONS. You will want to have a "story board" of colours that you want the ENTIRE HOUSE to be draped in BEFORE you touch the flooring. We've seen FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE rip up flooring 'at the beginning' (because the house is empty and it is the 'easiest' time to do it) only to have HUGE regrets that they rushed the decision. It is an EXPANSIVE and EXTENSIVE mistake to make. And please be aware the carpet is hiding HORRIBLE subfloors. I mean EXPENSIVE TO FIX. I always tell my clients to budget $2-$4/sf for the subfloors under the carpets. The average is around $2.50 - $3/sf...but a $4/sf repair is not rare. The $5-$6/sf repair/rebuild is rare....but not unheard of. Give yourself a TOTAL budget and work BACKWARDS to your 'wood purchase' budget. You might just find the 'purchase budget' is TOO LOW to get a wood floor installed.