Best subway tile look for bathroom

3 years ago

We're redoing our bathroom with a black & white theme. The floor with be black hex - either 7x8 or 9x10, depending on which we can source. The shower base will be black & white penny tile and the walls will be white subway tile. We may put the same subway tile on the bathroom walls in a wainscotting type fashion, but depends on our budget.

My question is about subway tile size for the shower/walls. My wife wanted something in the standard to slightly larger size. So 3 x6, 4 x 8 - maybe even 3 or 4 x 12. Our contractor keeps suggesting a 4 x 16 and brought us samples today. His reasoning - they require less upkeep. I actually don't mind the oversized look, but my wife is on the fence.

What does everyone think?

The bathroom is on the smaller side - like 5.5 ft x 8.5 ft.

Inspiration style below.

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Comments (9)

PRO
Beth H. :
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I wouldn't do a 3x6. he's right, too many grout lines.

this is my bathroom. I used 4x12 subways in the shower

Even w/this size I'm still scrubbing the grout. mainly the bottom 3 rows that don't dry out as quickly as the upper rows.

my neighbors wanted to upgrade their shower (it's same size as yours) and we went w/a 3x12 (or maybe it was the 4x12, same as mine. I can't remember!)

This is in a stacked layout. a bit more transitional look.

also did it on this one, 3x12, stacked layout. this was a smaller shower

these look like a 3x9,

maybe a 2x10, give or take. vertical offset layout

Does seeing these tiles help you decide a bit better?

unless you're in a 1915 craftsman and are staying period w/the house style, I wouldn't do a 3x6.
0
Christopher Lihou
Original Author
3 years ago
Those look fantastic! In my opinion anyways. I think a 3x12, 4x12 or 3x9 is the way to go. Less maintenance and still deliver the right aesthetic. I do think the 4 x 16 my contractor is pushing is just a tad too big.
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Instead of running the narrower subway all the way to the floor, have you considered a wider ("taller") tile for the first course, to simply act as a baseboard or transitional piece from floor-to-field? Doesn't have to be an actual baseboard type of tile, or even a contrasting tile. The tile can be the same color as the subway should you prefer it to blend. It can be a simply 6" or 8" square field tile from the same manufacturer. As you know, blending colors may help with hiding a discrepancy, contrasting colors can accentuate it. On the flip side, you could separate the base from the field with a liner or some other detail that melds with details you have higher on the wall, at the chair rail for instance. Again, if the liner contrasts, it may accentuate. A basic 6" square tile, or to keep the subway shape, a 6" tall rectangle, would absorb the floor slope better than a "shorter" tile like your current subways. A 6" tile going from 5" to 6" would hide the discrepancy better than a small subway field tile going from 2" to 3". An 8" tile from 7" to 8" might be even better. If you were to use a true base cove tile like a sanitary cove base, use a basic sanitary instead of a shouldered sanitary, as the shoulder will be cut off due to the slope and that could create lippage or padding out issues as you go down the wall. Sometimes I've even used a taller painted wood baseboard to transition from a sloped floor to the field tile on the wall. An 8" tall wood baseboard scribed from say, 7" to 8" to hide the floor slope, with cap and base detailing, would pretty much hide any height discrepancy from the slope/scribing. The easiest and least expensive "all tile" solution would probably be a basic 6" square tile, scribed and cut from 6" to 5" as needed.
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It looks gorgeous! I really wanted irregular subway tile, but was unable to find anything that looked like what you posted for anything other than the prices you mention. I serched high and low, went to every tile shop in the N NJ area, called NYC shops... hence it took me 3 years to settle on a tile. I opted for a 5" square tile with that same kink of look, but only I think about $6 sqft. If you end up finding it for less, don't tell me, I don't want to know. Ultimately I love love the tile and the shape, I mounted it in a subway pattern, and am very happy. $20 sq ft was just not the budget, I had other things I was spending on. Your pics are definitley one of the groupings that I considered- love that glass, I know what it looks like in person, I think I have a small board of the same somewhere in a pile in the basement. For our first main bath reno, I used the tile I link below- much cheaper, not exactly like the pic you posted, but had a feel that was similar to me. I think I paid around $6 for this one. http://www.southcypress.com/Flooring/Keramia-Tile-Terra-3-x-6 Is there enough room to sit with the toilet close to the door? If not, then that would be the only reason I can think of to go to lengths to move it. I know code sometimes mandates area around toilets, per Mongo's mention but I am not sure.
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They're 1/3 offset, so of course every third tile will be quite small. It looks like your right wall isn't quite plumb, so they did the best they could to make the pattern work. The actual laying and the matching of middle and side walls looks excellent. This is a great time to use tile-matched grout, though, instead of something with a lot of contrast. Old houses don't do well with finish choices that play up their imperfections...
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PRO
Beth H. :
3 years ago
I agree. for a smaller shower (5' or less) the 4x16 is large. I have those on my bathroom floor.

I think a 3x12 or even the 2x10 would look nice for a smaller shower. doing it in a stacked layout makes cleanup slightly easier (you don't have to zig zag w/the scrubby brush while you're cleaning)

stay away from white grout. try and use a gray (I used Warm Grey w/mine) and for your black tiles, use the Charcoal. **with darker grout, make VERY sure your tile guy knows how to grout w/dark grout. Using too much water during the rinse phase will give you uneven coloring. lighter spots. I can't stress this enough w/this color grout. The less water, the better. (during the clean up part)
0
Christopher Lihou
Original Author
3 years ago
Good advice. I told our contractor that we'd like dark grout on the black hex tile and he nodded in agreement like that was what he was thinking as well. However, I don't know who his tile guy is - which does raise questions around his experience with dark grout.
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PRO
Skippack Tile & Stone
3 years ago
The new wall sizes you're thinking work very well for the space. I would change the penny rounds for the base to small hexagons to flow with the main bath floor.
0
ci_lantro
3 years ago
I would change the penny rounds for the base to small hexagons to flow with the main bath floor.

Yup. You have hex & rectangular. I wouldn't throw rounds into the mix.
eld6161
3 years ago
I agree with ci lantro.
0
Nancy in Mich
3 years ago
Not to mention that hex, having flat edges, make it a little easier to see the spacing between sheets as they are laid. Only someone very experienced with penny tile should attempt to lay them (see current thread on the subject, plus multitudes of others).
0
deborahio
last month
Love the 2x10 vertical offset. Is this in a shower with tub? Could you use this pattern in just a small shower?
0

Best subway tile look for bathroom

Comments (9)

Beth H. :

Christopher Lihou
Original Author

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Beth H. :

Christopher Lihou
Original Author

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eld6161

Nancy in Mich

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Best subway tile look for bathroom

Comments (9)

Beth H. :

Christopher LihouOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Related Professionals

Beth H. :

Christopher LihouOriginal Author

Skippack Tile & Stone

ci_lantro

eld6161

Nancy in Mich

deborahio

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Christopher Lihou
Original Author

Christopher Lihou
Original Author