Samantha, Absolutely, lack of expansion joints could have also been the part of the problem, which is unrelated to grout joint size. When installing, manufacturer instructions comes first, then the standards second if there is missing or conflicting information and instruction. If there is a failure, an inspector (or a court) will first use manufacturer specs and instructions, because they are the liable responsible party in a claim, so their information takes presidence. Thats what installer must follow first if there is conflict, and if there is missing information, the TCNA/ANSI standards come in. Now, many manufacturers refer to the TCNA/ANSI standards. Additionally, some manufacturers do not offer all needed information which then the TCNA/ANSI standards kick in. Every installer should be well versed in both. There are many tile and stone manufacturers who still allow for ultra thin grout joints. In regards to the standards changes you mention in grout joint sizes, indeed the TCNA/ANSI has made recommendations for the first time concerning grout joint size and spacing. To completely understand the new changes you have to understand how recommendations are made. When they say "in general", these are not absolute standards. Simply guidance lacking any other source taking presidence. When they say "absolute", these are standards that are never to be strayed from. The new changes on grout joint width is an "in general recommendation" or situational recommendation. Ultimately, the project owner should choose the grout joint they desire. -from the TCNA website. Please view the TCNA link for more information. It explains it pretty well. If you have tile cut or manufactured to tight size tolerances, you can have any joint size you wish. Of course, as I stated before, not all tile is able to be installed with the ultra thin grout joints. Again this is situational. There is no absolute standard for tile joint width. Tile it is a finish topical product, relying on the subfloor/framing/substrate structure for rigidity and in-range deflection for its stability and structure. Now if you continue to believe otherwise, that the tile system itself aides in overall system stability and structural integrity and/or that grout joint size matters at all when tile sizing is withing parameters, I really dont know how else to convince you. Since this obviosuly matters a great deal to you, I would suggest you buy a copy of the standards. Its relatively inexpensive. Then you can read for yourself in context. Also I would suggest that you start reading up on tile manufacturers installation guidelines and instruction for various products you may be interested in, as they take presidence, although they usually are in line with the standards. Here is a link that might be useful: TCNA Standards For Grout

I had a bedroom a tiny bit bigger than this in my first apartment. I think it was 8' x 8.5'. I had a double bed and one side had to be against a wall because of the position of the door and the closet and the bathroom door (the bathroom was entered through the bedroom). I was able to fit a small nightstand and a dresser in the room, but nothing else. Because I lived alone, I had free use of the rest of the apartment, so I didn't spend much time in the bedroom. So a question I have for you is, who will be living in this room and how much of the rest of the house will they have access to? Do they need a computer or tv in the bedroom, for example? Will the occupant have to store everything they own in this room or is there space in the rest of the house for some of their things? If I had to do it over again, I'd get a good closet system in the closet, to maximize every inch of storage space. It might be possible, with the right closet system, to store all clothing in the closet, negating any need for a dresser. Bonus if additional storage space for other things could be created. An alternative to a nightstand is to mount a small shelf on the wall next to the bed. However, if there is room for a nightstand, it would add extra storage. Traditional nightstands might be too big, but you could Google "telephone table" to find some smaller, yet still tall enough, tables that would work. A small bookcase would also add storage. And if a tv is wanted/needed, it could either be wall-mounted or go on top of the bookcase. A bed that allows for underbed storage is also a good idea. Use the vertical space on the walls. You could run a shelf all the way around the room, just above the tops of the doors. I saw a lovely room once where they had put shelves just above the windows. There are also a great many wall-hung organizers that would work, or pegboard. As for decorating, I think a simple color scheme is best. Too many colors and patterns in a really small space can be overwhelming. I'm linking to a studio apartment I just saw on Apartment Therapy. The main color there is white, but you could switch that out to just about any color that the occupant of the room likes. Even though this studio is larger than the room you have, you can pull some ideas from it. The use of one color in most of the room to unify everything, the double purpose credenza that is part nightstand and part storage, the wall-mounted shelving and the two tall bookcases that take advantage of the vertical space, the use of open space to add the sense of more room--not cramming every corner with stuff helps to make the room feel larger,. Here is a link that might be useful: calm studio apartment

OK I have decided on 1" thick. However, should I do 4.5" or 3.5" for width? I'm leaning toward 4.5" so that it will have a little more presence. There is a garage on the left (not shown in picture) and I'm thinking the thicker 4.5" trim will look better on the garage too. Also, should the apron under the sill be the same width as the sides/header? Or should apron be slightly smaller (so if use 4.5" on sides and header should apron be 4.5" too or 3.5")?

Thanks for all your input. I think I'm in a bit of a pickle. Ripping the first row (and/or the last row) doesn't make sense to me,...in my situation. I understand the part about making the first and last row equal for aesthetic, etc. From my starting wall: 1/4" expansion gap required + 24 rows of boards go in perfectly, BUT THEN I have 1-1/8" leftover gap at the other/opposite side of the wall (see first picture, with green circle). Obviously, baseboard thickness is not going to cover that 1-1/8" wide gap. Ripping the board means I have to do another row - 25th row. The row/board is 5 inches width. I cannot rip the 25th row/board into long strip of 1/2 inch each and use them for the 1st (starting) and last rows. That's too thin and skinny. That's my confusion. Am I not thinking correctly? I guess luck wasn't on my side regarding the dimension of the room....(almost made it with using/having 24 rows of boards). That 1-1/8" leftover gap pisses me off. If it were 1/4" or 1/2" leftover gap, then everything would have been perfect with having only 24 rows.