In Search of Floor Tile: Part 2

Among other things, the search for floor tile has now started to impact whether or not I can sleep for four hours without waking up in a cold sweat over the color of the bathroom floor. Currently, the answer to that question is not.

So instead of sleeping I started a little project late last night. As you can see I’m making some progress on the tub/fireplace tile. It’s taking longer than you would think because I realized that if I installed it with the manufacturer joints, I would be able to tell where the individual sheets of tile end due to the uniform pattern of breaks that isn’t repeated within the sheet itself. Seeing the seams of individual sheets of mosaic tile is one of those things that drives me batty. Battier. So for each sheet I’m pulling a good portion of the end tiles off and re-arranging them for a more random assortment of breaks where two pieces meet.

And no, I haven’t grouted the tile in the other bathroom, or finished the other stone column, or built the doors for my vanity yet. So technically I shouldn’t be starting another project… but sometimes I need that little rush of adrenaline that comes with starting something new just to get me through the day. Or to exhaust me enough to get some sleep.

The other thing that’s going to help is ordering the floor tile, and I’ve narrowed it down to two options.

#1 Darker:

DSC_0867

The closeup:

DSC_0870

With other bathroom materials:

master_bath_style2

And…

#2 Lighter:

DSC_0865

Up close and personal:

DSC_0863

In context:

master_bath_style3

Neither of these come in rectangular sizes, but I’ve nixed that idea in favor of using the rectangular slate in the mudroom and large square tiles on the diagonal in the bathroom.

I like them both better than the previous option, which was more blue and had a lot of lighter shades in the multi assortment. I found the darker tile first and thought I had “the one” but the pattern of the lighter tile appeals to me and I like the way it makes the tumbled marble “pop”. I’m not sure if the lighter tile really goes with the wall tile though…

MysteryMan was very clear on the point that I am not allowed to repaint the walls in the master bath unless he’s sleeping and doesn’t know until all of the other walls in the house are done. Plus I really do love the wall color.

Which way would you go? Darker or lighter?

27 Responses

  1. I would do the darker one (which is odd for me to say), because I think the overall color scheme works best with the darker tile. Just my $.02 🙂

    1. I agree, a bottle of wine is exactly what is needed to make this decision. Any time you’re in Michigan, you’re totally invited over!

  2. I lean towards the lighter one. I think it has more interest because it has more of a pattern. I also think it makes the other elements pop a bit more, as you pointed out. Personally, though, I would keep looking. What I want is one that, when I find it, I just know absolutely that this is the one. Kind of a Brigham Young moment when he got to the area of the Great Salt Lake with the Mormons. “This is the place.” The lad never looked back. If you’re still heming and hawing, you haven’t found the one that blows you away yet. And also, past a certain point, it really doesn’t matter in the long run. You have a good sense for putting this stuff together, and when it’s finished–unless you just screw it up beyonnd all belief–it’s finished. And you’ll love the finished result.

    1. You’re absolutely right Joseph… once it’s down, we’ll probably never notice it again.

      I definitely agree with you on the pattern of the lighter tile… I’m so conflicted!

  3. I like both but would probably go with the darker one – for some reason I feel more grounded if the floor is as dark or darker than the walls. I feel like the floor wants to float up if it is lighter than the walls. Only one of my weird quirks.

  4. I prefer the way the lighter one looks w/the wall color. And I think it goes well w/the wall tile, but what do I know?

  5. Immediately liked darker with wall and tile, etc…lighter not so much. Not seeing green on my monitor.

  6. I really like the lighter – the darker is a closer color match, but I think you run the risk of making the room too matchy-matchy. The lighter is different enough to create interest but definitely still goes with the rest of the color scheme.

    Also, since the rest of the colors in the room are darker (walls, vanity, other tile etc.) it might be nice to bring in a lighter element to keep the room from feeling too heavy. It’d be a shame to have that great big relaxing bathroom feel small just because the colors are on the dark side.

  7. I like the lighter one. The wall color brings out the grey in that tile and the lighter brown in it is a bit more subdued.

    When I look at the darker tile next to the wall color all I see is the brown in the tile. It seems to overpower the grey.

    That’s my $.02.

  8. My £0.02 is going on voting for the lighter tile as well. Highlights the notes in the other tiles and the wall colour without making the whole thing too dark.

  9. Not wanting to be argumentative, but I do not feel that either color is going to make the bathroom feel smaller–or bigger for that matter. My bathrooms are five feet by nine feet. We have long since decided that when we remodel we are not going to make them larger because we like the rest of the house the way it is. So, I start with a cracker box and end with one. God knows I can certainly make them look much better then they do now, but hell, the bar’s not set all that high. Cheap, tract crap bathrooms. But adding lots of mirrors and so forth is NOT going to make those bathrooms seem larger to me, because I’m still a six footer with broad shoulders using a cracker box bathroom.

    Your bathrooms, by way of decided contrast, are huge. And no matter what you with them now, they’re huge. Eventually, you will be soaking in that big tub, looking at the fireplace on a cold winter’s day singing, “Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found you.” And no one’s going to give a damn about the color of the tile–especially you!

  10. I vote darker. I don’t see any green in it – are you reading green in the brown parts or the grey parts? Either way, there is no green in your bathroom to pick up any slight green cast that may be in the tile in person, so it shouldn’t look green in the finished room. And I agree with Cheryl that sometimes light floors can seem to float in dark rooms. Guess I have weird quirks too.

  11. I’ve had darker and lighter tile in bathrooms of various colors and for whatever reason I have always felt the lighter flooring in a bathroom just says clean way more so than a darker flooring does. And for my money, anything that makes people think my bathroom is CLEAN without me doing anything to it is a huge bonus in my book.

  12. Lighter, for sure. The darker accents will pop against it. And for practical purposes, lighter flooring doesn’t show every speck of dust and animal hair!

  13. definitely the lighter–it looks more “textured” and provides a nice contrast of dark/light, as well as some depth. Whatever you do, have fun!

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