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Need floor tile idea for 1900’s bathroom

Karl | Posted in General Discussion on February 5, 2009 05:33am

I am living in a old farmhouse that has had very little in the way of upgrades or modifications since built in the late 1800’s. The bathroom has a clawfoot tub and wall hung porcelain sink and I am trying to come up with a replacement floor tile for the bathroom that will tie in with the era of the house.

The bathroom had an ancient linoleum floor applied originally. The other house on the property has tile bath with 3 by 6 subway tile wainscoat, cove base, and the floor is small 3/4″ by 1 1/2″ (approx) rectangular and square tile in a random mosaic pattern with a contrasting border of 3 by 6″ tile.

I would be happy to duplicate this bathroom but am having a tough time coming up with floor tile ideas. I would like to keep the tile small as the floor has some bounce in it and I suspect large tiles would be more prone to cracking.

I was all set to lay some 1 1/4″ hex unglazed white porcelain tile from Dal Tile but they arrived with 40 of the 48 sheets of tile having severe chips from poor handling. As I was inspecting the damage to them and laying them out on the floor to see how many I could salvage I realized that with two kids and two dogs in the house the unglazed floor would be a magnet for any dirt they tracked in.

Now I am trying to decide what to do next. I want a traditional color theme, I want a floor that won’t show every loose hair or speck of dirt and I am looking for a small format tile.

I see a “block random tile” in almond on Dal’s website that has some potential. http://daltileproducts.com/series.cfm?series=238
I will check it out at their showroom tomorrow as I return the original hex tile that had shipping damage..

If anyone knows of a website or forum with tasteful tile ideas that would fit the period of this house I would appreciate any suggestions.

Also any firsthand suggestions on things you have done or seen done would be appreciated.

I should also mention I am leaning toward doing a tile wainscoat with 3 by 6″ subway tile to keep the walls easy to clean at child/dog level.

Thanks.

Karl

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Replies

  1. barmil | Feb 05, 2009 05:47am | #1

    Bathrooms should not have slick tile. The reason should be obvious. Mosaic tile would be appropriate for your period, and it's easier to lay in sheets than individual tiles. But you have to have a solid foundation in any case. Stabilize the subflooring and lay cement board over it before laying the tile. Seal the grout afterwards if you don't want staining and other problems later.

  2. MGMaxwell | Feb 05, 2009 06:57am | #2

    you might try posting at johnbridge.com. They are tops for technical advice, but inhabitants there also have good opinions on taste as well.

    1. Karl | Feb 05, 2009 08:40am | #3

      Thanks for the tip, I just joined their forum and left a very detailed post.Karl

  3. User avater
    Jeff_Clarke | Feb 05, 2009 10:07am | #4

    Karl - you can get a 2" hex glazed tile - not too slippery because of all the joints.

    Jeff

  4. Howard_Burt | Feb 05, 2009 05:28pm | #5

    Take a look at this site for some ideas.

    http://www.restorationtile.com/installations.html

    1. Karl | Feb 05, 2009 06:56pm | #11

      Panic,
      That is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!Any thoughts on keeping a predominantly white tile floor clean in a high traffic bathroom?I am not looking to hide mountains of filth in a dark colored floor. My concern is similar to when I put on a white shirt and tie to dress up and the smallest smudge or spot on a white shirt stands out whereas with just about any other color you might conceal it.Thanks,
      Karl

  5. BryanSayer | Feb 05, 2009 05:33pm | #6

    One detail about the subway tile look is whether the edges are square or beveled. True old subway tile have square edges and very thin grout joints. But these can be hard to find.

    I concur with the hex tile floor. You just have to find a good tile and make sure it is rated for floors (#5 I think).

    1. Karl | Feb 05, 2009 06:59pm | #12

      Good point on the thin grout joints,If the color is appropriate I will go with the Dal tile Rittenhouse square subway tile from home depot $2/sq ft is really appealing as a way to reduce the overall cost.They only stock a white and an almond.Karl

  6. frenchy | Feb 05, 2009 05:33pm | #7

    small white octogon tiles are correct for the period and solve all of your issues.. I got them at my local tile discounter so they are still readily available (in fact I have 7 sheets left over) <grin> 

      they come in a 1'x1' sheet and interlock with the adjacent sheet so laying them is really fast and easy..   do solve your bounce before tiling though.  Even these little 1 inch ocyogons can come loose on a bouncy floor. 

    1. Karl | Feb 05, 2009 06:47pm | #9

      Frenchy, What is your take on keeping a white floor clean? You refer to your dog from time to time. Any issues with hair or muddy footprints standing out?The floor really only bounces if the kids and I start doing jumping jacks or something like that -- a surprisingly regular occurence. (Maybe not that surprising with a 4 and 7 year old.Existing floor is 2 by 12 doug fir joists with 3/4" tongue and groove plywood.I was going to set them in epoxy thinset and use epoxy grout. Before this is a polycoat polyurethane system for water proofing the floor and prepping for thinset. There will be finished living space under the bathroom and I wan't to avoid tub overflows and splashes from the kids leaking downstairs.I love the hex tile look, I am just trying to decide if white tile will be a nightmare to keep presentable and should I go glazed or unglazed.Thanks for the input,
      Karl

      1. frenchy | Feb 05, 2009 07:44pm | #13

        I like to walk around in my stocking feet and if I see dust or mud I shuffle my socks across the floor and presto chango floor be clean!.  (socks be dirty but they need to be changed anyway) <grin> 

          Not very hard to keep clean. Once in a while I spend a little time cleaning the grout but I sealed that very well and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

          I like making a bed of nearly dry morter mix.. I put down a layer of roofing felt first  to avoid contact between cement and wood.. (not a good thing is water should leak  and water always leaks.   It's easy to level off and doesn't cost as much as backer board..  Plus if you have infloor radiant heat  (which you will really love)  it's easy to put down first and then level off a layer of morter mix..  The thickness should be set so that you wind up with a level threshold.

          you can stiffen up the floor.. you mentioned the floor joists are 2x12's but how long a span are they?  What sort of spacing between joists do you have? 

          You can sister joists inbetween  to decrease the spacing or you can add blocking to reduce some of the bounce..

        1. Karl | Feb 05, 2009 08:19pm | #14

          Frenchy,
          Joists are 16" oc 14 foot span.Karl

          1. frenchy | Feb 05, 2009 08:32pm | #15

            My joists are 12 inches on center, (same span)  Actaul 2"x12"s not nominal.    Three 3x12 ash timbers and 1 6" by 12"  ash timber in a room 14' x 22' and that results in an extremely (by my standard) bouncy floor.. In addition there is blocking mid span. 

              

        2. User avater
          Jeff_Clarke | Feb 05, 2009 08:34pm | #16

          "small white octogon tiles are correct for the period"

          Hexagons.   Octagons don't interlock by themselves ;o)

          View ImageJeff

          1. frenchy | Feb 05, 2009 08:46pm | #17

            You are correct!

              I was wrong.. thanks for catching that..

  7. Southbay | Feb 05, 2009 06:03pm | #8

    I laid these in our bathroom. Came in 1x1 sheets. Screwed and thinset Durock tile backer over new 3/4 ply subfloor. Sealed the grout with a liquid silicone sealer. Tiles have been down for years with no problems.

    There are also a few basket weave patterns that are very nice.

    1. Karl | Feb 05, 2009 06:49pm | #10

      Nice looking bathroom! Does it get much traffic and is it a challenge to keep a white floor looking presentable?Is it very slippery when wet?Karl

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