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terrak12

I made a huge mistake

8 years ago
We're building a new home. A lady in a nicer tile store helped me pick out tile for our master bathroom. In the tile store I found it beautiful and the mosaic seemed to match the surrounding ceramic tile perfectly. Now that it has been installed in the bathroom it has totally changed colors. It's pretty hideous and clashes pretty badly. It has already been grouted. I don't want to move in to my brand new home and already HATE something about it. And even worse, hate a design choice that I made. I have no idea what to do.

Comments (16)

  • 8 years ago

    Can you post a photo of the room?

    Colors change with the light in the room. The showroom lights are totally different from what we see in our homes at different times of the day or night. That is why it is important to get tile samples and bring them home to see them in the room where they will be installed. Sometimes you have to live with it for a day or two or even more to decide for or against using the tile for the space.

  • 8 years ago

    Can you post photos showing the tile and the whole bathroom? People need to see it in order to give opinions and advice. Is the tile in a shower or tub surround? The mosaic might be able to be replaced.

  • 8 years ago

    Photos, please.

  • 8 years ago

    Is the bathroom completely finished now, or are you seeing one element prior to completion so that its grabbing your focus. Ditto what was said about the lights. Is there a chance you could change bulbs in your fixtures to something warmer or cooler and have a different hue from your tile....Don't panic yet, it's too early to be quite so upset...There could even be a change of paint color walls that might sway you back.

  • 8 years ago

    yeahh, could be possible to see photos? :)

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    Well, tile can always be removed and replaced. My advice: live with it, and see it in various lighting conditions, day and night, for at least 6 months. Then make a decision based on your experience.

    You'd be amazed at how antsy some people get during the construction phase of a project.

  • 8 years ago

    Totally agree with Virgil. There were a few details of my new build that did not look the way I thought they would, when I first saw them. Most (but not all!) of those details no longer bother me.

    Ripping out good tile would bother me on a financial and wasteful basis though, so your mileage may vary. Post some photos on Home Decorating and those talented folks may help you figure out a way to like it.

  • 8 years ago

    There are only 2 solutions at this stage, right? Either live with it or tear it out. We've seen people choose either of those solutions over the years. There is no right or wrong choice, just depends on how much it bothers you and how much more time and money you are willing to spend on the build.

    When I remodeled my master bath, I picked a bold tile for the shower ceiling. The sample was pretty and a perfect match color wise. Once installed, it was still the perfect color, but the pattern was way too much and headache inducing! Told the tile guy to rip it out. He told me he would give me the night to think about it. Next morning still told him to tear it out. Haven't regreted the extra time and money that it cost.

  • 8 years ago

    By and large that is not a HUGE mistake. You are using language that creates a very negative internal dialog that impacts your view of things. I agree with the others that say live with it awhile, you may not hate it so much tomorrow...

  • 8 years ago

    If the mosaic tile is made from natural stone it is bound to vary what you saw in the store. Agree with everybody here, lighting makes a huge difference on how the tile ends up looking. You could potentially experiment with different color temperature bulbs and observe how the tile appears i guess. That is the most inexpensive way in my book rather than redoing the entire area.

  • 8 years ago

    If it is really going to bother you and you've given it a bit of time to sink in, I say change it! I had to do the same with my kitchen backsplash. The color looked great until it was in place with the lighting in the kitchen. We decided it was worth the money, to do what we really wanted and not spend 10-20 years regretting we didn't.


  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Well, tile can always be removed and replaced. My advice: live with it, and see it in various lighting conditions, day and night, for at least 6 months. Then make a decision based on your experience.

    This sounds like good advice to me. I'd add to it: Don't make a decision until you've added your linens, art and accessories. Those things can make a big difference.

    You can always rip it out later -- but give it a solid chance first.

  • PRO
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Colors will change with two factors - artificial lighting and ambient lighting. Artificial - ask the showroom what color temperature lighting they use (kelvins). Ambient - don't judge the tiles until you have the walls painted. Bright white drywall mud will make everything look loud and out of place. Contrast makes things look different.

  • 8 years ago

    In addition to lighting, surrounding colors also influence how we perceive things, so after you've lived with it for awhile, changed lighting, added accessories/art/what-have-you, you can always paint the walls (and ceiling)! :-)

  • 8 years ago
    Thanks everyone for the advice. I will try to get over there and take pictures. We are changing the paint color and hoping that will help. I've been trying to find mirrors that will make the weird colors in the tile look more intentional. I will definitely post photos under the home decorating section and se what folks think. I think more than anything it just doesn't look like I thought it would. Tearing it out would have been to pricey at this point. My husband said something similar to one of the posts... if you don't like it in 6 mo we'll consider taking it out...