Sample Grout inspiration pics (and above that should read “all the WHITE (not while) may be too bland”. Apparently you can’t edit posts afterwards)

Room layout, actual tile and floor (and vanity/ponywall) countertop

I am not a designer but browse a lot on Houzz. I’m sure experts will reply, but I’ve seen so many posts with tile similar to what you are looking at, and the posters are so frustrated that the final product doesn’t look like what the inspiration photos look like. All sort of lippage problems, walls not level. Hope some experts will give some insight.

I am actually Ok with it being uneven (like in the first photo). I saw a recent thread with that, but those were huge tiles and seemed to be defective. I have seen these tiles up at someone's house so fingers crossed I'll like the final look

Skippack Tile & Stone thats a great point I hadn't thought of. thanks!

I agree white grout would be ideal for those tiles.

Are you locked in to the wall tiles yet? I ask only because, while they are very pretty, they appear to be a very different white (stark cool white) when compared to the other softer warmer whites in your floor tile and countertop (which are also very pretty). If you could find a similar tile in a softer/warmer white color, I think that would look more cohesive.

White ... I love the tile !

kariyava, Unfortunately no, it only comes in an offwhite/beige which looks terrible next to the tub. The floor tile does have a similar white in it with white flecks throughout, it just doesn't get picked up well in the photo. The good news is the tile doesn't connect with the floor other than in two small areas, and while I agree with the counter its not ideal, because I'm using the same slab as the kitchen it is what it is and I'm OK with it...

while i definitely agree that these tiles need white grout, neverinamillionyears would i ever put white grout in a bathroom. while religious use of aftershower spray cuts down on grout scrubbing, it still gets a tad discolored over time, and will end up looking a bit dingey and highlighting the not perfect grouted tile spacing.

i think large swaths of handmade looking tile ends in disappointment frequently.

White will turn grey, so might as well start with the grey.

For whatever its worth, this is a guest bath that will probably be used for showering maybe two dozen times in the course of a year. I have had guest baths with all white grout in the past and never really had an issue with grout staining...

just do a warm gray. I did it w/my white subway tiles. Warm Gray from Mapei. you want some delineation of your tiles or else it will look like a giant white sheet.

plus, its a shower! it will discolor, hands down. use the gray. the eye tends to not even 'see it' when viewed in full.

here, is this horrible looking that you can see each tile shape? no.

Beth H. thanks for that. what do you think about the comments above about the white masking tiling imperfections esp since the tiles have the wavy "hand-made" look?

you bought that tile because you like the 'hand made' look, yes? if you wanted to mask imperfections and look smooth, then go get the tiles like I have!

what is the recommended spacing for the tiles? the manufacturer should have something posted under the installation specs for this tile.

but I will add, tell you tile guy to make sure you start w/a perfectly plumb wall.

before you install these, read up on Houzz some of the other 'wavy tile in shower' posts. overhead lighting will make these look a bit more rustic, as it casts shadows when one tile sticks out more than others. that's why I mentioned to start w/a perfectly plumb wall

Yes I've read the comments about wavy tiles. The most negative ones I've seen lately are tied to a possibly defective tile (also much larger tile than this). I am not worried about imperfections in the tile "look" to the wall -- I like the wavy look. It was suggested above about imperfections in the grouting. That's something I won't be able to control (beyond the caliber of the tiler). Looking at the sample pictures I posted, two use white, two use light grey tile. I find both appealing...

then maybe do the lightest gray. that warm gray I have actually looks like a warm white in person. if I didn't know it was gray, I'd think it was white. But it will discolor in a shower. if you are someone who keeps up on your cleaning then go w/white. I used white in w/my glass tiles in my sons bathroom and wish I had gone w/a medium gray! And I clean regularly! He takes two showers a day, usually, so it's constantly being used and has a lot of moisture. if you aren't going to have that, then the white would be fine. For the floor tiles, for sure I'd use a neutral gray. you do not want white on any floor.

Thanks, I'll consider it. As I mentioned above, the shower is likely to be used maybe a dozen or so times per year at most. Only when guests visit, and that's usually my older parents who will likely use my walk-in master shower anyway....

ok then, use the white . that shouldn't be a prob. I'd still use gray for those blue floor tiles. white will stand out too much, whereas the gray will blend better.

In her photos, it sure looks to me like they've prepped for a mud-floated installation for the shower. That will give the best possible surface for the setting of these tiles.

Beth H. very true about using grey because of the floor. I'll ponder that. flyr4fun yes muddy it is !