I like your floor choices. Make sure they are designed for flooring.

You can't go wrong with basket weave, but I do like the larger format tile with the gray squares.

That "larger basketweave" is a matte porcelain. The other 2 are marble mosaics. All say they are ok for shower walls/floors, but I would definitely speak to someone first. Do you think it would be better just for the outer floor and to do something else for shower floor- I think I'd prefer the 12x24" tiles horizontal in the shower so there are fewer grout lines. The first marble mosaic has a sparkly and very pale blue square insets; oddly, my husband who tends to like more modern design, likes this one the best. But I am worried about slip resistance with a polished tile

Safety first in the bathroom: sanded grout lines and non-polished floor tiles make slipping and falling less likely. I also use washable rubber-backed bathroom rugs for extra safety in a room with hard surfaces and corners.

@abcdlatham, that is very pretty! Our ENTIRE floor is probably smaller than your shower space - lol. But I do like the continuity into the rest of the bathroom. Is you marble basketweave tile matte/non-polished? I assume a grey grout looks less dirty over time too. Do you mind sharing which kind it is or where you purchased it?

It is polished, although it doesn’t feel slippery because of all of the grout. It is Carrara marble - not sure what the “center” is but it varies from light gray to black. We got it at Tiles by Design in Peabody, MA. We did a sample of white and gray grouts - with the white you lose the basketweave effect almost entirely. I’ve been through the dirty grout thing with our kitchen, so I was just as happy to go with gray on the floor.

I have 1” square matte finished marble tiles as a shower floor. I have said elsewhere here that I would NEVER do it again and would tear them out in a heartbeat and replace them with porcelain. They are very difficult to keep clean, even thought they have been sealed. They have discolored as a consequence of body oils, etc. I also suggest going with a darker grout on your bathroom floors, regardless of the color of your tile. In another bathroom the white floor grout has tended to yellow where we walk. Finally, I would warn against throw rugs with rubber backings on any natural stone floor. This is just one opinion, but I think you are smart to ask about how natural stone works as the flooring in a shower. Good luck with your project!

I love those and considered using them for my master bath. Our tiles advised against marble for the shower floor. I know people talk about the grout lines making it less slippery, but....

We went in a whole other direction.

Glossy for the walls and matt for the shower floor and bathroom floor.

@eld6161, that is a beautiful shower. I think we want more white background on the tiles, but I like the layout of yours. Are those porcelain 12x24? What is the material on the shower floor and is it the same as the bathroom floor (I can't tell from your pic). Would you also advise against the marble mosaics for the bathroom floor as well? It is less than 18sqft of space and will likely have at least one bath mat placed on it. I could go very simple in the shower area (marble like porcelain large tiles on walls- polished or matte- and a simple tile on the shower floor- and then do the "nicer" mosaic tile on the bathroom floor. Alternatively, I'd use something like the larger matte porcelain basketweave on both floors.

Oh, and I'm also deciding if I should just forgo ANY tile on the bathroom wall (just tile the shower space) and drywall.

Option 1: Drywall and paint the 3 other non-shower walls (one wall has pedestal sink/toilet, one wall has the radiator w/ cover and small window, and one wall has towel bar and door opening)

Option 2: Drywall/paint 2 walls and continue the 12x24" shower tiles on the wall behind pedestal sink/toilet

Option 3: Re-tile the entire bathroom walls the same 12x24" that would be in shower (or whatever tile we end up choosing)-- currently this is what we have 12x12 tiles EVERYWHERE

Gc, no matter what you decide, I would only do a matte finish on all floors.

Our tiles are from Happy Floors. I like that they have series of tiles so they coordinate with each other. The walls and the floor are the same 12x24 but look different enough to be interesting. Ours is called Citrus Blossom. They are 12x24.

There were other choices for the small tiles, but we stuck with the basic square mosaic.

I also like a bathroom that is completely tiled. once and done, never have to paint.

But, we did not do this here. It’s a second home down south and we didn’t see that look down there.

My preference is either none or all on non shower walls. I would do just one.

When we started like you and looked looked at marble tiles, I found it difficult to match the whites. Things seemed great in the tile store, but when we got them home and just clashed.

I am far from being a decorator! so much easier when the choices are already coordinated.

Thank you, @eld6161. I'll look at Happy Floor. I only briefly browsed Floor and Decor online and ordered a few samples. Maybe I should stick with porcelain and matte and then narrow my choices.

@Beth H. :Any chance you can weigh in on best tile material for shower floor, shower walls and bathroom floors? I don't want to fall in love with something and it be really impractical (even though it's rated OK for showers)

I know, it’s a let down. But if this is a master bathroom, you have to be extra careful.

What is strange is that the matte finish in the shower as well as the floor feels soft to me.

@eld6161, Are the tiles on the floor the same color/style as the ones on the wall but in a matte vs polished?

Yes. But they seem very different, which is what I like.

I was lucky to actually see the wall tile in a showroom. It was paired with other tile, but then we found out it had the coordinating tiles so it was win/win.

I don’t know if I would have chosen this from a photo.

Also, we were very picky about what tile went where. We put the ones with the darker shading and swirls in less obvious places.

This tile has an arrow and has to be installed in that direction, It was also recommended to do 1/3 off set for both walls and floors.

I have never had a tile with such instructionS , so just be aware if this possibility In anything you pick.

Many people do the marble, but you have read some of the drawbacks here. I am not one for high maintenance, although I really love that look. Maybe some day I will have a powder room!

Or porcelain basket weave?

I think I will look for a porcelain basketweave. This is our masterbath so I don't want to have to "worry" about babying the floors/wall and as we get older, I want to be safe. I actually like the larger porcelain basketweave I found. Seems different. And it seems to be a good match with the 12x24 I found. The marble mosaics are so pretty though - lol. We have such a small floor surface that anything too big will look odd. I'm beginning to wonder if the 12x24's may be too big and if that's why the 12x12's were used. The larger tiles may end up having weird cuts on the short walls of the shower (~31"). It may be best to tile the sink/toilet wall as it's an extension of the shower fixture wall too. I may just drywall/pain the other 2-- such a small area for both. And I want to try and recess a wall cabinet into one wall and i'll probably be easier on drywall. Thanks for all your advice, @eld6161

Share your progress!

Would this marble mosaic look good on entire wall with sink/toilet? It’s ~55” wide and 72” high. It’s the wall you see when you walk into the bathroom. Then paint the wall to the left (with window) and across from sink with some trim pieces. Maybe an inset storage cabinet across from mirror too. Then shower area would be 12x24 tiles? Maybe same in bathroom floor and something coordinating on shower floor? I know porcelain tiles are most low maintenance for floors/shower wall. But what would coordinate with marble mosaic (it has a little sparkle to it). It’s one tile that both my husband and I like.

I love your tile choices. We used marble basket weave flooring, although not in the shower. I read a few posts of discolored marble in the shower and I didn’t want to experience that. We decided on a cast iron shower pan and are very happy with the look and feel. We used larger subway tile on the shower walls and did bring in a little of the basketweave as an accent. Our bathroom is fairly simple but we love it. Good luck with your renovation.

@Sherrie, that looks great! Do you mind sharing what the bottom of your shower looks like (and what kind of pan specifically)? Wondering if forgoing tile on shower floor will make life easier. Our floor space is SO small and will be covered by at least 1 bath mat (as seen in pic) which itself covers 50% of the floor. Not sure I want to spend $$ on the floor material. Thus was thinking of using the same larger tiles on the floor as shower wall. I like how you did the accent strip in the shower. I love your basketweave tile- can you share the source? My worry is that the white/background on the marble mosaic will not match well with the larger tile. What size are your subway tiles?

Since our bathroom is so small, I was hoping to keep it more white than gray, though your baseketweave is beautiful!

Thanks. The shower base was the 48x36 Kohler Purist. We purchased from Lowe's, and paid less than what it's listed for on the Kohler site. I've added a link that shows the bottom. Basketweave is Siberian Pearl from The Tile Shop. It does have a lot of gray to it and honestly, I didn't notice it so much at the store, but once installed, it became more evident. We still love it though. Subway tiles were 12x24 (hoping I remembered that correctly), also purchased from The Tile Shop. The only hiccup we had was the grout used from The Tile Shop (Superior Grout, really isn't all that "superior", LOL). Since installation, we had it removed by a contractor and re-grouted. Good luck with your bathroom. It can be a challenge, but in the end, so worth it. https://www.us.kohler.com/us/purist-48-x-36-single-threshold-center-drain-shower-base/productDetail/shower-bases/421222.htm?skuId=372746&brandId=empty&;

You asked about running the marble mosaic up the entire wall behind your sink. I think that it would look odd there. How much of the area above your sink will be taken up by a mirror and lights? I’d prefer seeing it on the bathroom floor. Need it be covered by a rug all of the time? Perhaps use a shower mat that can be hung up when not in use? Just a thought. The mosaic looks great with your larger wall tile for the shower. I think I would opt for a Kohler Purist base, your white large format on the walls of the shower, the mosaic on the floor, and plain plaster walls painted a very pale gray on your walls. Crisp white trim everywhere. And gorgeous white bath towels. A miniature oasis! Good luck!

@ptreckel, The wall is 55" x72" and has the white pedestal sink and a small Duravit toilet. That wall will run into the shower wall/door essentially. The mirror is 31x30" and there is a small 2 light horizontal light above it. The entire wall above the toilet is currently an expanse of tile. I know my husband, and there will be no putting the bath mat up and down. It's just the 2 of us who use this bathroom. We like the mat in front of the sink to keep feet warm. Just thought the "pop of pretty" tile on the back wall would be nice (also can see it from our bed when door is ajar).

But, I guess I could do the floor in the pretty mosaic and maybe a band of it in the shower? or in a niche?

I have tile EVERYWHERE right now and it's easy to clean so it would just be prettier tile on back wall. I'll try and take a pic of the entire wall later.

@ptreckel @SherrieThis is the view from bed/bedroom that has a lot of molding and millwork and plantation shutters. Blue walls.

Anyone else care to weigh in? Full wall mosaic marble tiles vs just floor and accent in shower. Can porcelain tiles co-mingle with the marble mosaics? If paint on sink wall, will I have water issues behind pedestal sink?

@Beth H. :

@Flo Mangan

@Design Interior South

@Gcubed, I'm definitely no expert, but my personal preference would be painted walls and beautiful marble floor. If you really want tile, maybe tile from the floor up to the sink area (to avoid water issues on wall) with the white subway (if that's what you choose for shower) and add accept at the top of the subway, with a bullnose?? Just a thought. I like having walls to paint so that I can change it up from time to time. Tile on the wall is so permanent, IMO.

The floor of your master bath is small. Perhaps a heated floor to warm your toes rather than a rug? Just a thought!

I would like to hear/see an update as I am looking at similar options.

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