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Wrong bathroom tile color -- Options?

3 years ago

Had a leak behind shower and needed to replace tile surround in tiny bathroom in condo. Positively everything in the unit (counters, cabinets, vanity, fixtures, etc.) is cool/bright/brilliant/arctic/frost white. I requested a similar bright white tile. The contractor showed me only Daltile 0100 "White," which I accepted. Admittedly, when I saw it in direct sunlight, it looked pretty white. In reality, it is a cream color, which is reflected in the progress below. Surround is not yet complete or grouted. I'm extremely disappointed and trying to decide what to do. Options include:

1) Rip it out and redo with a more appropriate arctic white color (pictured in comparison), which could be in excess of $6000, depending on the damage to the backing/waterproofing.

2) Have it professionally refinished/sprayed/glazed with a white that matches the tub and rest of unit. This would be aesthetically best but won't hold up as well over time.

3) Live with it.


Would love to hear your thoughts!




Comments (22)

  • PRO
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    why not just paint your walls another color, bring in some wood elements, a few plants on shelves above the toilet, and call it a day?

    Are you doing a shower curtain or glass slider?

    what's the vanity?

    flooring?

    the tile looks like it does because of your wall color (which is very cool) bringing a diff color to compliment the warmer white would make the tile look whiter

    BTW, how is that window getting tiled? it's not done, is it?

    are you replacing the window?

    when I redid this bathroom for a client, we replaced their old window w/this slider

    it was a retrofit and cost less than 200.

  • 3 years ago

    Personally I would live with it and just paint the walls a different color.

  • 3 years ago

    It's not that bad. You have the whole spectrum of wall colors to choose from. It's OK that it isn't the same white as the tub or toilet. It looks like your floor isn't white - or is it covered because of the retiling?

  • 3 years ago

    Definitely not worth $6K to replace. I, too, have an off white surround in my condo bath. I took an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach and painted the walls the same off-white shade to blend.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Thank you everyone for the feedback! I have pulled a bunch of paint chips and am considering that option.

    Beth -- It's just white shower curtain and curtain rod. The vanity is a frost white countertop on high-gloss white acrylic 2-door cabinet. Flooring is a light faux-wood luxury vinyl plank. Wall colors in unit are all that cooler, pure white. Window will not be replaced, but will be retiled. Tile surround is not yet complete, but will wrap onto window "shelf" above.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    It's impossible to use the online painting tools to match the tile so below is the best I could do. I am definitely not recommending that you paint your bathroom grey. Just get a bunch of swatches and test at different times of day to find the closest color to an exact match. FYI - The vanity in my bath is also white and so are my kitchen cabinets. I think I ended up painting the walls BM Navajo White.


  • 3 years ago

    Thank you very much, er612! It's likely a matter of finding the best paint color. It's a tricky balance between the cream tile and the stark white of everything else.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Even two different formats of the identical color of tile are a bit off in my bathroom. One format comes on a white clay base one on a browner clay base, but it's from the same line and is the same color, officially. And they look the same in some lighting and not quite the same in others.

    How much tile, how many tiles do you need to replace? If you replaced the plumbing wall, since it is on a different plane it may not even be that noticeable. If you are replacing only a patch of tiles on one wall maybe do a rectangle of replacements rather than having a patch just wherever needed.

  • PRO
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    That's a lot of white. you have a warmer color vinyl flooring, so bring in some other colors. when you have white on white on white, and then throw in a white tile that isn't the same white, that's when you eye sees the diff. If that makes sense.

    please, no white shower curtain. and no white walls.

    Please bring in a framed mirror. either in a black a gold or a wood


    (and if that current mirror is staying, PLEASE frame it yourself w/some molding you can paint, or some wood you can stain. I framed out the exact same mirror w/hickory in my own bathroom)

    Bring in a vanity light to match the hardware color you're using.

    then get some wood at a lumber yard, cut to size, stain and float them above your toilet. add a few green plants, a small pic, some color/texture variety to break up all the white




    so if you framed your mirror w/wood, got a gold and black vanity light, something like this,


    and Paint your walls one of these light, warm gray tones it would look nice. Then get a shower curtain that is a creamier white, w/these Boho designs, do the wood shelves, texture w/baskets, black/cream towels, some plants, it would look really nice.


    If you like the black and white shower curtain, then do some black hardware and black mirror/light


    try one of these colors on the wall


    Things Is Cool thanked Beth H. :
  • 3 years ago

    Consider a border of both colors to finish the edge of the tile area

  • 3 years ago

    Perhaps around the mirror too?…

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    The tile edges are already finished w/bullnose tile. he was merely putting up that tile to show the difference in the whites

  • 3 years ago

    I have two whites in my kitchen on purpose.

    In my guest bath my sink is by one manufacturer and my toilet by another and they're both slightly different whites. In the 3 years living here, not one person noticed the difference. Different whites can work together.

    I think your surround looks fine and actually brings just a bit of warmth to the space. Pick a wall color to complement the tile.

  • 3 years ago

    And yes, add some color to the space. If it's all white, it winds up looking like it belongs in a hospital setting.

  • 3 years ago

    Thank you very much to everyone for weighing in with such thoughtful suggestions!


    A tiny bit more context: due to a lengthy series of setbacks--the July shower leak is the latest-- the unit has been in a state of renovation for six months. It was expected to take 2-3 weeks. Everyone has their own tastes when it comes to color and decor, of course, but my desire has just been to keep everything minimal and white, as pictured below:




    The new bathroom--vanity, mirror, paint, fixtures, basically everything--was recently (within the last six months) purchased and installed. That the shower tile didn't work out is a gut punch, but I will do what I can with color -- either painting the bathroom or glazing the tile to bridge the gap. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to replace brand new vanity, counter, medicine cabinet, sink, etc. Even the faucet is a bright white. The shelves for above toilet are as well, I'm afraid, as is the very modern design of the light fixture. The plan was to add bits of color through plants, storage baskets, towels, etc.

  • PRO
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    you're the one that gave the choice to rip it out and redo it w/diff tile.

    if you want a sterile, hospital look, then redo the tile. spraying them w/an epoxy coating will hold up longer than spraying a tub, and would get you the bright white.

    I'm confused by your inspo pic. It has a modern, white tile floor, while your bathroom has a warm wood vinyl plank. That's why I mentioned adding in the other wood elements or the shower curtain w/a bit of warmer hues to it. If you do everything like the picture, but have those wood floor planks, it's going to look disjointed.

    but if you get a bright white shower curtain, you won't even see the tile. So just keep it pulled.

    as for the wall color, did you really want white?




    if you want a little color, Try this Calm by BM. I have it. it's a grayish white


    or, try some of these grays on the left. Snowbound is a very bright white if you want that on the walls. just keep the curtain closed and you won't see the tile.




    No offense, but this would give me anxiety if I had to look at this plain white every day!!


  • 3 years ago

    Actually I am not sure why you can't just get more of the tile you have already used? It's only been a few months, and in general it's white tile.

    Usually the problems with getting the same tile occurs when the bathroom was existing, remodeled some time ago, the tile is discontinued, it's unusual, and/or nobody has any idea what was used to begin with.

    So you and your contractor were both involved in this project, so I am not sure why one of you doesn't actually have the information available to just get more of the same tile? I am not saying this to be snarky, I just don't get why you can't get more of what you just used.

  • 3 years ago

    This is a balancing act and only you know the right answer.


    Think about how long you are planning on living in this condo and then decide how much getting the right color tile is worth to you.


    You have a max cost of $6k.


    That $6k could replace the tile or it could be spent on a new sofa or other furniture or it could be spent on a vacation or to pay off a student loan or the $6k could be split, using a portion to have the tile epoxied and spending the rest of furniture or a vacation . . .


    How is that $6k going to be used that will bring you the most joy.


    If walking into the bathroom is going to make your gut hurt every day for years to come, maybe spending the $6k is worth the money. Only you can determine what the best option is for you.


  • 3 years ago

    Thank you so much for these ideas, Beth! They are immensely helpful. I like the BM "Calm" shade. The other color sample photos are also very useful.

    I completely understand that all-white is not everyone's cup of tea!

    Yes, I had been considering the total redo option, but it's a very expensive proposition, and one that, upon further reflection, I'd like to avoid if at all possible.

    I wish I could have avoided the "wood" vinyl plank in the bathroom, but that was the result of a different setback/compromise. A white or gray tile or cement floor would have been ideal.


  • 3 years ago

    palimpsest -- Shower surround tile is 85% installed but realized too late that color didn't work out. Just trying to figure out best way to proceed. I appreciate your input.


    Jennifer H. -- You're exactly right. I'm keeping it all in perspective in reflecting on the best way forward. I really appreciate the reminder.



  • 3 years ago

    I was confused, I thought you were going to have to do the repair in the brighter white tile and have two different tiles.

    If the only problem is that the tile is not quite as white as you like, I would just make sure that I picked a wall color that worked with it and move on.

    Practically everybody in America has a bright white toilet and tub that don't exactly match each other or other whites in the bathroom.

    I have a grey bathroom, and it is all Kohler Ice Grey and coordinated Ice Grey Daltile. There are two different clays used for the two styles of tile, the tub and sink are cast iron and they match each other but not the tile, exactly and the toilet is vitreous china and it doesnt exactly match the tub or the sink. They are all the "same color" but the same color is affected by the different materials the different things are made of.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I completely understand that all-white is not everyone's cup of tea!

    When I said to bring some color in, I was talking about things that could be changed. Towels, shower curtain, cups, shelves, etc. And it doesn't have to be strong color. I'd even bring in some other soft whites that hint at pinks, grays, blues, etc.