If you are not looking at them in direct comparison with each other, side by side, the less expensive one may look perfectly fine.

The money in your checkbook comes and goes, but that tile's going nowhere.

So joe-That’s a vote against the less expensive tile?

Remember you are only looking at one tile and they will not all be the same. Maybe keep looking as those tiles are a dime a dozen. You may still find exquisite for a more reasonable price.

Both make the countertop look like faux stone when they are next to it. I'd stay away from marble. (The colors are great, though.)

Tile is for the floor so the counter and tile will never be next to each other.

I would only put a mat finish on a bathrrom floor.

Have you ever looked at paint colors next to each other on a paper strip? There is a difference BUT once on the wall they look identical. If you are moving in the next few years and/or need a LOT of tile---go for the 2nd choice because you will never remember the minute difference.

They are both very nice. I've seen the first one elsewhere on a decorating blog and I adire it but it would be way out of my budget. If you can afford it, and it's going somewhere in your house that will give you a lot of pleasure, go for it! Maybe add up the price difference between the two tile installs and compare it to something else you really would like - a designer dress, a hot tub, a vacation, a car, whatever luxury floats your boat. Maybe that will help you decide if the extra money is worth it in comparison to something else.

What is the total price differential.

I went back and forth because i fell in love with a very expensive tile. I looked at a less expensive alternative but it didn’t make my heart sing. I realized that it made no sense to not get the tiles I loved since the cost of the actual tile was such a small percentage of the total cost of my remodel.

I couldafford it. I haven’t regretted it at all and in fact I do regret not making some more expensive choices like doing a herringbone wood floor instead of stamdard linear layout 🤷‍♀️

FWIW I have basketweave marble tile in my master bath and marble dog bone tile in my guest bath 🤫

Both tiles are beautiful. Even though the marble tile won’t physically touch the quartz, they will both be in the view of whoever is in the room, and therefore will be juxtaposed. I question the choice of pairing of real marble tile and a fake stone countertop, but that’s just me.

Got with the Sarah solution. Use just a bit of the basket weave as an accent to less expensive all white tiles. That way you get both--the one you love and your bank account still in tact.

The perfect/expensive tile only comes in polished. It’s a very small basketweave. I was hoping that with more grout lines it would have enough grip for a bathroom floor?

Both are nice and will have plenty of traction due to small tile size. I agree that you need to focus on the overall cost v cost per tile. Also as with any marble make sure you are buying from a reputable source that will have tile that is consistent sheet to sheet.

Basketweave tile has plenty of grip in a shower. Honed or polished it doesn't matter because your feet have plenty of grippy surfaces.

Large format tile in a bathroom is a death trap in my experience. I rented an apartment while my place was being remodeled and the bathroom had 12" x 12" marble tile in the bathroom - floor and shower floor. I had to make sure I never stepped on the surface if my feet or the floor was the slightest bit wet and taking a shower was really an adventure.

But with the basket weave tile, I feel completely secure.

Hallett is correct; size/finish is not an issue. Be aware that as natural stone, you can expect variations from the sample. What is the more expensive mosaic?

More expensive is calacatta oliva with white onyx dot. (Less expensive is calacatta gold with cindarella dot)

Admittedly, I dislike marble, but I like your "exquisite" choice much better than the second choice. It has a bit of movement and elegance; it's a step above the stronger feel of the second tile. Random thoughts, in no particular order:

- Have you shopped around to see if this tile is available elsewhere for a better price? Consider that Black Friday sales are coming.

- Just how much of this tile do you need?

- Could you use this special tile in a very visual part of the kitchen /use a solid elsewhere?

- Compared to other parts of your build, how important is this back splash to you? If it's genuinely a top-priority, consider this old saying: The sweetness of low price is forgotten long after the sour taste of low quality remains. Of course, we're not talking about low quality ... just second choice.

- Are you a person who keeps clear counter tops, so the back splash would show all the time ... or are you a person who will keep canisters, a fruit basket, whatever else "covering" this expensive tile most of the time?

- What other item in your build would you give up to get this higher-priced tile?

- How long are you going to stay in this house? Said differently, how long will you enjoy this expensive tile?

- This is a classic tile, but are you a person who will be happy with this choice for decades? Or will you want something different in a couple years? You know yourself.

- Consider that you don't actually have to make this choice NOW. A backsplash is not a necessity; you can live with the kitchen a while. You can wait until all your other bills are in. You can wait for a sale.

Both make the countertop look like faux stone when they are next to it. I'd stay away from marble. (The colors are great, though.)

The counter tops are not real stone? I can't tell from the pictures, but NO to mixing real marble with something else. This idea will fail. This is a classic pattern; what's available in ceramic look-alike?

This tile was $10.99 at my local Floor & Decor the last time I was there.

The perfect/expensive tile only comes in polished. It’s a very small basketweave. I was hoping that with more grout lines it would have enough grip for a bathroom floor?

Realize that because it's polished when it etches, you'll see it more.

What is the price difference of the tile divided by the number of years and months you're intending to stay in the house?

When I did the math for an expensive fireplace tile I loved, it wound up coming out to something like $2.00 a month over the number of years I hope to be here. I felt I could afford $2.00 a month

The difference between the two is $1850. Honestly, I can afford it, but I sometimes balk at buying things that are “extravagant”. I try not to do that if there is a reasonable alternative-just because you can doesn’t always mean you should…I suppose I struggle with that a bit. I am thrifty by nature.

Look I can afford to shop for clothes at designer stores but I buy most of my clothes at Chicos or at Macys on the 60% off rack, so I understand thrifty.

However when it came to my fireplace tile and my kitchen counter stone, I splurged big time and 4 years later still don't regret it because it gives me pleasure to look at both.

The difference between the two is $1850.

That's a big difference for something that's really just for looks.

Honestly, I can afford it, but I sometimes balk at buying things that are “extravagant”.

Which brings us back to the questions I asked before about how important this is to you /whether this is a key part of your overall build.

I am thrifty by nature.

That's a positive.
However when it came to my fireplace tile and my kitchen counter stone, I splurged big time and 4 years later still don't regret it because it gives me pleasure to look at both.

Goes back to my questions about "how important is this to you personally?".

Try comparing the $$$ stuff to a grouted sample of the $ stuff. Of course the grouted chunk looks better than the sad little bit of mesh dangly tile!

Of course the grouted chunk looks better than the sad little bit of mesh dangly tile!

An excellent point.

I would keep shopping. Basketweave is a classic pattern. Marble is a classic material. Both of those prices are excessive. I'm not saying go bargain basement. But I suspect that you can get what you want for between $15-$20/sf if you hunt.

And I second the recommendation to compare grouted samples. Grouted to un-grouted is an unfair comparison.

Excellent suggestions all around. I hadn’t thought about grouting my sample but that’s a great idea to see what it “really” looks like.

There are so many basketweave tiles I would keep searching for a less expensive one. I do not see the exact tile you have fallen in love with online and none of the ones I do see are that much per sf. Is there a reason these are so expensive?

And yes, doing grout on all options is a great idea to get a better sense of what they look like installed. Especially if this is your backsplash.

IMHO, the tiles are different styles. The first (gorgeous) is more traditional; whereas, the second is seems more modern---to me. Both are good choices. As mentioned above, those prices seem steep, especially the first. Best of luck!

" how important is this back splash to you? "

" so the back splash would show all the time "

" A backsplash is not a necessity; You can wait for a sale. "

" Especially if this is your backsplash."

Since when is a floor a backsplash? People, read what the OP wrote, as well as the replies. This is a FLOOR: " Tile is for the floor so the counter and tile will never be next to each other. "

Since when is a floor a backsplash? People, read what the OP wrote, as well as the replies. This is a FLOOR: " Tile is for the floor so the counter and tile will never be next to each other. "

I did re-read the original post -- since she was matching it so closely to the counter top, I assumed back splash, but she doesn't actually say floor or back splash.

There is more than just a difference in the marble in the pictures you posted - or lack of grout in the second. They are completely different styles and the second pattern just isn't as graceful as the basket weave pattern - at least in my opinion.

The second tile pattern seems modern.

I am not a profligate wastrel and I shop for the best price but I also spend for quality and factor in the "longevity" of items.

If you can afford it don't let a little voice in your head say you shouldn't spend the money just on principle. In the scheme of things, it is not a huge expense. Of course by afford I assume that this is truly discretionary income. The price differential for the tile I loved was about that amount - $2000 give or take a hundred dollars or so. Looking back I actually kind of laugh about how I agonized over whether I should spend that money because I just didn't think of myself as the kind of person who would. But when I am in my bathroom - admiring all the finishes and how they came together, I don't regret it - nor do I regret any of the other expensive finishes I chose. If I hadn't spent it on tile or exquisite expensive fixtures or my Havens copper sink, the money would just have sat there anyway giving me no pleasure.

I did re-read the original post -- since she was matching it so closely to the counter top, I assumed back splash, but she doesn't actually say floor or back splash.

The perfect/expensive tile only comes in polished. It’s a very small basketweave. I was hoping that with more grout lines it would have enough grip for a bathroom floor?

That's why it pays to actually read the thread too. She says it in her first post after her OP.

The second tile is busier than the first.

If you're comparing the two basketweave tiles, they are very similar in size and in pattern. The dots in the first one look slightly lighter on my monitor, but could look different in person. You are going to get the same "feel" from both of them. They are both Calacatta, so they will have warm and cool tones in them. You can't tell what the larger pieces (the white) will look like when you get delivery, since Calacatta is very heavily veined, and depending on how the tiles are chosen, could look more or less busy, lighter or darker.

I chose a Calacatta basketweave for my master bathroom 12 years ago and purchased them from Waterworks, which is premium tile. I liked their tile, and more importantly I trust their customer service. That's what you pay for when dealing with a premium tile dealer--if anything happened, if I didn't like the box of tile, they would make good on it. So yes, I paid a higher price per square foot than from HD or Floor and Decor. But it was my master bathroom and it was worth it.

@Kim - is this for you Master Bathroom floor? It seems like several of us have been in the same situation with our master bath floors.

Yes, it is the master bathroom floor. I did the whole expensive tile thing 10 years ago (marble and expensive new ravenna mosaics). I loved it when I installed it, but here I am 10 years later and I’m ready to get rid of it. I’d really like the next tile install to last longer than 10 years if I’m going the expensive route again. I feel like basketweave is beautiful and timeless, but I guess there are no guarantees…

Whether the tile install LASTS longer than 10 years or whether you will tire of them in ten years are two different questions. My master bath was done in 2009 and I still love it. Wouldn't want to change it and go through the expense, mess and disruption. When we purchased the house the bathrooms were over 60 years old and plenty serviceable. We didn't change them for many years. Good quality materials and workmanship last a good long time.

Does the tile work with the style of the house?

When was the house built?

The house is a traditional in style. I believe it’s called a New England cape cod (no dormers on the front)

Basketweave is classic and works very well in a Cape Cod home.