Iri, thank you. people kept telling me the 12” x 24” works just fine in a traditional home, but that didnt feel right to me. I felt like I was taking crazy pills:) is there a hex size that is too big for traditional?

Aria D, sorry, I didnt upload photos. The house is demo’d and I didnt think they would be very helpful.

@sds333 - 12x24 is anything but traditional! 12x12 checkerboard in a foyer? Sure. 12x24 in a bathroom - heck no. In general, for hexagons, anything bigger than 3-4" reads modern/contemporary to me. I'd just be wary that builders tend to push the more readily available/easier to install options - if it's not in line with your desired aesthetic, you have to really push for what you want.

IMO it totally depends on the tile I love 12 x24 if you do it staggered even the same porcelain tile will look more traditional than if you do it stacked. I dislike hex tile in most cases and IMO the large ones are just confused. What style are you going for? I glanced at your idea books most pis are quite traditional. I never start demolition with no plan so right now IMO stop until you have aplan. Tiling is along way away so slow down. I have done 12 x24 carrara marble floors for clinets in very traditional homes . IMO tile size has little to do with the actual style you are going for. So maybe share a bit more info as to what the plan is and aslo the style of the house. I am not one who thinks the interior needs to the same style as the extrior but sometimes certain house just work better when they work together . I thinkone would be a Victorian .

Have you compiled Ideabooks in Houzz to refine your own likes/dislikes to help communicate with your builder? If he wants to lay 12 X 24" tile but that's not what you want you may just be talking more $$. If his tile subcontractor is a hack maybe he can't do anything different. Tiling is an area that seems to generate a lot of complaints from posters on this site, so keep an eye on what your tilesetter does, no matter which tile you choose. Don't let more than a couple hours go by before you check their work. Otherwise you could come home at the end of the day to something you don't like, either because of a miscommunication or sloppy workmanship.

12x24 is super trendy right now so I'm not surprised it's being pushed. It's very practical for something like a shower so I might be willing to make a concession there and hope nobody notices...

What is your general house style? We would love to pick out tile for you!

Thank you everyone! the good news is the contractor is a relative, excellent, and has laid tile for 30 years. he is happy to do what makes us happy. im trying to keep all tile simple in the full bathrooms. we are using glossy white 3 x 6 subway tile in all of the full bathrooms (showers and tub/shower) with the master having an addition of white subway wainscott. i originally planned to put 2” white matte hex for the flooring in all bathroom floors and shower floors. (I don’t want marble, even though I love it, because we had it all over our last house and it was a pain to clean and maintain. Not to mention if you are prone to accidentally dropping things like, say, giant jars of pickles, the etching is astounding. And yes, I did that.

I’m second guessing the 2” hex on the floors thinking it might be too busy. But then again, we will have decorative rugs in the bathrooms as well. And 2” in shower as well seems off, but would 1” hex grout be a cleaning pain. 3” hex (if I can find it) floors and 2” hex showers? That was when my brain shut down and I started to think i should give each bathroom a separate shape white tile. Ugh. Each bath will be differentiated with lighting, mirrors, decor, cabinet color (maybe).

The laundry room i was excited to do a checkerboard floor but its tricky to find tile that works with the cabinet color (Sherwin-Williams Creamy), not to mention is from the same manufacturer and is in the same grouping. I may still wind up with this but was trying to figure out an alternative so I can pivot if necessary.

Just realized Sophie mentioned my idea books. I haven’t looked through those in quite a while, but am going to. But yes, traditional but not stuffy. (I love the look and feel of anything Gil Shafer does, for instance

Im not sure if that was enough (or too much!) information, but all thoughts/ opinions welcome!

Thank You

Um, I meant Patricia, not Sophie! I must have gotten that from old posts, sorry

like 12 x24 tile for both bathroom floors and shower walls to keep grout to a min. but I think we need some info. Are you doing tile everywhere or are you just asking about bathrooms.If everywhere why tile ? THis question is sort of a big deal for a new home . As I mentioned most of the pics are traditional but they also show wood floors more often.

1. 12 x 24 Tile: Is this a contemporary/modern tile or does that depend on the look and layout of the tile?

NO WAY is it traditional! I don't care what Patricia says.

2. Hex Tile: I know 1", 2", & 3" work for traditional/transitional. What about bigger sizes? And if they work, what would be the biggest before they started to read contemporary?

I would be leary about larger sizes in most tradtional homes. Iwould stick to no larger than 3". In a more transitional home, I could see up to an 8" hex. And in a spanish/mission style home, you could go even bigger.

I’m second guessing the 2” hex on the floors thinking it might be too busy.

It will be fine as long as you choose a grout close in color to the tile color.

But then again, we will have decorative rugs in the bathrooms as well. And 2” in shower as well seems off, but would 1” hex grout be a cleaning pain.

In the old days, I'd say yes but nowadasy with the better grouts, it shouldn't be a problem. I have a pale off white grout in my master for 4 years now. No issues with it staying clean. I have an of white grout in my mudroom/friend's entry that we are in and out of the house dozens of times a day and the color is still the same as the day it was put in. Same with the silver gray in my upstairs bath with 1" white hex tiles.

3” hex (if I can find it) floors and 2” hex showers?

Ultimately, you have to decide. What is the age of the house?

Thank you. The flooring throughout is:

Bedrooms - Carpet

Full Baths & Laundry Room - Tile

All Else - Hardwood - 4" White Oak stained a medium to dark brown with little to no undertone

This is not an old or period house, 25 years old. It is a single story with a walk out lower level. I would not call it a ranch, and not specific like french provincial, tudor, etc. It's a cross-hipped house. 12 ft. ceilings in the main living areas (living, dining kitchen, breakfast and entry (two feet higher than we were looking for, but it's for the almost floor to ceiling windows/doors in those areas to take advantage of the views. 9 ft ceilings in the other rooms. Nice mouldings, crown but nothing extravagent. I would call them classic and well scaled to the house. Traditional/Classic suits this house, contemporary/modern does not. I don't want trendy in any of the hard finishes.

All of your comments are very much appreciated

PS I don't know if I stated it properly, but the general goal in this is simple, classic and non-fussy

I think your plan is fine. You can vary the bathrooms by varying the tile or you can do it with paint and accessories which makes the decision less permanent and thus less stressful.

For the checkerboard floor, have you considered something like Marmoleum? (I don't understand what you mean by " the same manufacturer and is in the same grouping"--are there limitations on what materials you can use?)

@sds333 - depends on the tile/application (defer to your tile installer - they do this for a living), but I know that certain grouts (epoxy, etc.) are more stain resistant, so it is possible to use light/white grout closer to your color selection without it getting super stained/ugly over time. Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'd rather personally clean every grout line in my bathroom with a toothbrush every single day than live with 12x24 tile everywhere. I loathe it. And on bathroom floors? It's a recipe for broken bones (I'm super clumsy).

For your laundry room, there are lots of cool options if you aren't going "old house" but "traditional" house - my advice: go to a large tile retailer in person (NOT HOME DEPOT OR LOWES!) and pick out some samples. Bring them back to your space and see how you feel with them in the space. The internet is great for brainstorming/dreaming, but nothing beats looking at the actual materials in person. I ordered so many samples online during the pandemic that looked awesome on my screen and were obviously all wrong once I had them in hand - going to an actual brick and mortar location made a huge difference in terms of selecting materials.

Iri - Yes, I'm told it's best to have tile from the same manufacturer and the same series/group from that manufacturer. If not, you will have height variances in the tile and that screws everything up. It is very hit or miss if two tiles in the same series even look good together. Unfortunately the only tile manufacturer I've come across that even has an actual checkerboard program is Ann Sacks but it's in marble.

JP L & cpartist- Thank you for the info on the grout, that is very good to know. And thank you for the thought on in-person tile viewing. I have been to a few showrooms and no luck on checkerboard options that look nice. There is one more I will make an appointment at next week to see a couple of options.

I'm feeling much more confident in the original idea of using the 2" Hex and using a lighter grout (I was picturing darker to hide stains) With the lighter grout it will look far less busy and blend into the background better while still looking traditional/classic. Phew!

The laundry room is still a challenge (and I thought checkerboard was a no-brainer!), but if It doesn't work out I will pivot to a larger format square tile in one pattern laid on the diagonal.

The only 12 x 24 that I've seen that works style-wise was a limestone - everything else seemed contemporary (Maybe I haven't seen enough), but I'm guessing that is a more difficult option to maintain than marble. (If you've had it and liked living with it, let me know!:)

You all are fantastic, thank you!!

PS JP L - yes, bringing home the samples! i brought home about a eight thousand pounds of them this week (ok, probably 5 or 6 samples, it just felt like eight thousand pounds) and every one of them looked horrible! If these places had a mobile van that came to your home with a strong driver and lots of options to try I would totally sign up for that

@sds333 - I had limestone in a bathroom a long time ago, and it stained/etched quite a bit. I've seen beautiful limestone floors in other locations, but no idea where mine went wrong. Maybe if it isn't subjected to water repeatedly, it's easier maintenance? No idea.

The laundry room is still a challenge (and I thought checkerboard was a no-brainer!), but if It doesn't work out I will pivot to a larger format square tile in one pattern laid on the diagonal.

Definitely check out marmoleum for the laundry room. It can be designed to have a checkerboard pattern and it's practically indestructable and much easier on your feet.

Thank you, i will de check it out.

jp l - thats what thought, thank you

Sure, tile in one room in a single plane should probably all the the same, especially on floors and counters. But bathrooms have nothing to do with the laundry room! Mix. Them. Up!!

Sorry, I made that confusing! Laundry room will definitely be nothing like the bathrooms