Tiles

[girlyswot]

I'm choosing bathroom tiles at the moment (wall not floor). Does anyone have any experience of glass tiles like these? I think they look like they might be rather beautiful, but I wonder if there are any downsides?

Any other suggestions for tiles? I'm planning to have the walls painted a pale duck egg blue, with tongue and groove panelling a slightly darker shade below. White bathroom suite and white (or off-white) woodwork.

Comments

[amamama.livejournal.com]

I don't have any experience with glass tiles, but I don't think you should buy them without visiting a shop and see a test tiling. So the tiling will be behind the sink and in the shower/tub area? I would suggest plain white tiles... It goes well with the colours you have chosen, and if you in a few years decide you want to change colours, white goes with anything. There are several kinds of white tiles to choose from, any size from 2x2 cm mosaic to 30x60 cm. All this talk about white tiles probably tells what I think might be the downside to those cool glass tiles - they might not be as easy to combine with anything else?

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

I'm not buying anything without looking. The plan is to choose things I'll still love in 30 years time. White tiles I don't even love now. Though maybe mixed with others that could work.

[alkari.livejournal.com]

I haven't used glass tiles, but I've seen them and they can look very nice, as they often have a lovely depth to the colour. I haven't read / heard of any problems, so I guess the only downside is that of any other tile - you have to clean the grout between them, LOL! (Which is why sheets of glass as splashbacks for kitchens are so popular, and why I think people who use those tiny little mosaic tiles, no matter how trendy, are stark raving mad! Or else they employ a cleaner ...)

I know plain white tiles can often look terribly clinical, but don't forget there are many different shades of white, and also some interesting effects and finishes - you might be surprised if you can get to a good tile supplier and take a look.

Suggestion I have found very useful: If you are certain of your paint colour(s), get a cheap artist's canvas of at least A4 size, and paint one with 2 coats of each colour. Then take the sample boards with you when you go looking at tiles, fabrics, carpets, etc. You get a much better idea of the true colour than you do with those little paint chips, and you can prop them up and stand back to look at things from a distance.

Good luck, and happy decorating!!

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

That's a really good idea about the colours. I might do a colour card like that for all the rooms.

[alkari.livejournal.com]

Yes, I found it very useful, especially when you are trying to see what a new colour looks like on a wall. You can prop the board up and see it in different lights and different times of day - saves doing the patchwork quilt effect on the wall itself as you experiment!

[crumplehornedki.livejournal.com]

definitely do as Alkari suggests i found it most helpful as the little patch vs the large colour area gives you a much better idea of colour. I put different shades up on different walls and then switch them around so you can see what they look like in different light (natural and artificial)

if you like the glass tiles go for it, but they do tend to show splashes etc a little more than a matt colour tile so it would depend on how much you want to clean them, and of course no matter what type of tile you buy if you have a light coloured grout you spend forever cleaning them and they show up if you don't get in the corners etc with cleaning a lot more than dark coloured grout (can you tell I used to be a hotel house maid?)

[brownfach.livejournal.com]

I saw the B&Q tiles when looking for tiles for a friend - I liked the way you can have different widths and make a candy striped/Bridget Riley effect. But I *do* think my own white tiles will be just right for letting my 12 hand-painted tiles look beautiful!

[girlyswot.livejournal.com]

Oh, that sounds fun. I hadn't noticed there were different sizes. I'll have to go and have a look on Monday.

Your tiles are lovely.

[alkari.livejournal.com]

The larger the tile, the less grout you have to clean, LOL! Also, larger tiles can actually make a small space look bigger.