Bathroom Reno: Tiles, baby!

Yesterday and today, our bathroom was injected with personality. Style. Flavour, if you like.

The floor tiles are plain, semi-gloss white, 300x300mm. The wall tiles are 400x200mm, gloss black with a faint marble, and difficult to photograph! They either show up all black, or just reflect everything. R managed to snap this one - a little fuzzy, but you get the idea:

The tiles came from Beaumont Tiles at Loganholme; thanks to Matt for his help.

I was nervous. The tiles were the one thing I wanted to be perfect. Our colour scheme is a bit risky - was it going to be too bold? Was it going to make the small room look even smaller? The area the tiles would cover had to be different to what we'd originally planned - was it going to look ok? They had to start in a different place to what I originally wanted - would all the lines be right? And then Stan, the tiler, started placing the tiles by eye, with no spacers. Yep, I was nervous.

But then I checked again later, and voila! Straight, level lines. And here's Stan. He only let me put his picture up if I tell you if you need a tiler in the Beenleigh / Beaudesert / Greenbank / Jimboomba area, his number is 0403 039 843. Well, there weren't really any conditions, but seriously, he's done a great job.

Here's where I eat my words. The vanity is in, and yes, the tiles went in after the vanity. There are several reasons, like the way we had to do the plumbing to avoid extra bulkhead in the kitchen, and the tiler's preference, and the way it is next to the bath, and I guess that's what happens when you rearrange a second-floor bathroom. Fingers crossed it never needs to come out - well, while we own it, at least!!

Thursday (yesterday) afternoon, the tiles were all laid. There are a few things that I would have done differently if it were possible, because I'm a fussy bugger. But, some things are not possible, and I am satisfied that we have the best result, given our options. (And I'm not going to tell you which things I would have changed, because you'd probably never even notice anyway.)

 So neat. And shiny. Well, semi-gloss shiny.

Here's the finished product, grouted and siliconed. It's a bit grubby, and will need a final clean before we use the bathroom, but that will be the last thing we do.

I couldn't talk myself out of white grout on the floor. I know, it's going to get dirty, but it just looks so good... We'll seal it too, which will hopefully help protect it a bit more. We went for the slightly wider chrome strip at the doorway, which gives a really nice finish with the carpet edge.

Stan says no more work in the bathroom today, which sounds like we get the afternoon off, but I've got sewing to finish and R's out servicing a friends car.

A glass guy is coming later this afternoon to quote for the shower screen and mirror. There's a bit more plaster work to do, including the cornices, then painting, plumbing fit-off, electrical fit-off, architraves, get a blind for the window, paint the door and put it back on, give it all a good clean, and I think that's it.