Updating floors (with a wood-look tile) but not tub/shower/counter in a dated (2006) master bathroom

[Anonymous]

We just bought the house, built in 2006. It has a mix of carpet and tile floors, the tile being that kind of beige/pink/peach standard stuff they put in a lot of houses back then.
We want to take all of it out and replace it with wood plank tile. We already have a specific one we like picked out



It's Florida tile Berkshire Walnut.

I worry it's going to look AWFUL with the other elements currently in the bathroom-specifically the tile that's on the tub surround and shower, because those match the dated floor tile.

Even with various "visualizer" things, I feel like i'm not getting a true picture of how it will look because photos just don't accurately pick up the colors of the tiles. When we put the tile sample planks up against the tub surround/and near the shower, it's just not enough either. My husband says "It doesn't look THAT bad" which is frustrating me because I really don't want to drop tens of thousands of dollars on something that "doesn't look THAT bad"---I want to LOVE it.

The new tile looks great everywhere else....it's just with the bathroom tub/shower tiles that it's a problem. Obviously the solution is to rip out the tub surround tile and replace that, and also redo the shower....but I don't think we can do that right now.

Has anyone else been in this position? Did you end up just gutting the entire bathroom and re-doing? Just spend a ton of money for things to look "not THAT bad?" Something else?

[Anonymous]

Save up and gut the bathroom. Installing tile into it now will be a complete waste of money as it will all have to be torn back up to redo the bathroom when you realise you hate it.

[Anonymous]

Hard to say. I always thought “wood” matched with everything. Kind of like blue jeans or khakis.

Do you have large amount of samples you can layout in bathroom to help you visualize?

Btw, we also used Florida tile wood grain planks in our bathroom. We love the detail they have and they do look a lot like real wood. Our tile lot varied quite a bit. We like this but we did have to plot out placement. We’re a little picky. 🙂

[Anonymous]

On further thought, are you doing your entire floor? Is the bathroom on the same level as the rest of the new flooring?

I really like having a seamless floor without thresholds. If the bathroom is on same level as rest of new flooring, I’d consider doing that now. It sounds like that you dislike the wall tile and love the flooring. When it’s time to redo bath, the flooring will already be there, and seamless. I’d also order extra tile and have that ready.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely get some samples and try them out in your home next to the existing elements.

That said, we were doing piecemeal changes in our bathroom that we spent a lot of time and energy on that were all ripped out and replaced when we gutted our bathroom a few years later.

So, I agree with the previous poster who said to just replace everything all at once.

[Anonymous]

Wait.
You might change your opinion on that particular "tile" also soon. Don't rush it if you cannot finish it now.

[Anonymous]

What if you buy extra boxes of the tile and just set it aside until you can do the bathroom? You can stop your remodel at the bathroom threshhold.

For a small sum you can save your sanity and also not be feeling dissatisfied with a half-measure.

That also gives you a chance to get something different for the bathroom later.

You might be able to sell deadstock tile later. I bought a discontinued NIB Kohler faucet not long ago.

[Anonymous]

Don’t change the bathroom floor only.
Do everything or skip it.

[Anonymous]

I would not do tile in the entire house. Cold and uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

Why would you put wood look tiles in a bathroom? Wood does not go with bathrooms, whether real or not.

[Anonymous]

If you object to the "dated" look of the bathroom, I have bad news for you about wood look tile

[Anonymous]

I've seen wood tile flooring in videos of high end remodels only they were oversize, had a patter, were square not planks and they took them across the entire floor including bathrooms. Depending on the shade of the tile and look you are going for it could work.