I know, we’re the slowest DIY re-modelers around, but we do it at a relaxed pace so we’re not tempted to cut corners and we have the luxury of no longer having kids in the house, so it’s not so important to have a working bathroom. That said, we’re also doing the remodel on a cash basis so while the tile wasn’t all that expensive, the nearly $300 tile cutting saw was.  Luckily, my husband’s second job is in construction, and a tile saw is something he’s needed for quite a while.  He’s new to tiling, but it looks like it will help him pick up some work.

We finally decided on the lighter floor tile thinking that we’ve had high contrast decor for years, so we thought we’d change it up and have some soft and soothing colors for awhile. We also hope it’s more buyer-friendly as at our age we definitely have to think about the fact we won’t likely live her much longer.  Here’s hoping we move out and aren’t carried out! 🙂
Dry Fitting the Bathroom Tile before making a permanent installation

The floor is white, gray and taupe  (purchased from Lowes) and while I think it coordinates beautifully with the Martha Stewart Spring Melt paint choice, the hubby isn’t so sure. He’s more of a matching guy rather than coordinating guy.  It’s fine with me, I’d be happy with the bathroom being repainted a light gray.  We’ll see how he feels when the floor is completely down and grouted.

The hubby decided to go with the larger 12″ x 12″ tiles even though all the books say they’re too large for the space. We bought 6″ x 6″ and laid them out in a diamond pattern and a standard pattern.  We just didn’t like how busy it made the floor in such a small space.  We like the larger tiles and there are at least two full tiles in the narrowest spot (between the bathtub and the wall) so we’re OK with it.

Laying tiles in a diamond pattern looks more professional but usually requires more cutting

The dry fitting and cutting are nearly complete and I’m thrilled we decided to go with the diamond pattern. I think it leads your eye from the door to the back of the room making it feel longer.  I can’t wait to see it finished!   The online tile estimator we used was right on on the estimate for the amount of tile that we’d need.  It saved us from overbuying or worse, under-buying and making an emergency run to Home Depot.

Oh, and the new bathroom mirror and light fixtures are up. I’ll photograph them later.  We’re loving the changes!