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House Decor Advice - Tiling

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PierreBear

Guest
Hi PS Friends,

I am thinking about tiling a wall but am uncertain of the color. If the ceiling is an off white, egg-shell color then would it look strange to have white tiles that go up to the ceiling? I'm leaning towards white as the wall across the room has a pretty bold color.

Edited for one more question - Does the marble material go with the modern look? Most of the home decor has a West Elm like style if that help describes the fit. I tend to associate marble with an older generation but perhaps it can still be done in a modern way?

I appreciate thoughts and if anyone has any pointers/lessons learned from tiling, I would love to listen. Thanks in advance!
 

momhappy

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 3, 2013
Messages
4,660
It's funny you posted this because I was just having the same dilemma today. I have off-white cabinets and was concerned that the tile was just a teeny bit too white. The lady at the tile store, who seemed very knowledgeable, told me that a little contrast is okay and it's not necessary to have an exact match. The tile I chose is called "white" but it's not a bright white and has just enough warmth to it that it blends well.
As far as marble is concerned, yes, it's come back around (has for a while actually) and is quite popular these days.
 

kgizo

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
2,603
It's cheap and easy to paint so I would pick tile you love. Live with it awhile and if you don't like the two together then change the paint color. I think marble is classic and goes with everything, but you can pick a unique size, pattern or border to make it look more modern if that suits the space. Good luck!
 
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Queenie60

Guest
Tile and marble are very expensive as well as the labor involved to have it done. And the maintenance is another issue. Have you thought about some of the wonderful textured paints that they have now? That could dress up a wall nicely. Just a thought. Good luck, I'm sure it will be lovely.
 
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PierreBear

Guest
Thank ya'll ladies for the comments. I was trying to keep the question simple but will share a bit more of the dilemma. Our home was constructed with a modern aspect in mind so the builder used materials in unique ways... looks good but might not have been the most practical. We didn't know better but it was a spec home and we ended up loving it though there are some challenges. The wall though that I'm thinking about "tiling over" is actually a cinder block wall in the kitchen. Since it is a porous material, overtime there is this calcium build up that looks like white residue. We tried different things and didn't know better and listened to the builder to seal it on the inside and out. As a result, we can't paint over it. Which I guess might be ok because I'm afraid painting over it would give off that "cafeteria feeling" from school days?

It's been several years and I've grown to just tolerate it but after trying a new chemical to clean it, the build up coloring is looking a bit more rusted so hence the option to cover it - which I was thinking either a veneer type wall (but I can't find any local stores via googling that have a storefront to look at) or tiling over it.

I was thinking actually about a tile that looks like marble. Not too white but has some gray veins that will tie into the other walls that are still cinder blocks and has that gray color? Picture is of a shower but thinking of a similar look for the kitchen. Thoughts? I know there are some design experts out there!

marbel.png
 

Sky56

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
1,040
We sometimes do our own tiling in our home and rentals.

Unless it's accents, I think wall tiling looks good in kitchens or bathrooms but not other rooms. We've ripped out tiling on living room walls in rentals, and did wainscoting and painting instead - it looked better and was easier.

We've made mistakes we learned from them. I sure regret that off-white floor tile job we did in one of our kitchens. Rustic grey-tan-brown tile looks so much better on the floor - it hides dirt lol! We only use those colors now.

Our last job, we tiled our kitchen countertops in 12' x 12' granite tiles. Tiles cost $33 total.

They were left over from someone's job and they were donated to a Habitat ReStore. We buy a lot of leftover or second- hand building materials. I also bought 10 hand- painted Italian tiles at ReStore for one dollar total. They form the beautiful accents of our tiled backsplash. Tile stores sometimes have close-outs on good quality tile. I've found these do it yourself projects expensive unless we shop this way.
 
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