I now fully understand the hashtag #Ihaveathingwithfloors. I am head over heels for our bathroom floor. I will love it for ever and ever and ever (or at least until it becomes dated, which is hopefully NEVER!).
Our bathroom tile has received a lot of attention since I first posted it on Instagram and shared the bathroom design plan.  Like our office painting, it’s safe to say it’s a fan favorite. Since I’m generous, I’m giving up all the details.
But first a close up. Ignore the dirt, it still needs a good scrub down.
This stunning tile is Cement Tile Shop’s Bordeaux pattern in Pacific Black. I came across it  after seeing patterned floors over and over again in my Pinterest and Instagram feeds.
It is a classic look that makes a statement. It’s not for the faint of heart.Â
Encaustic Cement Tile is a colorful, and durable covering for floors and walls. It’s also known as Cuban tile in the United States, and Hydraulic Tile or Mosaicos Hidraulicos in other parts of the world. This ancient form of mosaic floor tile is available in patterns and colors to coordinate with any type of decor. Just check out Cement Tile Shop’s Instagram for proof of this gorgeous tile’s diversity.
Cement Tile Shop offers the largest selection of cement tile in the United States. You can order stock tiles for immediate shipment or create your own custom tile or pattern. Each tile is hand made to order in the same way that hydraulic encaustic tiles have been crafted since the 1800’s and passed from generation to generation.
I want to be clear, we did not install this tile ourselves. We have never installed tile and didn’t think an irregular shaped room was the place to start. Boy, were we smart.
Imperial Flooring, who supplied and installed our herringbone floors, sent over their tiler. While Imperial Flooring had some beautiful tiles, their options could not replicate the uniqueness of Cement Tile Shop’s products. We purchased the tile online, and Imperial Flooring agreed to charge us for install only.
While I think this flooring would be relatively easy to DIY in a square or rectangle room, the angles of our bathroom provided challenges. It took careful consideration to decide where the lines of the tile should fall. On the advice of our experienced contractor, Cassidy, we ended up lining everything off the bathroom shower curb in the main area of the room and laid the tile in the shower in a completely different direction based off the wall.
Cassidy also had to get a little crafty when it came to laying the shower floor. When the project first began he had major reservations about laying the cement tile in the shower. He cautioned against using 8×8 squares because it’s hard to create the proper drain slope with a tile that large. A linear drain allows for a single slope shower floor and eliminates awkward diagonal tile cuts to a central drain, but we had not planned ahead and just had a basic drain installed in the middle.
However, I was determined to find a way. One, because we already owned all the pricey, non-refundable tile. Two, after seeing the flooring in all it’s glory, I couldn’t bear to put plain white tile in the shower.
I’m not sure who came up with the idea, but after an hour of head scratching we had a solution. Cassidy cut all the tiles into 4 pieces. Making them into smaller 4×4 tiles.
In retrospect it was a pretty obvious solution, but it required a lot more time and energy. Cassidy and his team not only took care in cutting and lining up the tiles, they also created a hidden drain! A tile is adhered to the drain cover. It’s not grouted so it can be pulled out if needed and the water will drain into it’s sides.
The drain is in the picture below! If you can find it, give yourself a big pat on the back. (Sorry, I can’t afford to give everyone a dollar!)
In addition to the floors, we also had Cassidy install subway tile around the room, and the vanity was installed by Clearwater Custom Cabinets earlier this week.
It’s hard to tell in the pictures, but the vanity is navy. It’s Benjamin Moore Old Navy. When it was first installed, I got a little nervous that the blue look random next to all the black and white. After staring at it for a few days, I’ve decided it softens the space. Also, given the lack of natural light it doesn’t read as all that blue.
The mirror pictured above is from Rejuvenation and can be purchased here.
Originally we planned to install a white tiled chair rail to finish off the wall, like this, rather than the brushed bronze strip. However, we had an eleventh hour switch after the chair rail did not match the subway tile. White does not alway equal white.
It took a while to get used to the change in plan, but I’m starting to like it. It will tie in nicely with the steel shower.
Over the next few weeks brass and more brush bronzed finishes will be added to the room. You can see all our finishing selections here.
To see all our basement post, click here.
Be sure to follow us on Instagram to see real-time progress. We will continue to post Instagram Stories highlighting what work has been done each day.
Let us know what you think of the basement progress in the comments, then tell us what Cement Tile Shop pattern you would love to use in your own home!
