Bathroom Tile Bliss

So very happy with how the tile in the basement bathroom is turning out.  It's all cut and laid; just need to grout it, put up the door and closet moulding, and then our contractor will finish up with the tile trim.

I'm particularly thrilled because I'm the one who picked the tile and decided how I wanted it laid out--my husband said I could do what I wanted.   I found some 18" tile from HOBO on clearance I really liked--it had a rough texture (I avoid smooth tile on the floor because of the slipping hazard), was neutral in color, and was large so we wouldn't have a lot of grout to maintain.  I wanted them installed diagonally because I read somewhere it helps liven up small spaces.

Then, several months later I found some bullnose tile while cruising Menard's that would make great trim in the bathroom.  Bought a sample, confirmed it would coordinate with the tile we already had, and then proceeded to buy 6" tile of the same type because I liked it so much.  I screwed around with the layout and decided on a pinwheel pattern laid on the diagonal.

Because the space was so small I was worried our contractor would have trouble with the pattern but he didn't.  Day 1 he cut the tiles.  Day 2 he laid them.

The 6" tile was a particular challenge because even though I hit 3 different stores to cherry pick the tiles with the most apparent streaks I couldn't find enough so I had to buy some that were plainer.   I figured it wouldn't matter if they were under the toilet, in the closet or under the vanity so I sorted them into two piles at home, "more streaky" and "less streaky" and also left instructions for our contractor, Dan, to use the streakiest tiles in the visible area of the floor and use the others where they wouldn't be easily seen.

Too bad putting in the floor mat under the tile didn't work out as well for us.  I think I mentioned in a previous post that we had installed a floor heating mat under the tile.  Turns out we screwed up somehow and didn't realize it until the concrete leveler was put on.  The heating mat works but doesn't warm up enough.  We don't know if we put down too much leveler or something else, but it might be because we didn't insulate under the mat.  The instructions that came with the mat didn't mention insulating underneath the mat but was mentioned in some forums on the internet that I searched after we realized the mat wasn't warming the floor like we wanted.  Our electrician double-checked the electrical connection so we know it's not that.  Anyhow, I called the manufacturer's tech support and they said that performance would vary depending on the temps outside, etc. and since we didn't insulate under the mat, there might just be too much concrete to heat during a Wisconsin winter.

We suspect that even if we chose a different brand, we wouldn't see an improvement in performance so decided it wouldn't be worth the cost and hassle of tearing it all out.  Although I really like the idea of heated tile floors it's not the end of the world if we end up not using it.

I'll post again once the grout is in and the trim is on.