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where did you find the marble hexagonal flooring? how much is it a square foot?

i recently came across this door16 post, too, and fell in love with this bath!

i think a grey grout with a good sealer will minimize cleaning... that is what i've heard at least :)

best of luck!

Sealer must be reapplied fairly frequently - and may give you a glossy appearance that it sounds like you're not looking for.

If you dont seal frequently, the natural porous nature of the stone means that not only will mold and mildew grow and dirt gather within the grout, but it will also collect and grow in the stone itself. (Just like all the old statues in Europe...)

If you're looking for an easy/ low-maintenance flooring material - Marble isn't it.

I have this hexagonal tiling in my 1938 apartment's bathroom too; the grout is grey. It's lovely! One of my favorite parts of the apartment!

As someone who had marble flooring in their bathroom (floor and shower walls) I can say confidently that I will never, NEVER use marble anywhere I live ever again.

It's impossible to really get clean, and if you use anything other than lukewarm water to clean it, the stone will start to look rough and lose it's original beauty. Even with a sealer, I was disappointed.

What about using granite? It can have a similar look and you won't have to worry about the hellish maintenance that comes with marble.

I used to sell this exact honed carrera tile. Yes it is higher maintenance than ceramic tile or (ick!) linoleum, but it is also sooo much more lovely and adds value to your home.

You need to seal it upon installation. I recommend sealing after the grouting because then the white grout is protected from staining as well. (Ever have a glass of wine with your bubble bath?) Do not, I repeat, DO NOT buy a stone sealer at home depot or menards. They are cheap and can leave an icky film over the stone. Go to a tile/stone specialty store and get a quality product. It will cost a little more but you wont need to re-seal for several years. Good Luck!!!

Not to go slightly off topic, but....

I am also in the process of replacing my horrible tile floors in my 10x7 bathroom, and have been contemplating what I want to install.

I really love those hexagon tiles and want that old style look but....

My main worry with those is the grout cleaning would be
too frequent and too much trouble. Even dark coloured grout is going to need cleaning on a regular basis. And grout with marble.......YIKES!!!

I'm also weary as my friend has them and several are cracked/stained/crooked.....and hard to replace.

My main goal in re-doing my condo is to make it as easy and quick to clean as possible, and never have to spend a Saturday afternoon with a toothbrush and grout cleaner.

I found a nice piece of "hexagon tile look" linoleum for a nice price.....and I plan on having a rug or two in there so they will cover most of the floor. And it will be easy to clean as the "grout" only is slightly indented and a swiffer wet jet with an old towel will do the job in 5 mins.

So my whole point is... Is "hexagon tile look" vinyl tacky??

Is it too "faux"

Too cheap??

I have been coveting those floors (and wishing I had used them in my bathroom) ever since Anna at Door 16 first posted.

Honed hexagon? My original 1922 hexagon are already murder to try to clean. I shudder at the thought of marble...can you say porous?

Ask the Oracle of Delphi - they may confirm their honed marble slabs used for roads held up just fine. They didn't have sealer because of the Persian trade embargo.

I would think that marble countertops in kitchens are high maintenance because of the acidic foods and liquids that abound and spill and discolor marble, whereas in a bathroom, the only things that generally spill (unless you are a teenager) is water, which has no effect. However, it is the grout that becomes difficult to clean. Those at the Oracle were likely thrilled with the durability of their marble slabs, as the slabs required no grout (or considerably less than mini hexagonal tiles).

"So my whole point is... Is "hexagon tile look" vinyl tacky??

Is it too "faux"

Too cheap??"

Yes, Yes, and Yes.

If you want to retain the value in your home - going from tile to vinyl is a major backwards step.

There are lots of very nice large-scaled ceramic and porcelain tiles out there with square edges that can be installed w/ minimal seams/groutlines.

The thought of linoleum hexagon tiles gave me hives....


I really think that if you are going for low maintenance, choose a nice, basic, and inexpensive ceramic any day over linoleum.

Not only that, but the adhesives for vinyl flooring will eventually succumb to the moist heat of a bathroom and start peeling in the corners.

Although...I find linoleum (and wood) so much nicer to stand on that tile. Even with a rug. Is there any way to make tile and marble have more "give"?

That's my floor in the photo up there, so I guess I'm equipped to answer questions about it!

First of all, I bought my marble hexagons at Fuda Tile in Ramsey, NJ. I've also seen it at Porcelanosa. You can buy it online
Which brings me to an answer to enmnm's question about making tile have more "give": NO. The nature of ceramic, porcelain, and stone tile is that it must have absolutely NO GIVE AT ALL. If there is any flexibility in the underlayment or subfloor, the grout (and possibly the tile itself) will crack and fail.

One more thing I want to add: My house is 125 years old. If a material I use to renovate it eventually shows signs of patina and aging, that's a GOOD thing! I don't need everything in my house to look pristine forever. I have a marble fireplace, a marble floor, a marble-topped credenza, wood and stainless steel countertops, a painted wood floor, and so forth. These are all materials that people tend to shy away from out of fear of them eventually looking "imperfect", but I don't worry about that kind of thing. If YOU do, then marble is probably not for you. :)

Woah! A big chunk of my comment disappeared. Let's try this again...
--------------------------

That's my floor in the photo up there, so I guess I'm equipped to answer questions about it!

First of all, I bought my marble hexagons at Fuda Tile in Ramsey, NJ. I've also seen it at Porcelanosa. You can buy it online here:
http://www.mosaicsdirect.com/Hexagon.html

The price per square foot can vary HUGELY, so you're best off shopping around and bargaining at tile stores in order to get a good price.

Two important pieces of information about me and my lifestyle:
(1) I don't have kids.
(2) I don't wear shoes in the house.

Keeping those facts in mind, I can say without hesitation that I have not had ANY problem keeping the tile clean. I sealed it right after it was installed (about a year ago), but I haven't done anything with it since then. I vacuum it weekly, and wet-mop with a very mild cleanser a couple of times a month.

The only problem I've had with the floor stems from mistakes the installer made. Because the underlayment (Schluter Ditra) isn't spec'd for tiles smaller than 2" the grout is now cracking in some areas. (I learned my lesson and tiled my other bathroom myself!)

Which brings me to an answer to enmnm's question about making tile have more "give": NO. The nature of ceramic, porcelain, and stone tile is that it must have absolutely NO GIVE AT ALL. If there is any flexibility in the underlayment or subfloor, the grout (and possibly the tile itself) will crack and fail.

One more thing I want to add: My house is 125 years old. If a material I use to renovate it eventually shows signs of patina and aging, that's a GOOD thing! I don't need everything in my house to look pristine forever. I have a marble fireplace, a marble floor, a marble-topped credenza, wood and stainless steel countertops, a painted wood floor, and so forth. These are all materials that people tend to shy away from out of fear of them eventually looking "imperfect", but I don't worry about that kind of thing. If YOU do, then marble is probably not for you. :)

Go for it!

I just installed some in my shower

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/3417830301/in/set-72157615343356376/

and they are beautiful.

As with any stone, it is porous and must be sealed well! I used a penetrating sealer, TileLab by Custom, from Home Depot on all my stone surfaces (limestone, pebble tile, carrera 12 x 12 and marble hex.)

it looks like this:

http://www.nextag.com/Custom-Building-Products-TLSGSQT-73318094/prices-html

it's about $45 at HD for that small bottle but it is well worth it. Spray it on, wipe it off, and you will be quite giddy when you see the water bead up on the tile and the grout.

A squeegee is also your friend.

"Is there any way to make tile and marble have more "give"?"

You're kidding - Right?

Marble floors are higher maintenance than other materials but oh so beautiful. I have 20 year old marble in my foyer 12x12 tiles with very narrow grout lines. Water and a towel with perhaps a very mild cleaner works fine. NEVER use vinegar or other acidic cleaner on marble the cat knocked over a vinegar mixture on the hearth -- there is a rough surface area where the mixture ate away part of the stone.
Another option for cleaning is a hefty steam cleaner with a towel to wipe up after. Steam kills mildew and the towel wipes it off - the key is regular maintenance.

There are some great stone look-alike ceramic mosaic tiles available from Ann Sachs and others. A matte glazed tile can give you the soft look you want in a non-porous material.

Thank you everyone for the advice and opinions! And thanks especially to Anna--your bathroom is beautiful and inspiring (well, both your bathrooms...well, your whole house, actually).

Berkley.loves.gray, after pricing the tile in Manhattan ($25/square foot! oy!), I found this eBay seller who has it for $11.75:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=150340770825

So far I've only bought a square foot sample from them, but they were extremely professional and shipped quickly, and the stuff is simply beautiful. But don't buy it all--leave some for me.

I have honed carrara hexagon tile in my bathroom in my Hoboken brownstone condo and I love it. I get so many compliments when people see it. I just installed the same tile in my other bathroom because I like it so much. It's been around 5 years and I haven't had any problems at all - still beautiful. Definitely get the honed marble. It's not inexpensive, but I think it is well worth it.

I installed honed carrara hexagon tile (with grey grout) in our bathroom (bathroom floors and shower floors) and honed carrara basketweave (with black grout) in another bathroom. We also left it all unsealed. After a year of use, it still looks great (did I mention that I have three little boys who aren't the greatest at aiming?). With the honed finish, you don't have to worry about acids as much (acids, like toothpaste will ruin a polished finish), but the rougher surface does seem to hold dirt more easily. I decided not to seal because I wanted a lived-in look and loved all the beautiful centuries-old marble that we saw in Italy. That said, I have an iron stain (from a stainless steel soap dispenser!) and some minor scratches, but I think it adds to the patina.

Marble definitely requires more care than ceramic tile, but it is so much more beautiful. If you want pristine/perfect, then marble is not for you.

For everyday cleaning, I use plain water. Here's a great article on marble maintenance from the NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/31/nyregion/home-clinic-keeping-marble-at-its-lustrous-best.html?sec=&spon=

You should also know that: marble floors can be very cold in the winter; the grooves between the hex tiles are sometimes hard to sweep clean (since the edges of the tile are 90 degrees vs. ceramic tile that has slightly curved edges); and marble tile can crack if a heavy object with sharp edges falls on it (less a problem with hex tile since the tiles are small).

We deliberately chose vinyl for our new bathrooms. It's seamless so easy to clean, it's warm underfoot, things are less likely to shatter if dropped, and the patterns available now are attractive. I don't like faux tile vinyls, but we got overall patterns that vaguely resemble limestone, leaf skeleton prints on a concrete, and an amazing gold and brown ivy design for a tiny bathroom with pizazz. I'd have gone for true linoleum, but there are fewer designs and you need expert installers, none of which were available locally, especially working with the limitations of our builders. I was mildly concerned about the "greeness" of vinyl, but we like the patterns and probably will live happily with them forever, so it's not as much of an issue.

Not everybody is a tile snob... vinyl has it's fans, too.

We have been gut rehabbing our house (1890s rowhouse in Chicago) and we decided to go with marble mosaic tile in both bathrooms (one bathrom has the hex tile, the other bathroom has small 1/2" x 1" tile). No problems whatsoever - not even in the shower, where we used the marble on the wall and on the bench/shower ledge.

Photos of master bath (finished last year, used every day, as of today, stone looks great):
http://4408.blogspot.com/2008/06/master-bath-shower-enclosure.html

Photos of other bath:
http://4408.blogspot.com/2007/10/october-2007-house-tour-upstairs.html

We purchased the tile at the Tile Outlet, here in Chicago. Both ran at approx. $6.50/sf
The key is to use a sanded grout and to be sure to seal the tile/stone every 6 months. We use this sealer that comes in green bottle, with yellow lettering, can't remember the manufacturer, but you can buy it at either tile shops or Home Depot.

I would NEVER use marble in the kitchen... I love marble and it is beautiful and I've seen kitchens with exquisite Carrera Marble counters and islands... but the material/stone is porous and there are too many acidic products used and spilled in the kitchen. But in the bathroom there should not be any problems. Stone does patina/age, but that is the nature of the material. If you want something that looks the same as day one in 5 years, best to go with ceramic tile.

Forgot to mention - we have a honed stone finish. Polished stone can be a nightmare with maintenance AND water spot stains. Polished marble and polished granite (I'm an architect and I've seen numerous residential projects have issues with polished granite in the bathroom).
AND... as for cleaning, no problem. I just use mild soap with warm water (and once I even ended up using a bit of Soft & Scrub on the stone and nothing happened - so it's more durable than you think!).

We too are in the middle of a bathroom remodel in a older house and I have to say that I love, love, love the look of the marble. If any of you are still on the fence, check out design*sponge's sneak peak of the Jessica Helgerson Portland Four-Square (http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/03/sneak-peek-portland-four-square.html). That bathroom is to die for!

PS- Anna you are my hero! One day, I will be able to lay tile like a pro too.

"The only problem I've had with the floor stems from mistakes the installer made. Because the underlayment (Schluter Ditra) isn't spec'd for tiles smaller than 2" the grout is now cracking in some areas. (I learned my lesson and tiled my other bathroom myself!)" -- Anna

Can someone recommend an underlayment to use for tiles smaller than 2" ?

In the master bathroom (where we installed small 1/2" x 1" mosaic marble tile) our flooring sandwich was:
* Plywood Subfloor
* Cement Backerboard (Durock or similar brand)
* Electric Radiant Heat Flooring mesh/strips
* Thinset Mortar (Mapei is great... or Laticrete... powder mix)
* Tile and Grout (sanded grout)
(Note about the grout: non-sanded grout should really only be used on walls and counters when the joint is less than 1/16" wide)

After a year and some, with daily use by 2 people, no cracks.

In the other bathroom, b/c of uneven subfoors, we ended up doing a thickset mortar bed...

bunnyandlion: Ingrida's advice is great -- stick with a traditional underlayment like cement board (over a suitable plywood subfloor, of course), and you should be fine.

A note about grout, though -- if you're using polished marble (or any polished stone), you need to use unsanded grout. Sanded grout will scratch the stone. It should be fine with honed marble, though, provided your joint size is more than 1/16".