apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

To the ceiling

I say go all the way up to the ceiling.

To the ceiling.

all the way, if nothing else, there is less wall space for mold to potentially grow. and the trend is to hang shower heads high too.

to the ceiling...also you've chosen my favourite tile patterns...i hope you send in a photo when the project is finished! good luck!

Ceiling, definitely.

I just did what you are doing - subway tile in my shower. I replaced a shower that had left the upper wall untiled - that area eventually got wet and began to leak behind the old shower - yuck. This time I put tile up the wall and across the ceiling - and love the look and the ease of cleaning. The ceiling tile are 4x4, everything else subway. The tile is inexpensive - so go for it.

I'm going to... 1, 2, 3... 6th the to the ceiling vote. :)
I think it's mostly a personal preference thing, but I like subway tile, so the more the better!
Also, Enamorada has a good point. Less wall space means less mold growth and other icky stuff caused by moisture.

I just did almost the same thing as you, but in a basement bath. Black & white hex on bathroom floor, gray 1" x 1" mosaic on the shower floor, and white subway in the shower. Go all the way to the ceiling. If you don't the painted area will just get mildewy or dusty.

All the way to the ceiling and then do the ceiling too! Tile isn't just decoration, its purpose is to protect your walls and since steam travels up... often tiling the ceiling is a great way to protect your drywall in the long run.

To the ceiling - Leaving an untiled strip at the top looks cheap.

While you're at it - you might as well make sure that your showerhead is at least 6' 6" from the floor so that taller people won't have to duck their heads to take a shower. If it's not - call in a plumber and get it moved up.

sounds like its up to the ceiling you go! i prefer the look of tile that dies into the ceiling. plus, if you leave the two feet, there is always that layer of dust that accumulates on the top tile. if you can, i would tile the actual ceiling as well. as stated before, it is cleaner and prevents mold. good luck, and i can't wait to see the finished results. very classic choices!

Also: Instead of leaving the walls flat and having to deal with hanging soap dishes and silly racks like the photo shows - Why not have some niches installed and tile them with a contrasting mosaic tile?

http://www.tileandaccessories.com/

Oh yes, I forgot to put that in my original response. Tiling the ceiling as well would be awesome. I love the look and it makes it easier to clean.

Our current bathroom has about 2 ft of wall space - it's so difficult to clean and it's pretty ugly (but that may be because the walls are this icky peachish/pink color).

Go all the way up to the ceiling gets my vote.

if you have taller ceiligns, maybe leave 18-24" of room, but otherwise tile up to the ceiling. i wish we did that on our bathroom project!

I had my tub retiled to the same height as the original, and now I wish I had gone to the ceiling, so it sounds like we're going for unanimous. And YES to bepfs's suggestion of installing niches, or tile shelves or soapdishes, or whatever works best for you rather than ending up with the silly hanging racks. Oh so definitely yes - I was a dumbo to stop with just a soapdish.

we just redid our bathroom and took the tile around the tub all the way up the ceiling - it looks amazing. Now I'm trying to figure out if I want the shower curtain to go all the way up to the ceiling too (which means I'll need to sew my own).

Wow! Well, I think we need one dissenter here. Tile to the ceiling is more functional, but your tile choices make it sound like you might be going for more of a vintage look (like a lot of prewar apartments in New York, which have the subway tile and hex floors?). If so, holding the tile off the ceiling 20"-24" is the way to go--making sure to use a corner bullnose tile for the outside corners.

It's a very classic look, and truthfully (no offense to the other posters!!), subway tile run to the ceiling at the shower is kind of a rental-apartment detail, particularly in new construction buildings--probably again, because it is more functional.

As far as function does go, I also have had a bathroom with the lower tile layout and never had big problem with mold--although I did use a mildew-killing admixture in the paint.

Does anyone have a picture of what a tiled bathroom ceiling looks like? I don't think I've ever seen one.

And yes, I think you should go all the way with the tile.

The only drawback to going up to the ceiling (which I did) is that if there is more than 1/2" or so of un-level-ness from one end of the tub to the other, the cut tiles look crazy-bad (mine do). At the head-end of the tub, I have nearly a full tile, and it goes on a diagnonal to the back of the tub where the tile is smaller by around 1/3. Had I realized this, I would have gone up to within 12" of the ceiling and then painted the wall above -- I think it would have been a lot less noticible.

However, if your ceiling is pretty level -- go all the way up for sure.

if not to the ceiling, then ABSOLUTELY over your showerhead installation area.

I'm going to have to agree with Sniplet on this one! Unless you have unusally low ceilings, I wouldn't go further than what's in the photo above (enough to accommodate the shower head) if you're going for a vintage look.

Check out the various tile layouts in this post on House in Progress. It should give you a good idea of what patterns subway tile traditionally follows.

Of course, if you're NOT going for an "authentic" vintage look, you most certainly can tile every surface in the room! It's a very different look (and your walls/ceiling really MUST be level and square if you're putting up something linear like subway tiles), but it can be very sharp if done well.

Ok, I'll be...what...the third dissenter? I think if you are doing a vintage subway tile, you shouldn't go all the way to the ceiling. Go as far as your picture shows. I think if your bathroom layout is EXACTLY the same as the picture like you say it is, then solid subway tile up the walls and over the ceiling would look clinical...very hospital or like the other poster said...apartment. I have 3x3 shower tiles, white, and they stop at the same point as your picture does. I've never had a problem with mold or mildew or even dust, and I think the band of paint color is very pretty.

I also hate the trend of hanging shower heads high..I'm 5'3 and can't reach them to adjust it!!

"The only drawback to going up to the ceiling (which I did) is that if there is more than 1/2" or so of un-level-ness from one end of the tub to the other, the cut tiles look crazy-bad (mine do). At the head-end of the tub, I have nearly a full tile, and it goes on a diagnonal to the back of the tub where the tile is smaller by around 1/3."

The solution for this would to be to do a soldier-row (vertical tile placement) at the top and cut all the tiles to fit so that the difference would not be as noticable.

All, thanks for the opinions. I have been lucky with my 1928 condo as I havent had too much of an issue with mold or mildew in the bathroom, think the window helps....so I am not too worried about the tile battling that. I do think I will go to the ceiling, will also remedy the blemishes to the plaster above the original tile (2 layers of it.) Demo tomorrow. Maybe send in some before and afters if anyone is interested. Thanks again for everyone's perspective.

To the ceiling.... Landlords and cheap people leave exposed wall above the tiles.

To the commenter that is 5' 3"... I have the opposite problem...I am just over 6' and nothing is worse than having to duck under a shower head spray spraying only slightly above my nips.

It's all the way up to the ceiling not "on" the ceiling itself

I took my tub out and replaced it with all shower and tiled to the ceiling. It made a small bath look a lot larger. Go to the ceiling.

I also vote for as high as you can go. Practicality/functionality is Job One for bathrooms.

In addition, you might consider a light/exhaust fan combo centered above the tub/shower area. The exhaust gets the steam out, which protects your bathroom...and the light is great to have. Put the light and exhaust on separate, side-by-side switches and add a timer to the exhaust half - leave it on for 10 minutes.

For tall or short people those wonderful hand held hook up extension shower heads can really solve your problems. You can place the fixture at any height and then use the extension to make sure you are thoroughly washed and rinsed.

Great ideas tips, thanks all.

Go all the way, baby!

definitely to the ceiling. I just had this dilemma myself and it looks so much better to the roof - in answer to the person whose tiles were bit crooked at the top - fix the ceiling so it's straight - that's what I did.

I did white subway tile walls and a white hex floor w/ grey grout. Do you have a great tile person? Mine did such a beautiful job. J L Quality Work. I don't think that he would mind giving his number 1-718-791-5213.
He has a great eye and deals really well with structural and design issues. His pricing is reasonable and I think that his work is really top quality.