Also I love these elongated versions but I stray away from really oversized unless its a new/modern house. They are slightly more expensive but so pretty.
Now if you are bored by subway tile think about getting some that have the more handmade look like these: If it works for your design then think about a medium tone that is quiet but not too dark. I have tried both light and dark grout with subway tile and find that dark is much busier and in a way looks like it’s dirty but light does get dirty fast. It merges the classic with the modern and certainly feels fresh. But if you want to re-imagine that simple tile then doing a herringbone like this is always a great option. Also going for an elongated is a very good thing (like above). I like subway tile in a more modern house stacked vertically or horizontally (on top of each other), but not if it’s bevelled – if you have a more modern home then just stay away from beveled subway tile. I like the tiles to match the era/style of the house. Just remember that I personally think they play best in classic or traditional style homes. But if you do subway tile with ceasarstone with a simple flooring and a white cabinet then yes, your kitchen may look generic. Use it as an accent to a beautiful floor tile or a beautiful marble backsplash. It’s a safe go-to but it isn’t going to make your kitchen stand out. I know that subway has gotten super ubiquitious but it is classic.
Honestly these online screenshots do not do them justice – you have to go look for yourself and there were way more options in person than i could find on the site.ġ. While I was shopping I took note of some of my favorite budget tiles and we pulled up mini roundups for you. Now, hindsight is 20/20 because if I had gone to Floor & Decor I know that I could have made it so much more interesting but still on a budget. I told Berto, my dude, to use subway tile and the leftover floor tiles from our master (we even moved a toilet down from the renovated bathroom upstairs instead of buying a new one. At the time I was so crazy busy and things were happening fast, (I was 8 months pregnant with Elliot) that I didn’t really have time to pick out the finishes myself. I was so sick of spending money on the house and even putting in the bathroom was already thousands so I wanted materials to be simple and affordable. I recently put in a tiny budget bathroom off of the guest suite downstairs and I wanted the least expensive bathroom possible – very run and gun and I wasn’t even going to blog about it. At the higher end tile stores you can borrow a sample tile for 24 hours (maybe) but its really hard to make the rest of your decisions in that 24 hours so we end up spending so much time borrowing and returning and borrowing and returning. Almost everything is stocked, (no lead times) and lots of samples you can purchase (which you can return after you make your decision). The reason it’s compelling and worth the trip is that there are so many options in one place and the prices are very good. It’s a lot, and yet it’s not overwhelming. They have a small showroom that displays where everything can go and how they might look installed, and they sell materials to help with the installation. For flooring they have laminate, vinyl, bamboo, water-resistant wood, engineered and hardwood (plus large scale floor tiles as well). So when Floor & Decor reached out and was interested in sponsoring a store tour/blog post, I said “yes” very quickly as it was on my list to check out their store anyway. But a tour of tile and flooring would be so much more fun if I peppered some opinions right? For instance am I or am I not ‘over’ subway tile? And when is glass tile ok? Would I, personally, ever use a laminate wood flooring? Jump on in… (and see our complete and SUPER DUPER BUDGET $666.11 bathroom design plan at the end).įirst, the tour, Floor & Decor sells any hard materials for flooring or walls – marble, granite, stone, wood countertops, decorative tile, floor tile, porcelain, ceramic and clay tile. Some of our clients want/need high end materials and don’t mind waiting but for many smaller more budget-y jobs we need variety and fast. When it comes to buying tile and flooring for projects we’ve always struggled with where to go to see a variety of affordable, simple classic tiles that don’t have a 19 year lead time.