Bathroom renovation question

[Anna]

I doubt you will lose near enough tile to have a problem saving money. The key steps are to get a solid base for the tile (like concrete board over a stable subfloor) and to use latex modified thinset mixed reasonably well. You also need to be careful about keeping lines straight. If you do these simple things, you should get good results. Cutting is not hard and if you mess up a time or two, it isn't that big a deal. I do the larger cut pieces first so I can recycle them into the smaller cut pieces if necessary.

Jim

Well, I'm going to get my hands wet, so to speak, this weekend when I start my first tiling project: the front steps. I decided to use travertine tiles and will be picking up the tiles and tile saw tomorrow. If all goes well, I'll start planning my bathroom makeover soon. It'll be fun.

[Copper]

I looked at the slate tiles at HD today, and they're awful. Granted they were less than $2/sq.ft, but this is probably one project where it is really worth it to get the right stuff.

The wife and I decided to put up slate in our shower surround. We looked at HD also and were not impressed. Instead, we went to a local tile place and found something that we really liked for about $4 a sq. ft. Being scientists, we both liked the idea of having something "organic" in the house, too. Keep in mind that slate can be quite rough and you will be walking in the bathroom with bare feet. For that reason, we're putting porcelain tile on the floor.

Slate tiles will vary in color quite a bit. You might want to order your slate first and pick wall and floor colors to match the slate. You can't judge what the lot will look like by the single tile sample in the showroom.

You will also find out that you can get sealers that give you a "wet look" or a "dry look". Use a rag to wet down the tiles with water before you seal to determine what look you want. And, as Mike suggested before, seal the slate tiles before you grout. That way the excess grout is easier to remove.