DIY Ensuite - views/oinions and advise welcomed!!!

[Carl Morrison]

Hi folks!
Ok, this is my first post so please be gentle. In this post Im looking more for views on my plans / design - albeit a bit summarised.
Here is a couple of pics of the room as it stands after I have mostly gutted it.....

My wife wants to keep the bath - its a very big bath and very comfortable! - the downside is that its a light beige. Ive 'modernised' it by replacing the taps and spout with a chrome open mouthed fountain type which has made a large improvement. Its a rasised sunken bath - if that makes sense?!
Anyway here is my birds eye plan of the room... the lightly highlighted areas of wall are the walls to be tiled. There is a large cupboard Im going to clad in natural oak and put sliding mirror doors on to refelct light back into the room and hopefully make the room appear even bigger.

So, in keeing the light beige bath I think its limited my tile choice options somewhat. I live in an old building, with oak beams but I want to modernise it a tad but in keeping with the house. So, in summary im proposing to utlisise the following tiles on both the floor AND walls (but this is one of my concerns so opinions please!!)... id probably use a slightly darker grout on the floor than the wall.
In an attempt to try and mix up the contrast, im considering using the following dark emperador tumbled (matt) mosaic (available in 15, 24 and 48mm) (which is acutally nicer than the pic shows)
48x48mm mosaic around the top of the bath and into the window sill, and also for use in the raised wet room shower floor???
24x24mm or 15x15mm utlised as a horizontal border around the room potentially????!!
Im considering using the following on the end of the partition to 'mix it up' a bit (which also has emperador in it)..... i could also use this instead for the horizontal border???
Ive also thought of making the back wall behind the bath a kind of feature wall - something like this but open to suggestions, may also do the same behind the toilet.. the area behind the toilet is slightly recessed shich doesnt show that great on my photos.
So, this post is around your thoughts/ideas/concerns on the proposal.... i will write another post on the execution (the how)... so other than any general comments Id like your thoughts on the following as a minimum and please be honest...if you think its going to look **** id really rather know!
1) thoughts on utilising the tile for both floor and wall... too much???
2) grout colours, from reading here, i was thinking of mapai limestone for the floor and jasmine for the walls?? thoughts?
3) thoughts on utilsing the above 48x48mm tiles in raised wet room shower floor? and on raised floor of the bath??
4) thoughts on utlisising the above mosaic as a border.... which size best? 24x24mm or 15x15mm? number of tiles high on border? number of borders? position of border(s)...... any thoughts welcomed on this.... I want this to last forever and dont want it to date... aiming for timeless - if theres such a thing?!!
5) alternative - if you think you would change a tile wall/floor/mosaic etc please give your thoughts...
6) advise of any features you may consider if it were you....
7) thoughts on materials/design/placement of any feature walls?
8) thoughts on what to do behind the oak vanity...its a rasied white sink on the oak unit (but looking to get a travertine worktop cut or marble etc... advise if you know anywhere competative for bespoke worktops please )
9) ooo, nearly forgot... thinking of brickwork crossways as you enter the room on the floor and tiles standard portrait on the walls? alternatives???
10) any thoughts on best suited corner trims... chrome/beige ... rounded/square?... again want something that is less likely to date...
I know Im asking alot, but I just want thoughts...its a long committment that is going to cost alot and Im gonna be stuck with it quite some time lol.
Any help/thoughts all greatly appreciated - whatever they are!!!
Like I said, once I have the design nailed, Ill write another post on execution advise! )
Many, many thanks in advance for your time for reading my post and any responses.
Carl

PS a quick one on execution - can help myself... if I can get all the adhesive off this floor is it ok to tile straight onto the ply with a flexible adhesive... its 20mm ply... I leave walls and wet room to a later post....

 

[Time's Ran Out]

No1 - same tile wall and floor is fine.
No2 - I'd consider the same colour grout for wall and floor, possibly Jasmin.
No3 - 48mm honed on raised areas good contrast.
No4 - I'd use 48mm for border and I do hope there is such a thing as 'timeless' or I've got it wrong!
No5...... It's really your shout on combinations but IMHO you are trying to do too much with shapes and patterns brick pattern, square mosaic, smaller mixed mosaics etc. you can loose the simplicity of a modern design in old building by trying to cram it all in.
Interesting project and I wish you the best.
Hope you are up to the DIY as wet areas etc are more work than you may think.

 

[Carl Morrison]

Thanks for your thoughts John... Im happy you think I can get away with the same tile for floor and walls.... I was worried it might be too much - thanks.
Anyone else have any thoughts?....all posts welcomed.
Thanks again.
Not sure why plan sketch didnt work properly in top post, will try again..... View attachment scan0001.pdf

 

[Carl Morrison]

Thanks for your thoughts John... Im happy you think I can get away with the same tile for floor and walls.... I was worried it might be too much - thanks.

Anyone else have any thoughts....all posts welcomed.

Thanks again............ View attachment scan0001.pdf

 

[kilty55]

some good ideas,personally theres too much going on for my taste i would choose 1 tile and 1 other type for border or floor maximum...i would keep grout colours light i think on both wall and floor also looks like a good project in the making

 

[Carl Morrison]

Thanks Kilty, nice to get another opinion that 'less is more'. Thanks for your thoughts on the grout.... and yeah, gonna be a good project, needs lots of stud walling and dot-dab boards for tiling due to age of building (all walls bumpy, not square or level!! Floor is out too....which brings me to ask, anyone know the best way to level the floor?.... im going to try and lay on the existing 20mm ply but there is a definite 'sag' in the middle of the floor, so do I use a flexible leveller?

Cheers, and any comments on the choice of main tile?... does anyone think it may be too dark all in that one tile??

Cheers

 

[lizzardtong]

... does anyone think it may be too dark all in that one tile??

Cheers

you can always add some feature lights (led, spot lights) to make it look brighter

 

[Carl Morrison]

Hi again to all. Ive taken advise, done a lot of 1st fix work and am narrowing my decisions. Basically, Im keeping the same large 60x40 tile and going with simplicity of tumbled emperador border and around the bath. My wife has just talked me into a new oak vanity with travertine worktop and basins which will look really nice.

So, question, for the travertine top and basins AND the tumbled emperador tiles I would ideally like to get a sealer that will do both. Im stuck between going solely for the Lithofin stain stop or using the colour intensifier. Can anyone advise of the use of the colour intensifier on tumbled emperador marble. I want a matt finish so Im confident im in the right product options, I just don't want to spend the extra money getting the colour intensifier if the difference is marginal or indeed even makes it look potentially worse? Any thoughts / experiences most welcomed.

Also - Im going to use LevelFlex on the ply floor - is this really self levelling or do you still need to give it a trowel around? Ive called the tilemasteradhesives and they seem to think you just pour and leave....but I find it hard to believe?.... also they say keep at 3mm and not to feather...anyone tried feathering it out of curiousity...results?

Thanks again.

 

[Carl Morrison]

Hi all, thought I'd give a quick update. Took timeless Johns advise and going with same tile for floor and wall and only using one size mosaic (48mm tumbled emperador marble). Sealed mosaics with lithofin stain stop and primed backs with prime plus (tilemasteradhesives).
Decided I coiuldnt get myself to tile on tiles around the bath, especially when I saw what a botch the previous person had done. Put fully supported and LEVEL support structure and cut out bath shape on bsp and primed with prime plus. Ready to tile the bath area. Plaster boarded over all the old bumpy walls (very old house) and re-ran all my services etc prior to boarding. Couple on progress

Also, quick question, do you guys have a preference for which way a floor tile runs when you enter the room? Its overall quite square but for ease of lining tiles etc I think its going to be easier to run brickwork floor length days as you enter it (not crossways)....that sound OK?! Cheers