Is it ok to have cut tiles in shower cubicle?

Penny_Farthing_2

Hi
Any advice on this please?

A couple of years ago B&Q were selling discontinued 316mm x 316mm Padosa tiles amazingly cheap. In good MSE style, we trawled around till we had plenty to tile our kitchen floor. We kept the 80 or so we had left to do the back hall/ downstairs bathroom later.

We've come to do the bathroom now and I decided it would be nice to tile the floor and the shower cubicle with these tiles but we are about 11 short. The B&Q Sicily is a good enough match if we mix them in but if you look closely enough you can see a difference. The Sicily also come in a contrasting chocolate colour so I was wondering whether these could be cut down to make a brick shaped border tile.

My builder said he wouldn't want to put cut tiles in a shower area because of the sharp edges. Is he right?

baby_fuzz

could you get a contrasting tile to make a feature? We've put a wide vertical strip of pretty mosaic real stone tiles in behind our shower which makes it look really swish!

Penny_Farthing_2

I'd love to, but we really need to keep the cost down. Also, I'd be worried that putting real stone next to tiles pretending to be stone would just show them up for what they are - cheapie imitations!:)

Mojisola

Penny_Farthing wrote: »

My builder said he wouldn't want to put cut tiles in a shower area because of the sharp edges. Is he right?

It sounds reasonable to me. The cut edges are very sharp!

baby_fuzz

you don't need to even go for real stone tiles - a dark ceramic tile a bit like this would like quite good beside a natural stone colour tile (or similar contrasting tile depending on the colour of your tiles)
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?isSearch=true&fh_search=Burmania+Ceramic+Wall+Tile+Caoba

Penny_Farthing_2

Thanks Mojisola. Maybe I'll try to think of a way of having the cut edges around the outside (corner shower) and down onto the shower tray. The outside edge will have tile trim covering it.

Penny_Farthing_2

Yes I think I'll have to go down that route Baby Fuzz. I'll need to shop around I think.

baby_fuzz

p.s. I'd also worry about the cut tiles taking in moisture in the cut edges... you'd have to apply silicone to them to stop the water from seeing in...

Penny_Farthing_2

Hmm yes - time for some shopping then!

sunshinetours

Could you not leave a gap with a border round the top so that you only tile upto say the top of the cubicle. Moisture resistant paint above the shower and round teh rest of the room

Alternatively something contrasting would be definitely required rather than trying to match. You may notice any small difference even more when tiles are wet

Penny_Farthing_2

Hi Sunshinetours.
Yes that might help save 6 tiles. Also, putting a vertical stripe of the contrasting chocolate tile down the cubicle where the shower head/controls sit would save some more. I could also use the dark tiles for the sink splashback. With the wind in the right direction and few tiles broken, it may just work.