If you're planning on doing some bathroom remodeling anytime soon, it is best to know the important questions you should ask your bathroom contractor. The truth is that he will not tell you all the aspects of the renovations simply because he would not know what you are looking for.
Question # 1: What lighting should be in my bathroom and when to invite the electrician?
Your bathroom is a place you visit first after you wake up. It is important to look and feel great before you start your day, and lighting in your bathroom has a lot to do with it. Also, after you just went through the expense and trouble of renovation, you will want to show off your mosaic tile or any other beautiful details. After all the demolition and prep work are done invite your electrician for evaluation. You can explain to him the general remodeling plan and how the tiles are going to be installed. If you are going for a featured wall you can tell him to install a low voltage or other specialty lighting system on the ceiling and make sure that it is placed far enough from the accent wall to avoid shadows. It is best to purchase all your lighting items before his visit so that he could plan and install all the wiring at same time. This way if something needs to be changed, you will still have time before the tile gets installed. Show your electrician some samples of your tile. Why? Because darker tiles will need more lighting while lighter ones will not need so much.
In order to have an even light distribution around the bathroom mirror you can use a side by side sconces. However, for a small bathroom you can use an overhead lighting with open shades.
Question # 2: What is the real price of the marble tile?
If you selected a natural stone tile or travertine marble with different pattern variations, chances are you will spend more than the first cost times square footage. For example, your bathroom tile installer will need about twenty-five percent (25%) more material for a good quality installation.
Question # 3: Will every pattern tile work for my bathroom?
Not all walls in a bathroom are created equal. For example, a subway tile pattern will only look good if the walls are even. Choose a more forgiving pattern for uneven walls. Subway tile pattern will create a less formal, younger look in the bathroom even if classic marble tile is used.
Question # 4: How do you avoid slips / falls in the shower and what makes a bathroom tile last?
Using a polished marble floor in the shower is a bad idea. It is number one cause for slips, falls and hospital visits. Use a slip resistant tile flooring in your bathroom. Your shower floor tile should not be larger than 4 "X 4". I like smaller mosaics such as 2 "x 2" or even 1 "x 1". There are other tile options as well such as special solid surface or coating. However, try to stick to smaller shower floor tile for your safety.
After the marble tiles are installed and the grout cured, you need to seal it with a special kind of sealer. After three days you can wash it with a marble bathroom available in many specialty tile shops. Never use abrasive cleaners to clean your bathroom marble tile.