Sarasota Bathroom tile

A bathroom asks more of its tile than any other room: water every day, steam, bare feet on a wet floor. At the Oracle Flooring & Design showroom in Sarasota we help you choose porcelain, mosaics, stone or microcement for the floor, shower and walls, and certified installers who work with us regularly put it in.

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What should you plan for in a bathroom?

Start with the water. A bathroom floor gets wet, so it needs a finish your feet can trust, and in the shower every grout line is one more thing to scrub. That's why so many people now put big porcelain panels or microcement on their shower walls.

Then the look. One material from the floor up the walls makes a small bathroom feel bigger, while a mosaic floor or a glazed wall behind the vanity gives it a focal point. Bring a few photos of the room and we'll lay the options out side by side.

If the vanity is changing too, choose it with the tile. We've worked with custom cabinet makers for years, and we offer cabinets and vanities from budget-friendly to high-end. Our own custom cabinetry shop opens soon.

Planning your bathroom

What works where in a bathroom?

  • Floor: porcelain tile, natural stone or mosaic tile. Porcelain takes water and wear in its stride; honed stone and small mosaics give your feet more grip when it gets wet.
  • Shower walls: large-format porcelain, ceramic tile or microcement. Big panels leave almost no grout to scrub; ceramic brings color and pattern; microcement has no joints at all.
  • Shower floor: mosaic tile or porcelain tile. Small pieces follow the slope to the drain, and all those grout lines give your feet something to hold.
  • Vanity and cabinets: custom cabinetry. Custom vanities, budget-friendly or high-end, chosen with the tile around them. Our own custom cabinetry shop opens soon.
  • Feature walls: ceramic tile, mosaic tile or natural stone. The wall everyone looks at: a glaze, a pattern or real stone can carry the whole room.

Which floor tiles give grip when they're wet?

Look at the finish and the size. Matte and textured tiles grip better than shiny, polished ones, and small tiles grip best: every grout line gives your feet something to hold. That's why mosaics are the classic shower floor. Makers rate their floor tiles for slip, and we'll point you to the ones made for wet floors.

Big panels, mosaics or microcement in the shower?

Big panels for the walls, mosaics for the floor, or microcement for both. Large-format porcelain panels cover a shower wall with almost no grout, so there's very little to scrub. They're big and heavy, though, so the wall has to be flat and the installer experienced. Microcement goes one step further: walls and floor in one sealed surface, with no joints at all.

Mosaics belong on the shower floor, where small pieces follow the slope to the drain. And if you want color, look at glazed ceramic, from classic subway tile to handmade looks with a little wave in the glaze.

How does a bathroom upgrade come together?

  1. Measure and photograph the room. Bring the sizes and a phone photo of each wall to the showroom. The photos show us the window, the vanity and the shower before we start choosing.
  2. Start with the floor and the shower. They take the most water, so they come first, and the walls follow from them.
  3. Pick one thing to stand out. A mosaic floor, a stone-look wall behind the vanity or a lit niche in the shower. One feature gives the room its character; three start to fight each other.
  4. Look at it in the right light. Bathroom light is close and often artificial. If needed, borrow samples and see them under your own lights before you decide.
  5. Ask for the estimate. We come out and measure for free, and certified installers who work with us regularly do the installation.

How do you keep a bathroom easy to clean?

Fewer grout lines mean less to scrub, and a grout a shade or two darker than bright white hides everyday marks. Squeegee the shower after you use it and clean with a mild, pH-neutral cleaner. Keep vinegar and other acids off marble, limestone and travertine: they etch the surface, sealed or not. Ask us about sealing the grout when we go through your choices.

Does Florida's humidity matter?

Not to porcelain or glazed tile. Where you'll notice it first is the grout and the caulk. Run the fan while you shower and for a while after, keep the air conditioning on when the house is closed up for the summer, and keep natural stone sealed the way its supplier recommends.

Questions we hear

What is the best tile for a bathroom floor?

For most bathrooms, porcelain. It barely takes in water and stands up to everyday wear; pick a matte or textured finish so it isn't slippery when it's wet.

How do I get fewer grout lines in the shower?

Go big: large-format porcelain panels can cover a shower wall in one or two pieces, and microcement has no joints at all. You can see both in our showroom.

Can you do the whole bathroom?

Yes. We design, supply and install the whole room: tile, floors, the shower, the vanity and cabinetry. Whatever needs structural work or a licensed professional, we handle with our vetted, licensed partners.

Should the floor match the shower walls?

It can. One tile from the floor up the walls makes a small bathroom feel bigger, and a mosaic shower floor against plain walls gives it a focal point. We'll lay both side by side for you.

Can new tile go over the old tile?

Sometimes, if the old tile is solid and flat and the extra height still works at the door and the shower. We check it during the free estimate in your home.

What makes a small bathroom look bigger?

Big tiles and few lines. Large tiles leave far fewer grout lines, and a grout close to the tile's color makes those lines all but disappear, so the room reads as one open surface. Soft, light colors help too: warm whites, creams and pale greys.

Ready to plan it?

Bring your measurements and a few photos to the showroom, or have us come out for a free estimate in your home.

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