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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Aargh!! I hate my tiles!!

153 replies

OrtsandNoughts · 31/08/2025 10:04

AIBU to get my tiles removed mid way through fitting? And not seem like I’m completely crazy?
I’m having my en-suite renovated. I’ve chosen a feature wall of Portuguese tiles which I love but found it hard to match up a plain tile for the rest of the walls. I’ve bought plain off-white rustic tiles which looked a good match as a sample. But now they’re on the wall, they’ve got a dark edging which makes them look dirty. This wasn’t apparent when I just had one or two as samples.

The tiler is halfway through and I really don’t think I like them. The tiler is due back tomorrow to finish the job.So what do I do?

  1. Stop the job, get him to rip them off and find a replacement tile? This would add extra time and expense to a job that’s already taken ages and been over budget. Plus I’d look stupid!
  2. Wait to see how they look finished (it’s not grouted yet and the sanitary ware isn’t in)
  3. Accept I have terrible taste and suck it up.

Any advice welcome. Please be kind. I’ve not done anything of this magnitude before. It’s been my dream to change my en-suite for so long and to have it as my little sanctuary. But it’s been a nightmare (the company doing it have not been great and I can’t wait for it to be finished) I don’t think it’s even going to be worth all the upheaval it if I hate the end result. 😩
The first photo is the sample , the second is the tile on the wall.
To add insult to injury, my son says it looks like a gents public toilet which was not the look I was going for!!

Aargh!! I hate my tiles!!
Aargh!! I hate my tiles!!
OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
childofthe607080s · 31/08/2025 13:33

Wait till it’s grouted - I think that will make it look good

pashmina696 · 31/08/2025 13:39

I agree you would be best to change it - where did you get your Portuguese style tiles from as often they are in a range with a plain white version. I would swap to these if available or match your tile to something else plain though the white really has to match as best as possible. Cemento from mandarin stone is a good neutral off white tile but not with that aged appearance. Portuguese style tiles also work well with wood effect tiles too. I recently did 3 bathrooms all from mandarin stone the quality is excellent.

https://www.mandarinstone.com/product/cemento-white-matt-concrete-effect-porcelain/

Cemento White Matt Concrete Effect Porcelain Tiles | Mandarin Stone

Browse Cemento White Matt Concrete Effect Porcelain online at Mandarin Stone. Shop online or visit your nearest showroom today!

https://www.mandarinstone.com/product/cemento-white-matt-concrete-effect-porcelain/

paristotokyo · 31/08/2025 13:43

I just came back on here to say we had our loo redone and I chose morrocan tiles in blue and white (not too dissimilar to yours) which I totally LOVE (didn’t include those as a little outing, family members on here) and went with these white tiles for the rest of the walls - just in case you wanted to see. They’re more textured so not just plain white tiles but they look really nice together. I’ve linked the website where we bought them from and they look different to what they do on our walls in natural daylight. I’ve also added a pic of before and after grout to show it does make a huge difference!
https://deinefliesen.com/en/collections/atlas-moroccan-mini-brick-collection/products/dfi2694

Aargh!! I hate my tiles!!
Aargh!! I hate my tiles!!
jackstini · 31/08/2025 13:47

Agree take them off.
They will annoy you every time you go in there (I know, I have been in that situation!)

I think you need square tiles though to match your feature wall tiles size and shape

And yes, your tiler should 100% have started with whole tiles in the corner! The way he has done it makes it look
weird

Outside9 · 31/08/2025 13:54

Hideous

Memorable · 31/08/2025 14:04

Lol at you ds’s assessment though. We can usually rely on our kids brutal honesty about such matters. I once bought some pretty nifty (I thought) and expensive wire light fittings for my kitchen. Dd announced they looked like whisks. Back they went.

Mosaic123 · 31/08/2025 14:05

If you don't want to get them removed, may I suggest a deep blue grout toning in with your patterned tiles? This would tie the two together.

If you do decide to go with something different get plain MATT tiles not shiny ones and still a mid to blue grout, and it will look fabulous.

I know a bit about tiles and grouting. I teach mosaics.

hannonle · 31/08/2025 14:13

I'd stop now and remove them.
Personally I'd go for the same shape and finish as the Portuguese and match their background white/ivory/cream.

Your sample tile definitely doesn't show the dark surround. They look dull/dark and not like a nice white fresh spanish/portuguese look.

LadySuzanne · 31/08/2025 14:16

Sunshineismyfavourite · 31/08/2025 11:40

I agree they look dirty and not really in keeping with those gorgeous Portuguese tiles. I also agree with pps about the tiles meeting perpendicular in the corner they should have been whole and then work outwards - it doesn't look great to me. So sorry OP! I think you should remove them and rethink as you'll never enjoy them now.

If you start with a whole tile in a corner, then the walls need to be very straight - they often aren't - which will throw all the subsequent tiles out.

If you start with a whole tile in the corner, what happens when you reach the next corner? Those tiles will most likely need to be cut and you do not want to end up with a very narrow row of tiles.

I had larger tiles in my bathroom and they were planned to be evenly spaced on either side of the window over the sink and also planned so that they did not leave a very narrow tile at the top of the wall, or just above the sink or where the tiles meet the floor. So all four corners of the bathroom have cut tiles of slightly under half the width of a full tile and it doesn't look bad or wrong and the spacing around the three sides of the window and the window sill look pleasing.

Had the wall with the window in it started with a full tile (either on the left or right) then the spacing around the window would not have been symmetrical.

https://www.tilewarehouse.co.uk/help-advice/how-to-set-out-wall-tiles/

Planning the layout of your tiles

It's important to plan where you'll be laying your tiles. There is no hard or fast rule, and it will often depend on things such as the positions of windows, walls etc. but it's often wise to use the natural focal point of the area to be tiled and have this as your starting point.

How to set out wall tiles a step-by-step guide

Step 1: Start at the centre of your wall

It's always advisable to start tiling your grid in the centre of a wall, as it's easier to make sure your pattern is symmetrical. It also means any half-tiles you may need can go at the end of each row and will be of matching size.

While it's tempting to begin in the corner as you would when painting, it may leave you with wonky rows and a messy finish by the time you're done (which no one wants!).

OrtsandNoughts · 31/08/2025 14:16

Thank you for all your comments-even the crack den one which made me laugh!
I agree that they’re going to come off. And as suggested, I may now paint the en-suite walls white and just tile the cubicle.
In my defence, I ordered the Portuguese tiles first and thought I’d just get a plain white square tile to go with them. But this was harder to find than hen’s teeth and when I got a sample of the Portuguese tiles, the background isn’t pure white but sort of a warm off white. I spent days going round tile shops and getting samples but ran out of time as the job was due to start so plumped for these. And as I previously posted, the dark tide marks really weren’t obvious.
I appreciate the suggestions and links for other tiles so have ordered samples.
For those that asked , my tiles are from Portugal via a website called Iberica. They are still en route so hopefully they will be as lovely as the photos 🤞🤞

OP posts:
MissSookieStackhouse · 31/08/2025 14:18

Definitely change them and don’t worry at all about looking stupid! Years ago when I was having some building work done I changed my mind about where a wall ought to be when I saw the frame for the stud wall in place. DH and I both agreed it looked wrong and next day we asked the builders to take it down and put it in a different place. It cost us a couple of days extra labour and materials but was 100% the right decision. Everyone’s taste is different, but I agree with your son! If you and your family don’t like it now, when it’s new you’ll never like it. Bite the bullet and get it changed!

Greenfinch7 · 31/08/2025 14:21

I really like the tiles- sorry to be contrary…

saveforthat · 31/08/2025 14:21

Negroany · 31/08/2025 10:16

It's cream grout I think.

It won't let me add one of just the tiled wall, says the picture is too big.

I think tiles laid landscape look more like old public toilets, sorry.

Adulthumanfemale70 · 31/08/2025 14:29

I have those tiles with a different feature eall. Posting the picture in case seeing the completed walls helps

Aargh!! I hate my tiles!!
Aargh!! I hate my tiles!!
LifeOfAShowgirl13 · 31/08/2025 14:29

Hope you end up with a result you are happy with OP. If you were going for a recreation of the scene from Saw where he’s chained up in an old bathroom, they would be perfect 🤣

PleaseStopEatingMyStuff · 31/08/2025 14:31

I hate them too! Sorry OP, I'm sure you're stressed. I'd absolutely get them to stop now. It can be really hard to see how these things will look from a sample.
I'd go for white glossy ones In a darker room.
The ones pictured above are similar to ours and they're brilliant.

seratoninmoonbeams · 31/08/2025 14:33

Cute dog @Adulthumanfemale70 😆

thestudio · 31/08/2025 14:41

I disagree with everyone! It's not my taste exactly but these look expensive and properly hand made to me - as opposed to the 'fake' rustic look of the ones people have posted that are a uniform colour which look like topps tiles budget range.

They're stonewear - they definitely won't look grubby in real life when the grouting is in.

OTOH if you hate them, now's the time to do it!

InterestedDad37 · 31/08/2025 14:44

The Portuguese ones are lovely, but yeah, the other ones don't look great 👍

Adulthumanfemale70 · 31/08/2025 14:45

How did my galgo photo get in there?

ChelseaDetective · 31/08/2025 14:47

@OrtsandNoughts
“I agree that they’re going to come off. And as suggested, I may now paint the en-suite walls white and just tile the cubicle.”

Ours is just the cubicle. The bathroom walls are painted and its fine. We do have a window in there though and use a dehumidifier as this house is ancient and prone to mould.

amusedbush · 31/08/2025 14:47

I was thinking "just leave it - how bad can tiles be?" until I saw the photo 😬your son is right - it absolutely does look like a grotty public toilet.

You won't be the first person to change their mind halfway through a job and you won't the last! You're the one who has to live with it for the next several years so it's worth getting something you like.

madameimadam · 31/08/2025 14:52

Yeah, if you don’t put the brakes on now and change them, you’ll never like them.

i once painted my bathroom in a lovely dark green. Thought it would be nice and cosy. It was truly hideous and felt so oppressive.

Took 5 coats of white paint to fix but I’m glad I did it!!

WildCherryBlossom · 31/08/2025 14:56

Adulthumanfemale70 · 31/08/2025 14:29

I have those tiles with a different feature eall. Posting the picture in case seeing the completed walls helps

Fabulous feature wall! 😍

WildCherryBlossom · 31/08/2025 14:59

OP I love your Portuguese tiles. Can you get to a branch of Topps and find one that goes with the white of your feature tile. We were very tempted by these for our last bathroom renovation
https://www.toppstiles.co.uk/zellica/zellica-antique-white