Help with picking pool tile

[kcarlile]

Hi All,

I need help picking our pool tile (waterline and spa spillover). We will have bluestone coping and hopefully, dark blue water (still picking the pool finish). I'm having trouble with the tile. We don't want the tile to stand out too much, but instead blend with our coping. However, we do want a little bling, so we plan to use glass tile. To get the dark blue water, our pool finish will probably be Adam's Pebble Plus (Indigo) or Pebble Sheen (Ocean Blue).

I would love any thoughts about our tile choices. We are currently looking at Oceanside Fleet Blue iridescent. I've attached some pictures with the fleet blue iridescent tile along side either the bluestone coping or bluestone ledge stone (one length of the pool will have a raised wall with this ledgestone). Another picture also shows a combination of fleet blue (non iridescent), silverlight, and dove/white. But, I'm not sure if this is too light or busy. And, we could also mix iridescent and non iridescent tiles. The last picture shows the 3 fleet blue options (iridescent, matte, and non iridescent). The last picture was taken inside a warehouse and it's amazing how different the color looks. We will probably go with a darker grey grout. I'm currently leaning towards all fleet blue iridescent for consistency, but my husband thinks we should mix the fleet blue iridescent and non iridescent tiles. Thanks for any help!

 

[kimkats]

Here I am.......ready to help you spend your money!!! That is what I do best!! LOL

I really, really, really like the long tiles. The color variation gives it a lot of interesting and the colors will go great with everything else! It will help tie everything together!

Kim

 

[kcarlile]

Thank you so much! I am liking the combination of colors more and more. I also like these from Lunada Bay. But, I've read some so-so reviews about how these can look after they are installed, so I'm not sure if I should consider them. But, they sure look pretty. I'll have to see if I can get some samples. My PB specifically recommended NPT and Oceanside for glass tiles. I'll have to ask if they've ever installed Lunada Bay.

 

[HR1405]

I send the enlongated tile - visual interest and not the typical grid but still classic and not something that will look dated quickly. I also like the cocokeeling (personally prefer a color which blends with the coping but has enough visual interest to stand on own.

 

[kimkats]

I also like the longer tiles but sure love the colors on the 2x2 tiles!

 

[kcarlile]

I went to look at more tiles in person today. Here is another one that I'm really liking. This sample shows both iridescent and silk. We would do one or the other, not both. The iridescent goes a little gold at times. I think this is our current favorite. It's Sonoma Tilemakers which uses the same tiles as Lunada Bay. The manufacturer just sells different colors and blends to the different companies.

 

[kimkats]

Thinking out loud here...............I THINK those tiles come on a sheet all together. If ask the installers to remove one color/kind it will mean they have cut the sheets to remove the ones you don't want AND cut other sheets to get the ones you do want. Just something to look in to before you get to far. I DO like that chose and hope you can do what you want!

 

[kcarlile]

Thank you! Yes, these do come on sheets. I think if we want to avoid the gold, we could just go with the silk version (which is the bottom 3 rows of tiles in each picture). The top 3 rows have the iridescent that goes gold at certain angles in the sun. We can do these in 1x1 or 1/2 x 1-1/4 (looks really cool, but maybe too much grout), or 1x4. Although I love the look of the 1x4, some glass manufacturers don't recommend going over 3" with glass tile. I guess they are more likely to crack the bigger they are (at least that's what the tile guy told me).

 

[kimkats]

okay I see how there are two different "colors"

 

[kcarlile]

Here's one last comparison picture with the different tiles that we've been considering. I don't have the long, skinny tiles in this pic because I couldn't convince my husband of that one. I think we're leaning towards the one on the left. I've been looking at tile for weeks, so I am so happy to finally be getting this figured out

 

[kimkats]

LOVE the subtle colors in that one! It will be SO pretty when you get water on that pretty plaster!

 

[TexasRain]

OOOh that's a hard choice! All look like winners! Is there a big price difference with any of the three to help cut one out?

 

[HappySwimming]

Very pretty choices, I'm booking mark this thread because it's the same color palate we're thinking about.

I agree, the tiles on the left would be my first choice.

 

[kcarlile]

OOOh that's a hard choice! All look like winners! Is there a big price difference with any of the three to help cut one out?

All the tiles are within a few dollars of each other. Actually, the one on the right is the most expensive. That one is Oceanside Tile. But, I think it's just too plain. If we go with that one, we would probably mix iridescent and non iridescent tiles to add a little more interest. But, doing that mix would increase the price even more. The one on the left is actually the cheapest, and it's currently our favorite. So, that's definitely a win. It's also in stock which is another bonus.

 

[kcarlile]

Very pretty choices, I'm booking mark this thread because it's the same color palate we're thinking about.

I agree, the tiles on the left would be my first choice.

If you like these, check out the Sonoma Tilemakers (Vihara line), Lunada Bay (Agate line), and Oceanside (Muse or Tessera lines) websites. But, definitely see them in person if you can too. One of the ones in the above picture looks kind of brownish on the website, but not at all in person. And some colors that we loved in the store, looked completely different when we brought them home and looked at them in different light and at different angles.

 

[Dukebuk]

Check these out. Their stuff is awesome GALLERY | lightstreams

 

[kimkats]

LOVE me some lightstream tile BUT the customer service leaves something to be desired as they don't always have the materials needed to make a tile and they don't always have good communication skills.

 

[kcarlile]

The Lightstream tile looks great too! I just didn't find any that fit the color that I'm looking for. My husband is begging me to make a decision because I keep changing my mind. I threw a few more tile samples into the mix today. Of course, his favorite is one of the new ones, so he should be happy that I can't make a decision ;-)

 

[kimkats]

How do you pick??? They are all so pretty! Pick the one he likes and move on. There is NO wrong one in any of the bunches!

 

[TexasRain]

That small hint of blue is pretty!