Customizing Your Bathroom For Less 2.0: Subway tiles

A couple weeks ago I talked about how to make a cheap bathroom vanity out of an antique buffet table here.  Now I want to talk about tile.  Our bathroom was designed around black and white marble because it was left over from a project my parents did, meaning it was FREE (love that word).  If you haven't been visited by the tile fairy you can often find great deals on leftover tile at Craigslist.  Having an open mind about your design can save you money.

Because our floor tile made quite a statement we choose white 3x6 subway tiles for the shower.  They cost around 1.98 and are readily available at places like Home Depot and Lowes.  I realize that this trend has been around for many moons and so I took several steps to make it look less stock and more custom. The first thing we did was create a nook for shampoo and soap out of 2X4s.  Then the box was lined with cement board backer, just like the walls.  This adds functionality as well as a nice architectural element.  Next, I picked out a reasonably priced black marble trim to correspond with the floor tile and to break up the great expanse of white.

We had left over subway tiles so we decided to create a back-splash around the vanity.  Not only will this protect the wall from water damage, but it is a cheap way to customize and tie in your shower tile.

Another option in creating a custom look with white subway tile is using a grout color other than white.  Gray would be my current favorite.  It can look modern or classic, depending on your other design choices and really makes the bricks pop.

There are many variations of subway tiles available; with endless options when it comes to colors, finishes, and edges.  I stuck with basic white in this post because they are the "budget friendly" option.