We made big progress at the beach house this week, spending more than 40 hours over four days to get nearly all of the tile work finished.
Like last week’s detailed post about trim, doors, and tile, we put together a video showing the latest updates at the house — including two additional milestones that aren’t tile-related.
Note: If you’re reading in a feed reader, you might have to click through to the post to see the player.
We tiled the floors and shower pans over a couple of intense two-day trips, but tackling eight shower walls was a much bigger effort. This time we brought the kids and the dog because school hadn’t started yet and we turned the work trip into a short family getaway. A friend kindly let us stay in town while she was away, so we arrived on Wednesday without worrying about babysitting time or hotel costs. The result: a lot of focused tiling and great momentum.
I ended up shuttling kids and dog around Cape Charles while John did most of the tiling. I felt a little guilty for letting him grind away while I played with the kids, but the alternative—me staying home while he worked solo—felt worse. Plus, it was handy to be nearby if he needed a break or an ice cream run.
We stayed through Sunday morning and left with two of the three bathrooms fully tiled and the third about 90% complete. That means they’re ready for grout, and soon we’ll be installing toilets and sinks — which is extra exciting because we finally have running water hooked up to the house. In the video I even turn on the hose bib. The water hookup was a saga, but we’re past it now, so toilets can actually flush when they go in.
(we used a basketweave floor tile, a slate-like porcelain tile, and a long subway wall tile)
The downstairs bathroom is the most classic of the three and has the tallest ceilings, so we used oversized 4 x 16-inch subway tiles on all three walls. Because these tiles are larger than traditional 3 x 6 subway tiles, the first shower went a bit faster. The scale felt right for the higher ceilings and gave the space a clean look.
We used the same wall tiles in the upstairs en-suite as well. That shower only needs tile on two walls (the third will be a glass panel), and with lower ceilings it went even faster. The large white wall tiles pair nicely with the small-scale hex floor pattern, and we can’t wait to see everything grouted.
(we used a black & white hex floor but swapped the black tiles for blue accents, and the same long subway wall tiles)
The curb in that shower took a lot of time because it wraps around two sides and required careful mitering for clean corners. Some people use stone slabs for curbs, but we continued the wall tile over the curb and used halved bullnose tiles as a pencil border. Getting the miters and the transitions right took patience and a bit of planning.
This room may be our favorite, in part because it will eventually house the original clawfoot tub.
The hall bathroom is tiled except for a small section of one wall and the curb in front of the shower. John ran out of thinset (and energy), so we’ll head back in a few days to finish those last bits together.
(we used a patterned floor tile, a white hex floor tile, classic subway walls, and a blue patterned tile on the back wall)
When you see a small blank strip at the bottom of a tiled wall, that’s intentional: you set the first row off the floor so you can ensure everything is perfectly level. Floors aren’t always level, and starting from the floor can lead to a crooked tile line that becomes more obvious as you work your way up. Instead, mark a level line and screw a piece of scrap wood to the wall to support the first row; once the tiles above are set you remove the wood and cut the bottom row to fit.
Update: We used the Schluter/Kerdi waterproofing system behind these tiles and sealed screw penetrations with Kerdi-Fix before applying thinset and tiling. That method keeps the assembly waterproof.
That blue patterned back wall tile actually comes in 13 x 13-inch squares, even though it looks like many smaller tiles. Since each 13 x 13 tile has several different small patterns, we laid them thoughtfully to avoid repeating the same designs next to each other. Staggering the big tiles as we worked also helped keep the grid lines less obvious and preserved the look of small, individual tiles.
Right now one shower looks busier than the others because you can see all the raw adhesive and tile lines, but once we apply a low-contrast grout the grout lines will blend more and the final effect should be more cohesive. Grout color makes a big visual difference — choosing a light or dark grout can emphasize or soften tile shapes — so we picked grout to keep the space layered without being overpowering.
Grouting will take time and multiple visits to remove haze and touch up, but we’re thrilled to be this close to finishing. We can practically hear the victory cry when tiling is finally done.
Another small win: the pocket doors in the back bedroom are hung. We were asked why we’d hang doors before sealing and finishing them; the answer is practical — trim can’t be installed around doors until they’re set, so it’s easier to hang doors now, finish the trim, and then pop the doors off later to seal or paint them. They’re easy to remove and rehang, which keeps the trim work moving forward.
As shown in the video, tile wasn’t the only progress: more trim went up, the A/C installation is complete (though not switched on yet), and yes — you can see water flowing from the hose bib. Small things, but they make a big difference.
Psst — if you want to catch up on other beach house updates, we’ve covered lots of stages from drywall and exterior color to floor plans and styling inspiration.
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