Project for Tile on the Shower Wall

Checkerboard

• Bedeck the shower wall with tile arranged in a checkerboard pattern -- alternating one dark tile and one light-colored tile, staggering each row so dark tiles never touch other dark tiles except at the corners. While black and white is the classic checkerboard color combination, you could also go with a brighter combination, such as white and canary yellow, or a more muted combination, such as forest green and sea-foam green.

Border

• Use tile to make a border along the edges of the shower walls. This is a particularly suitable tile approach if you like most of the shower wall as-is, but want to disguise discolored or otherwise unattractive parts of the wall along the edges -- or if you want to add a splash of color without re-tiling the entire wall. Alternatively, place tile in a selected color along the edges and fill in the central portion of the wall with another color for a two-toned effect.

Solid Color

• Cover your shower wall with tile in a single color. Such an approach is appropriate if the rest of the bathroom is colorful or otherwise eye-catching, or if the tiles are interesting even without color variation. Single-color tile is also appropriate if your overall decor scheme is conservative. For instance, you could cover the shower walls in charcoal-gray slate tile for a subdued, masculine style. Or use pebble tiles, each one made from many small stones held together with backing material.

Mosaic

• Grace the wall of your shower with a mosaic made from many small tiles if you find the ancient ruins of Roman mosaic baths compelling -- or if you just like the idea of bathing next to a one-of-a-kind piece of art. Mosaics can range from ornate, Roman-style classical scenes to funky free-form designs. Design a mosaic to match your interests and bathroom colors.