I am in the planning stages of finishing our basement to include a bathroom. My questions are, are tiled shower stall's ceilings tiled? Or are they just left painted over moisture resistant drywall?

Also, for a new tiler (me), what type of tile is easiest to work with, yet I want a descent selection of colors, etc?

Thanks
FGHUNT

Tiling the ceiling is strictly up to the homeowner. If it's not a steam shower, there won't be enough moisture to get to the ceiling to cause a problem. A good quality paint will work just fine.

As for the tile, is there any particular one that you're looking for? There are many types out there that will work for a shower. For a DIY'er, the tile or stone with a rectified edge can be a little more difficult to get flat. Stone can also be a bit more challenging because every cut has to be made with a saw, and the chances of them breaking are greater than with ceramic. Maintenance is also a little more difficult with stone. You may want a larger grout line, like 3/16" or more, with a beveled edge. Somewhere between 8" to 16" would probably be the easiest to install, at least they are for me.

The other thing I would add to Kman's good advice is to be sure to install a high CFM exhaust fan in the bathroom and make sure it gets used. The bulk of our work is bathroom remodels, and I see a lot of bathrooms get aged prematurely because there is either no bath fan or it doesn't get used....all that moisture really causes a lot of problems over time.