Marble hex tiles on shower floor? Bill V or anyone?

13 years ago

Hello!

We are renovating our basement and ready to tile a small 36x36 shower. I picked out marble hex 1 inch polished carrera for the shower floor after seeing it installed on many pictures on the web. I thought it would be fine if I used a good sealer like miracle 511.

Originally I was going get honed, but the guy at the tile store thought polished would be better.

I showed it to my tile installer today and he thinks it's a bad idea for the shower floor. When it gets wet it will get darker he said...but wouldn't the sealer prevent it?

I could always switch to the American oleon mosaic tile that looks like marble. But I would be out $175.

What should I do? Anyone out there have a marble shower floor that is holding up well?

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Comments (7)

francoise47
13 years ago
Hi positano, I had also been thinking of marble hex for my shower floor. But two local tile stores both recommended against it. Their argument is that you don't want marble in the shower because the bleach and other household cleaners one often uses to clean showers will mar or etch the marble. Both tile stores said that nothing harsher than dish soap and warm water should be used to clean marble tile. I'll be curious to know if others think this is true.
alku05
13 years ago
Plenty of people here have marble showers. Sure, you will need to be concientious about what you use to clean it, but that's something you can definitely handle.

The thing I'd be most worried about is the polished surface being slippery when wet. However, with all the grout needed for a 1" tile, I would think that should do a pretty good job of mediating it.
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Thanks for responding Bill, but I kind of meant the opposite of what you responded to, meaning, is MARBLE mosaic not as good a choice in a shower as hex tile? I am trying to not blow the budget and while I loved the look of the nero marquina my concerns are due to price & durability. I think the impact of using the nero marquina on the bathroom floor will be great, but the shower is fairly small (about 3 foot sq.) so maybe I can get away with using a lesser expensive option there and in the 5x9 closet. (Then again, if there's a way I can use the nero marquina as just an accent, maybe as a 4x4 border around the room, with the black hex or mosaic in the center/shower/closet? Or a white hex in the center/shower/closet? I am rambling. Basically, I don't want to do the closet in the nero marquina because of cost, that's the bottom line. If I do choose to use it in 4x4 diamond or running bond on the floor, mosaic running bond in the shower, what (cheaper option!) do I choose for the closet?
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ALthough I'll agree with most of that post, there are a couple of things I don't. First, there IS a big difference between the "high dollar" sealers and Home Depot's Best (Tile Lab). The better sealers will last alot longer. Same thing with the difference between water based and solvent based. The solvent based sealers penetrate much deeper, and as such, last alot longer. One last question-- who makes an unsanded epoxy? Lastly, I don't know what you're calling "tile sealers". The only tile sealers I've ever seen ARE penetrating sealers, also used for sealing stone, and in fact ORIGINALLY meant for sealing stone.
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bill_vincent
13 years ago
The thing I'd be most worried about is the polished surface being slippery when wet.

That's the thing I'd worry about as well. As for it darkening when wet, that's no big deal. It'll lighten up again as it dries. As for sealing, I don't give a damn WHAT Artistic Tile told Stacey-- you'll never see me recommend sealing a marble shower floor after what happened with hers.
positano
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the input. Wish I had gone with my gut and got the honed. They said the grout would make the polished less slippery.

Bill can you fill me in on why you wouldn't seal it? I was definitely going to use the miracle 511 on it.
bonniesva
12 years ago
Positano, I saw your kitchen and we love it. Can you please email me your kitchen dimensions to see if it is possible at our house? We are in an 11x24 (+ a little bumpout). The island is the concern. I just joined and am a newbie. Thank you! haymom247 "at" aol (dot) com
bill_vincent
12 years ago
Positano-- Sorry this is a little late-- I didn't see your reply when you posted it. But in answer to it, you might want to read a thread that Stacey posted over at "that other tile forum" (GW won't let me post the name for some reason or a link) called Help solve MYSTERY? Marble tile shower floor always "wet" in some areas?. To this day, I still don't know what caused the problem, nor does anyone else, no matter WHAT they (Artistic Tile) say. No one can prove to me what the problem was, and every possibility that's been suggested, I can tear apart technically speaking. Even one of the top forensic experts in the country (Dave Gobis) got in on this, and couldn't come up with a definitive answer. One thing I DO know for sure, though. I was skeptical about sealing the floor to start with, and after it was sealed, moisture had trouble excaping the stone, and it stayed dark in areas. After I tore it up and redid it, Stacey left it unsealed, and she's had no discoloration problems (or any others, that I know about!) since.
attofarad
12 years ago
I'm going to use nero marquina "pebbles" (flat rock on webbing) on the shower floor. Do you see any problem sealing that? I want it to look dark as possible, so I was planning to use an "enhancer" first, then seal it. Specific product and procedure recommendations would be appreciated. Grout will probably be black epoxy (suggested by my likely installer).

Marble hex tiles on shower floor? Bill V or anyone?

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francoise47

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Marble hex tiles on shower floor? Bill V or anyone?

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