would like follow up to this discussion we have older home in DFW area--getting ready to put it on the market shower and master bath need work shower is tiled but 25+ yrs old and probably sheetrock vs cement backed walls--could have some nasty stuff when it is torn out (as our contractor warned us--said he never regrouts older showers when doing remodeling--because most of them just have sheetrock and bad shower pans--but always goes down to the studs) counter tops and tub are cultured marble-- my husband thought to put in granite countertops and new fiberglass tub w/tile top and new tile shower our contractor gave us a fairly reasonable price except it does not include sinks, fixtures and the tile would be pretty basic... we had someone come measure for new cultured marble countertops and tub and also a cultured marble shower stall because most homes in our area have not upgraded their baths ... the cultured marble guy said that because the shower door is more narrow and there is a stepdown into the shower that they would probably have to cut the wall pieces and have a join/grout line vs having them the full length of the tiled walls I asked about having a tile insert line--like 6 x 6 glass mosaic sheets--which he said could be done... anyone have pictures of shower like that or have you done something like that yourself

The tile is vinyl...she can't paint the "grout". To me wall color reads a little too much on the blue side, it needs more of a yellow undertone to go with your tub & vanity top. I think the clean white can work for trim and vanity, but only if you bring in more of the creamy/tan colors. I'd just stick with a fairly monochromatic theme-no prints because then you're really stuck with a 'theme'. You can bring in a print with wall art. I'd go more with texture than print, however. In our main bath reno, we have the same tub configuration. We put in white/gray marble tiles with a light grout. The tiles have a touch of tan in them also. I went with a blue wall color-reminiscent of beach glass, and all white trim. We put up beadboard on the ceiling where there used to be a flurescent light tube box built in. I used brush silver accessories and bright white towels. For the shower curtain I chose a shimmery blue one from Ikea. I don't have a 'theme' other than ahhhhh=it's just very calming to walk in there. I do have a stone Buddha and a couple of small shadow boxes of Asian coins. In any case, I'd definitely get a different shower curtain-that one just does not work with your floor.

hello Jillianfl. Top photo is the one I used to remodle my last bathroom. I loved it and got lots of compliments on it. I'm now renovating a new home, and I have the same concerns about the shower flooring. Did you end up getting some advice? What did you end up going with? Thanks in advance!

The photo I posted above is a bonding flange drain that was shown in one of Mr. Starykov’s articles on this subject. When I saw the orange membrane, I assumed it was a Kerdi drain. My post should just refer to bonding flange drains in general. Sorry for the confusion. I am a newbie re: shower pan construction. I‘ve just been doing a lot of research recently in order to avoid having my marble discolor due to water retention. I have read several discussion threads where specifically Kerdi drains + issue with water pooling around the drain have been discussed. These included comments by well respected professionals who would be able to identify a Kerdi drain. There is always is the possibility (probability??) that the dams around the Kerdi drains were caused by installation error. Anyone who spends even a little bit of time on Houzz looking at bathroom renovations knows all too well how often these shower pans are not built correctly! I think catbuilder has “nailed it“ in the above post - there may be (i) too much thinset used to set the drain, (ii) a dam that’s been created around the drain (drain wasn’t firmly set into the the thinset?), or (iii) a valley in the deck mud around the drain. Catbuilder clearly has quite a bit of knowledge re: shower construction/proper waterproofing methods. I do have a question for you - is the marble tile that you’re having an issue with the same as the marble installed previously without issues? There have been a lot of discussions about how the particular quality of the marble tile being installed may have some bearing on the rise in marble discoloration issues. There is a lot of marble being sold in the marketplace that is labeled as ”Carrara” but is actually not from Italy. My understanding is that the density/porosity of marble can vary quite a bit between different varieties. It also can vary somewhat in the same variety. If I hold up two of the Italian Carrara tiles I’ve recently purchased for my shower walls to a light source, certain tiles are much more translucent than others even though they were sourced from the same area. This would contribute to the amount of water being retained inside the actual stone. Then again, if you have a dam or birdbath around your drain, your marble tile is going to soak up some water regardless of type! I REALLY want a marble hexagon shower floor - but all of this is making me VERY ANXIOUS. I specifically decided not to purchase the standard Carrara hexagon mosaic tile that I really wanted since white marble tends to have more issues with this - but if my shower pan has any type of water retention issues, I still will wind up with discolored tile.