It sounds like you've got the issues pretty much figured out: Ceramic/porcelain tile is less expensive and requires little or no maintenance, while marble is more expensive and requires a little bit of ongoing care -- but natural stone can have a look that isn't matched by man-made. It comes down to your personal preference: does your love for the look of the marble outweigh the higher cost and maintenance or not. There's no right answer, and each of us comes up with our own answers.

When we first started looking for bathroom tile, I was quickly convinced I wanted ceramic or porcelain for the ease of maintenance. But I kept gravitating to a certain type of tumbled marble stone in store after store as we looked at a wide range of tiles. And we ended up with the marble for the shower floor and accent tile around the bathroom! (Can't report on it yet, as it starts going in next week.) But again, this is all personal choice, and what I did or anyone else on this forum did may not be the right choice for you.

One thing I will note is that the cost difference for your small bathroom comes to about $250. In the scheme of remodeling decisions, that is not a huge amount. If you decide you prefer the look of the marble and are okay with the maintenance it requires, then I'd say to try to find a way to fit this modest additional cost into your budget. Tile is not something you'll want to upgrade or re-do in a few years! ;)

-- Eric

Eric started you on the right path.

There are some things that are just important to the end-user, it can be the difference between "a thoroughly satisfying" bathroom and "a" bathroom.

The one thing you have going in your favor is that tile is pretty much "forever". It's a durable good. You put it in and it becomes the bathroom. It's not like you're dreaming of thick spa-like towels but you can't afford them so you'll settle for thin budget towels for a year or two. Or that you have a dream light fixture in mind, but you can settle for an inexpensive light now and down the road swap out for the more expensive fixture.

One thing I'll encourage you to consider if you go ceramic: When you walk into the bathroom will you always think "I wish I could have installed marble but..."? When you show the bathroom to family/friends will you tell them "I'd have like to of installed marble but..."?

There are things in my own house that either my wife or I are immensely satisfied with. Small details that she wanted and I thought trivial, or I wanted and she thought ridiculous, or we both wanted. Things that every day she or I now look at and smile over, because "we got it" and didn't have to settle. It can be a $2 item, a $20, or a $2000 item. We've looked at those things the day after we installed them, and we're still looking at then 10 years later, and we get that "good feeling".

So think it over. $250 can be a lot of money at this very moment or at this very second. Or $250 can be $1 per week over the next five years.

You just have to really differentiate between it being a whim or if it really is something you want. And do you want it for "you" or do you want it so you can show it off to the neighbors?

So what are "happy thoughts" worth? Only you can decide how important this is to you.

There are also compromises that you can work out if you love marble and feel it wouldn't be practical on a floor for you. Do the ceramic on the floor and use marble subway tiles for walls, etc. Don't think that "it's one or the other".

Yes, marble is more upkeep, but marble mosaic is less upkeep and easier to live with than larger format marble tiles. If you don't have a herd of thundering kids or a DH who drips motor oil on the floor, and you keep it sealed, you'll probably be fine with the additional upkeep. (If you have a cleaning lady, you'll need to take away any and all harsh chemical products from her caddy before letting her touch your bathroom though.)

Think about how you can save some money on the renovation. Where can you cut costs so you can have the Marble you love?

It is not hard to do. A well build bathroom can stand the test of time.

My Grand Father's (in law) home here in Vancouver is one of the HIstorical Homes "Show cased" year after year in Vancouver. My wife and Aunts (in law) toured it last week and where giving full access to the uncommon rooms as well the limited public access rooms.

Guess what? After more than 9 Decades 2 of the original bathrooms have their original tile, fixtures, windows and millwork. How many families lived here over the years? Not one changed it! Why?

Because it is original and build right - above code - with great products.

Please don't buy a light and then bin it when you can afford a new one. Please use the old one for another year. Then sell it. Or give it away.

My thoughts...

Thank you so much, there's a lot of sense in this advice! I have to say I am definitely leaning toward the marble as it really is what I want but I don't really know what the upkeep on it is. What does sealing entail? And how do you clean it? This bathroom is the downstairs one so it's what guests and future kids would use, is marble practical enough? How often do you have to maintain it?

Sealing marble entails wiping or brushing on a chemical sealer, waiting a few minutes, then wiping or buffing it off. That's it. Kind of like washing the floor...

Some sealers are water-based, some are solvent-based. Some are fume-y and some are not. Some require you to open windows and wear gloves; others not. Go for a really good quality sealer (I like Miracle 511) and put up with a day's fumes if you can. Then repeat every few years...