I think you need to know what sealer was used initially, I don't think you put water based sealer over solvent based, but I will leave that to the tile experts to weigh in on. Our tile guy told us to flood the floor with sealer, give it 15 minutes to absorb, then wipe up excess, allow that to dry and repeat until the tile and grout will not absorb any more sealer. But, I'm not sure lack of sealer will make grout crack, sounds like it was mixed too dry- did you call the tile installer or the GC and ask them?

June, it's not verboten. There are other varibles. my entire state (that I've seen) uses wood for the curbs. If you're in a state that has a high water table, then you prob don't want to use your wood on a slab since it's going to absorb a lot of moisture. But for areas like mine, as long as you isolate the untreated wood from a cement slab to prevent moisture migration, and it's waterproofed, it's fine. (treated lumber will warp and twist.) Head over johnbridge. plenty of the moderators use the 2x's. mine is encased in tar and mortar, and there's a barrier under it and the seasoned slab. it's not going to expand and contract and it's not going to absorb moisture. bricks are porous too. both of them require the waterproofing membrane and barrier to work properly. but hey, foam boards or mortar bricks are fine ( more than one way to skin a cat. and build a curb) leslie, you can't just add a curb after it's already tiled. what's wrong w/the way it is? do something different w/the transition if you have to, but leave it as is.

Hi all, thank you for your help. especially @dani_m08 @Erik and @millworkman After much deliberation, we decided that we can't easily end the contract with our current contractor. We were able to get the contractor to demo the preexisting floor and start off with a preslope (which looked like it sloped enough hopefully). Unfortunately it seems like I may need to watch out and make sure they follow all the proceeding steps correctly. They were about to install the shower liner today without waiting for the preslope to dry. Another question if you could assist: In the pictures above you can see the shower bench and the shower niche are already redgarded. I have read everywhere that the slope for the bench, niche, and curb needs to go inward at least 1/4 inch. I'm not too tool savvy but when checking the level I saw the bench and niche look to be level. We will be installing quartz on all three surfaces. I think usually the slope is installed by the carpentry or backerboard (I think), but would it be possible to add a slope after the redgard was applied? Luckily I think I can make sure the curb is sloped given the backerboard / liner wasn't installed yet. Does the shower liner need to go all the way around the curb? I think that it only goes to the top of the curb

What did you choose? My half-cut pebbles tiles are sitting in the garage right now. The remodeling has begun. I'm committed to trying it, amid the horror stories I learned about AFTER selection. So I'm sure readers are thinking I am foolish. I am glad to run into your post. I am glad to see  posts from Sammie and Skippack saying it's fine. I resent comments on trendiness when your question was about maintenance. Trend following is for unimaginative people. If you want to bring in a natural feel, pebbles are hard to beat. If you want safety, pebbles and mosaic tiles with their texture are hard to beat. People who think they "look" dirty will also in their minds think they feel dirty. I run into people at work all the time who simply hate the outdoors and whine about the heat and beg to go work in the lab. So I fire them. If you are one of those people, don't get pebbles. But if your favorite place for lunch is the tailgate of your truck, maybe pebbles won't look dirty to you. And just because pebbles were a factor in a gym remodel doesn't mean THEY we're the cause of the moldy smell. So many other factors like venting could have been involved. Unless you KNOW it was the only change, you don't know it was the cause, and even then, the moldy smell could have been something other than mold. Test the air to know it was mold. "A good installer is important". Yeah.... How many times do I read that on HOUZZ about everything. Isn't a good installer important for everything? I also read pebble tiles always show squares, but you see they don't "always" as in the pictures here. People are learning how to install them. There are tips all over about setting some stones individually. And don't be idiotic in choosing the grout color like white grout with black pebbles.  And I read in another OLD post that linear drains are needed, because pebbles don't drain well (others say half-cut pebbles are better), and then someone else complained linear drains are big and ugly. But since then, we learned pebble and mosaic tiles can be placed on top of the drains, making them quite camouflaged. And now we can heat a pebble shower floor to facilitate drying in addition to a nice warm toes feeling. So yay technology! And "IMO", really? Who else's opinions WOULD it be? I did take off my shoes and sox and loved it. The OP and I are happy to hear from people who have lived with pebble tile happily and KNOW how to keep it nice. Thank you Sammie, Skippack and anyone else with real experience living with half-cut pebbles tiles and keeping them nice.  Another question is whether you chose to seal them with the type of sealer that looks permanently wet or if you chose the sealer that makes them look dry when dry. I chose the latter. My wall tile looks wet, and I wanted contrast. But I can easily envision wet pebbles looking very woodsy and wonderful, or very appropriate with bamboo-look wall tiles.