HI-old thread but wondering if there are any new product recommendations for honed marble? I would like to seal our marble pre-grouting. Then post-grout too unless that is not recommended?? Also-Is there any downside to sealing the marble before it is applied to the wall? Thanks very much!!!

Should I buy something to guard against moisture (ditra?) You can, but it's not necessary. Is there a recommendation for mastic/thinset/adhesive? DO NOT use mastic, premixed thinset, or ANYTHING that comes ready mixed. Use a good quality latex modified portland cement based thinset. Examples of this would be Custom's Versabond, Laticrete's 253, Mapei's Ultraflex II, or Hydroment's Singleflex. You also want it to be white thinset, as gray will sometimes show shadows through the stone Home Design Expo (where we purchased our tile) says that the process is largely the same. Oh boy. The only similarity is that you use thinset and the same tools. Marble gets set with a much tighter joint (usually 1/16"). Because of that, and the fact that it has a basically square edge, it's very unforgiving with respect to tiles being out of plane to each other. I don't know what they told you about a trowel for setting, but you want a 1/4x3/8" notch. Even with that, you shouldn't be afraid to pick tiles up and either add or scrape a little thinset to get the tiles to sit flush to one another. One other little hint-- DO NOT mesh tape the seams of the cement board before you're ready to set the stone over it. You can then tape the joints, thinset over them, and set the tile all at one time. That way, you won't have "speed bumps" to go over at the seams. You're going to find out just how "similar" setting tile and marble are to each other. :-)

Kendog-- As to the first two choices, I think either one would aork aestheitcally speaking. It would really be a matter of which look YOU like best. We're planning to use pencil rail around our niches as well as above and below the stone and glass liner. Would it look best with pencil around the window as well or could we just overlap the tile there? I would NEVER just overlap the tiles. Being you're going to use the pencil liner for trimming the niche, I don't think it would look out of place if you were to trim out the window as well. The pencil trim has a higher profile than the tile. Should all of it be cut down at the back to make it more flush with the tile if we use it to cover the edge where the tile meets the wall? No-- it's MADE to have that kind of protruding profile. Trim will be needed on the opposite wall where the half wall ends or maybe we could try to bullnose this with a router? The color of the tile edge nearly matches the color of the tile face. Nearly isn't close enough. Either it's exact, or it's not good enough. If you'd rather not use the pencil liners there, I'd use one of Schluter's bullnosing strips. as for the curb, you could always use a marble threshold, thereby elliminating the need for bullnose. Not sure about yours, but most curbs, after backerboard and tile, are about 5 1/2" wide, and a 6" wide threshold set flush to the tile on the outside of the curb, will give you just enough of an overhang on the inside to provide for a nice drip edge. This will do a couple of things for you. First, it'll provide another layer of protection for the curb. Secondly, it'll provide for a nice flat surface for the shower door to sit on, and third, it looks alot nicer than two back to back bullnose pieces. Like this: The floor is about 18 square feet. Do you think it would work well if we cut our wall tile into 4 inch squares to use for the floor? Could we just sand the edges to make them smooth or would we need to use a router? You COULD cut them down, but if the floor isn't perfectly flat, you could end up with uncomfortable edges under your feet. Again, unless the face and edge of the tile look exactly the same, you don't want to use ANY kind of abraiding process (router, sand paper, grinder, polishing wheels) that will show in the finished product. Our tile is rectified porcelain and we'd like to use 1/16 grout lines if possible. If it's rectified, that shouldn't be a problem.

It used to be that 1/16th was called out for rectified tiles. With the new specs for manufacturing, you start getting more variations in tile size. Even in rectified, believe it or not. The new installation recommendation, which has actually been around for a few years, is to have the grout line 3-times the size of the variation within the tiles. This usually comes down to an 1/8th inch grout line. Lippage can also be an issue based on the pattern. A stacked pattern might not show lippage whereas a running bond could. The larger the tile, the more chance you have of lippage with offset patterns. That's all due to the tiles not being perfectly flat. A slight warp, pillow, or pringing (like the pringles potato chip). The grout needs depth. Otherwise it'll just pop out. So a 1/32nd gap with a beveled edge, you may not have durability, because the installer may not pack the joint (if there even is an actual joint) with grout. So: Not to dump on the guy who plans on going 1/32nd...but I'd nix that. Someone who tells me they're going with 1/32nd, I think they're just going to lightly butt the tiles together and get whatever grout penetration they can. And it'll likely be nothing more than topical grout with very little actually packing whatever gap there would be between the tiles. With the new specs, 1/8th inch is the new standard. You could still go 1/16th if the tiles and pattern allow for it, the installer is comfortable with it, and it's called out in the specs...but I'd not advocate going less.