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Can I use basalt tile on bathroom floor?

9 years ago

I've been shopping for tiles for my master bathroom remodel for over a year and now it's time to choose. I had initially considered porcelain overall and then thought about marble mosaic on the floor.

Today I saw a textured natural stone basalt tile that I would like to use on the bathroom floor with a porcelain marble-look tile on the walls. I plan to use the porcelain on the shower floor, so the basalt is for the flooring near the vanities, toilet and tub.

I have no experience with basalt. I know that it is porous and will need to be sealed with a penetrating sealer instead of an enhancer. Does it need to be sealed prior to installing? Can I use an epoxy grout?

How will it hold up as a bathroom floor tile? I've read that oil will stain it, but I can't think of any oily products that I would be using in the bathroom.

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Comments (4)

MongoCT
9 years ago
I've never used basalt, but I've seen it in raw stone as well as in resinated stone.

It is recommended that it be sealed prior to installation.

Epoxy grouts might be a mis-match if it's porous. Epoxy can penetrate the perimeter of porous stone tile and give an off-color "picture frame" look to each tile.

I'd contact the tech department of the specific tile you're thinking of using. If all they can give you are give generic installation and care instructions, then contact the tech department of the epoxy grout manufacturer and ask if they recommend their epoxy grout with porous stone tile.

There are so many versions of stone being used as floor and wall coverings these days. I can't keep up with them.

FWIW, basalt is on my short list for a future bathroom in my own house. I haven't researched the installation specifics yet, because I first have to build the addition that the bathroom will be in. lol
cat_mom
9 years ago
Re: oily products. Body lotions, creams, sprays, hair products, etc., might contain ingredients, while not oil per se, could react like oil (stain) fabrics and possibly other porous materials.
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This does not sound like a do it yourself job. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and have someone bust it up-since the old cast iron tub will have to be busted up to replace with a shower. I know how I felt when I tried to remove the wallpaper and found the walls ill prepared-then discovered that there were at least 2 different layers of wallpaper under the one I was trying to remove. Boy was I hot!!!. Wallpaper had to become part of my wall and get painted. That is probably how someone would feel about tile over tile.
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You can check flatness by taking a pair of tiles and placing them face to face or back to back. If there is any gapping around the edges or in the center when you look at them from the side, then they are not perfectly flat. That doesn't mean that they can't be used. It just means that they will look better if they are not laid in an overlapping pattern where you get lippage, and it is important, if they are bowed, that it is consistent from tile to tile. I did a small bathroom in 18" square tiles that were perfectly flat and I still chose to align the tiles in a standard, straight set pattern. Lippage
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@Christopher -- what's the reasoning behind that ? Can it be done at all ? If it can be done, how difficult is it, and what kind/how much prep needs to be done ? Can it turn out successfully ? Or is it not worth the effort ? I probably should have mentioned that it's not a shiny finish ceramic tile. I honestly don't know what it's made of, but there's no shine to it at all, and it has a textured surface, to look like it was cut from actual stone.
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You might want to put all one color subway tile with a decorative accent band in middle.. grout on the floor of shower and bathroom does not stay cllean, so use darker grout
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lazy_gardens
9 years ago
Saw it used in Korea, in a bath area ... and it was badly water-spotted and stained. The traction was great, but hard water soaked in and made mineral deposits and there were what looked like oily spots too.

Try a basalt-look porcelain with a high coefficient of friction for less hassle and similar look.
kudzu9
9 years ago
I can say that it would give me pause. Over time it is likely that drops of different products as well as minerals from the water will get embedded in it, even if it is sealed. I also vote for a porcelain lookalike.

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