No, it’s not a good idea unless you ban actually using that bathroom.

Be prepared for normal etching. You can’t stop it.

Marble patina · More Info

marble patina · More Info

marble patina · More Info

marble patina · More Info

marble patina · More Info

marble patina · More Info

Use porcelain tile that looks like marble. It's gorgeous, not expensive, and will be bullet-proof for most cleaning products.

We’ve been using it for almost one year now and it is perfect

That's fantastic!

So, why did you ask the question in the first place?

It's beautiful. Nice job. Marble is timeless and has been used for centuries. Just know the basic maintenance routine and products.

So, why did you ask the question in the first place?

I was wondering the same thing! Fishing for compliments, I suppose?

Seriously, I'm not a marble fan ... but if you're going to use it, I think it's done well here. The black stones /dark fixtures in the shower are a nice contrast, and the wood floors bring in the warmth that marble lacks. I like the design of the storage cabinet backing up to the shower. The barn door and the vanity ... eh.

Use porcelain tile that looks like marble. It's gorgeous, not expensive, and will be bullet-proof for most cleaning products.

Yes, if I wanted a marble look, I'd absolutely use porcelain tile -- for just the reasons you've listed: price and maintenance.

Marble is timeless and has been used for centuries.

Well, kind of. Marble hasn't been used in residential countertops and bathrooms for centuries.

Since It does appear you posted with the intention of getting feedback on your choices, you gotta take the good with the bad. While I love marble, and love it floor to ceiling in a bathroom, I don't like how you've done this bathroom. The black hardware and fixtures are too heavy, clunky and dark and diminish the elegance of the marble. The shower floor is jarring, and looks like it was an accident. Barn door has been discussed above. The gorgeous natural beauty of marble saves it. This bathroom should have been better.

Different strokes for different folks. I like the design of the bathroom including the way the marble is used with judicious touches of dark hardware as well as the nicely contrasting shower floor. I also think the color of the vanity seems to work well with the slab you chose.

And I do mean different strokes as I can appreciate the aesthetic decisions of what I think is a nicely designed room even if it wasn't done in my choice of finishes. My current remodel is probably the diametrical opposite as it has green 3 x 6" subway tile with light rose and copper tile accents and an Art Tile Walden pattern marble mosaic in the shower :-).

I also think your bathroom was really designed thoughtfully in terms of functionality - I like the storage feature against the shower wall; I like the bench in the shower and I think the sit down grooming station is highly functional for those who like to groom in comfort:-)

ETA - And I did go with a marble counter and floors - read about the maintenance - talked to friends with marble bathrooms who had no particular horror stories and decided that the way I used my master bath was compatible with marble. I am not washing off soot from a coal mine nor do I dye my hair in the shower. Normal etching is not something that flips me out and it's a relatively small matter to have a professional come in after several years in the unlikely event that I want deep cleaning or restoration. My building has marble floors which are about 30 years old and periodically a professional comes in to polish and they look as good as new.

Well, did you get enough positive strokes? Since you objected to every comment that didn't praise your work. Here's my 2 cents worth. I don't like flat, monochromatic looks. Don't like clothes closets in bathroom. Shower bench looks too narrow. So, no, I don't care for your bathroom. Could have been much better. Live dangerously. Maybe some red or yellow towels? Some colorful art? I like the mirrors.

People post for all kinds of reasons beyond seeing the cheers of the unknown internet squad.

I found OP's responses not to be defensive but merely explaining why certain design choices were made such as why the issue of the barn door was a non-issue since it wasn't the door INTO the bathroom.

I think posting afters of real life rooms is helpful because in general the bathrooms or kitchens tend to be realistic sizes and realistic budgets (more or less) instead of the purely aspiration designs found in Architectural Digest or whatever which are intended to showcase materials or designer and/or are meant for grand (read non middle class) homes.

I thought the storage at the end of the shower was quite ingenious and might spark some ideas in others.

I'm not sure why people get annoyed at posts to the extent they have to make negative comments about the actual posts. If a post annoys you, just move on along :-)

RWhat’s annoying is the out of the blue virtual SPAM posts from forum dilettantes who never posted the beginning, middle, and then the end of the process, when they could have gotten input that would have improved things. Then the defensiveness sets in when you have people explaining how it could have been done better. So that the people who are here to lean, can learn.

They have nothing invested in the forum participation, and the developing idea brought to fruition. They really just want to brag, get their strokes, and move on. They aren’t participants. They are drive by humble braggers, and they won’t stick around to give advice to the next generation looking to do a remodel.

They flit in and out, and frankly know nothing about nuts and bolts TO be able to pass on. They take all the credit from the trades that did the job and never mention them, unless it’s to complain about a small detail that wasn’t done to their 100K expectations on their 10K budget.

It’s the folks who agonize about the right layout vs their funds, and choosing the right contractor, and how to ramp up the courage to DIY some things that deserve the attention. Not the unengaged drive bys who probably don’t even know the name of their tile contractor.

Who is your tile contractor? The actual person who did the work? Who is your contractor? Who are all of those people that should be taking the bows?

I didn’t realize there was such specific criteria to meet so that one might be deemed worthy of posting on a public forum. Who gave anyone but the owners or moderators of this forum the right to police posts and issue derogatory comments on the unworthiness of those who post. And numerous posts don’t list each contractor or even the specific materials used although I am sure OP would be happy to provide information on request except possibly the gc on a public forum.

And it’s very telling that you don’t have a clue as to what the name of the people are who did the work. And that you didn’t even think to praise them and thank them.

Since It does appear you posted with the intention of getting feedback on your choices, you gotta take the good with the bad.

A fair statement.

Let’s be real, the OP posted to fish for compliments.

Twice! The same bathroom appears in two different threads!

I am not washing off soot from a coal mine nor do I dye my hair in the shower.

Maybe I'm being argumentative, but I do sometimes wash dirty-dirty things in my shower; for example, my stinky dog (don't know what we'll do in our new house when we don't have door to corral him) ... big coolers that we've taken camping ... trash cans. I love that I can bring big things into that fairly large space, wash them with the hand-held shower, then leave them to drip-dry. Why not use your shower for more than washing people? It just seems smart.

As for hair dye, I never considered that it would stain marble, but that does sound like a good reason to go with marble-look porcelain, which is more difficult to damage. It seems wrong that an expensive luxury item provides lesser function that a moderately-priced item.

One of my family's not-so-welcome traits is that we all go gray early. Seriously, at our family reunions, it's ridiculously noticeable! I've been good friends with Ms Clairol for quite some time now, and I'm glad that I can use that $7 box instead of making a trip to the salon. OP: Even if you don't use hair dye now, you probably will at some point in the future -- the majority of my same-aged friends do.

Sophie you must be having a bad day.

I always skip Sophie's posts.

@Mrs. Pete - I think that those who wash dogs or trash in the showers of their master bath know who they are - and many of those who do dye our hair don't do it at home.

If your lifestyle includes such hard use of a master bath, then you probably do need more industrial types of finishes.

However, for those of us who don't subject our master baths to what I think are atypical uses, there is no reason to eschew marble. At least based on what my friends with marble baths have told me and having observed their showers, they look fine after a decade or more of what I would call typical master bath use.

Helen, I disagree with a number of details here:

many of those who do dye our hair don't do it at home.

Yet if you have a marble shower, you're closing the door on that possibility -- for yourself and for the next owner.

then you probably do need more industrial types of finishes.

Porcelain tile isn't "industrial". It's mainstream residential, and I still maintain that porcelain tile (which can be marble-look) is more functional ... for a lower price.

However, for those of us who don't subject our master baths to what I think are atypical uses

Nah, I think the things I mentioned are fairly average.

@Mrs. Pete - Perhaps we know different people but the women I know don't dye at home and I don't give a rat's patootie what some potential person down the line might do when they buy my place. I made all of my design choices based on what I personally wanted in terms of both design and function.

And I really don't think washing a dog and cleaning out trash bins is standard behavior for a master bath. If that's your lifestyle, all well and good but I think it atypical but those who do subject their master bath to such uses know who they are and design accordingly.

My posts are intended to assure people that absent what I consider to be fairly extreme uses of a master bath - washing extremely muddy dogs and trash bins and dying hair is disingenuous. These are marble bathrooms in my friends' master baths and none of them advised me not to use marble - in fact they all gave assurances that they had no particular maintenance problems.

I would say that NOT washing a muddy dog in a master bath or washing out a trash bin is not considered to be "pampering" a master bath but is normal behavior.

disingenuous

Disingenuous? You're calling me a liar about how I use my shower?

Or maybe not -- I don't think you meant to negate your premise with the double negative in your last sentence, so I'm going to assume you were sloppy with your word choice instead of purposefully insulting, and I'll end with one of my favorite movie quotes:

When a post entitled, “is a marble master bath a good idea?” is followed by pictures of a newly completed marble master bath, I assume it’s a fishing post.

Marble is definitely high maintenance material. Your bathroom turned out gorgeous!