Carrara Marble Mosaic Shower Pan Woes

4 years ago

So some project details first, these are 1 inch mosaic tiles set on a 12”x12” mesh. White thinset was used and Laticrete grout was spread in. Tiles are from Floor and Decor, and they were hand picked to ensure the variation was all within the same range. Tiles were sealed after the grout. Tiler says this happens and its due to the material selection—the inherent risk of going with marble. He said it’s possible the shower floor resolves itself after a few months of use as the glue underneath melts off from use which could be causing the variation. I’m not sure if I put a lot of stock in that thesis and wanted to see if anyone experienced this before and if they had a fix. Thank you!

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Comments (8)

PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
4 years ago
In progress photos?

" the glue underneath melts off from use" This statement makes no sense. Perhaps a misunderstanding.

Yes shading is very common. How much time has passed since this floor was completed and you took the photo?
cpartist
4 years ago
What type of waterproofing was used underneath?
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Lenore, who is installing the granite slab shower? Start there and make your priority be hiring a VERY experienced tile professional - one you have vetted carefully to insure that their qualifications meet your design requirements and product selections. Stone slab installations are not for the B team, and especially in a wet area. Can it be done? Yes, depending upon the structure over which a solid surface stone is installed and the methods used. We install solid surface shower walls regularly, but from an empty cavity which we build to meet all specific design and installation specifications, including the pan. A solid stone slab cannot be supported by the pan (it is not meant to support a slab wall). A slab wall is pinned and tied so it is self supported, not supported by a pan. This is a very complex installation. A LOT to consider. As one example, the thickness of your slab? 2cm. 3cm? (effects the weight load on the space). And I could go on. After you have carefully vetted the qualified tile contractor, have this conversation with them. If you question or want to clarify their recommendations, check back or seek professional advice from other qualified sources. Please consult with a professional onsite. Good luck with your project.
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The person who owns that shower is actually someone I met in this forum-- Staceyneil. We still never did figure out what the real cause was. We HAVE ruled out alot of things, but the one thing we know was a problem was moisture somehow holding suspended in the mud bed. I DO have a fix that I'm confident will take care of the problem, though.... as soon as Artistic Tile sends us some tile we can use!! :-( As for calming your fears, I really can't. That pan was put together the very same way I've put every shower pan (except Kerdi showers) for about 11 years now, the only update being the preslope under the membrane. This is NOT the only natural stone shower floor I've installed, either. But it IS the only one that's shown dark spots the way it did, and I can find no reason for it. The best thing your contractor can do is to make sure he puts a real good pitch UNDER the pan membrane, so that no water sits in the shower pan. The other thing is to make sure he puts gravel or spacers around the weepholes at the base of the drain in the flange, to make sure the weepholes don't plug up.
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When I was not madly in love with the carrara, this is the only glass/porcelain tile that i found that somewhat matched my vanity. They sell them at Home Depot I believe under the Merola brand. Not sure I love the penny mosaic with my square/rectangle theme. Here is a link that might be useful: Penny Mosaic
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@avaaustin The process of attaching fiberglass mesh to ceramic/porcelain tile differs from natural stone processing. Mesh on the back of ceramic mosaic usually doesn't have a layer of glue between the mesh "cells". At same time, the main reason of "resin backing" attached to natural stone is to reinforce it and fiberglass mesh is attached using a "glue" that is mostly polyester. It, first, adds an impervious layer to the back of stone and can significantly reduce the evaporation. Secondly, there could be problems with how well the bond is between the mesh and the substrate since dry set or polymer-modified mortars don't adhere to it very well. True porcelain tiles, whether sealed or unsealed, have >0.5% water absorption. At same time, marble is a translucent stone that will still absorb moisture as vapor even after an impregnating sealer is applied. I can't tell you whether Bulletproof sealer will help you in your situation. With properly installed water-in, water-out system and stone with no "resin backing" it is best to avoid any sealer. That's my strong opinion. Sealing the stone but not sealing the grout will not make any difference. Impregnating sealers are all considered permeable but if there is trapped moisture under the stone unsealed grout won't help.
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Mike W
Original Author
4 years ago
Adding progress pictures. Hard to tell since there was a protective sheet over it.
Mike W
Original Author
4 years ago
@Creative Tile— I may have misunderstood his explanation, but he definitely mentioned something about how the glue on the fabric mesh could interfere with absorption of the sealer causing the huge variation. Tiler tried “flooding it” (letting the pan sit in an inch of water) for a week to see if that would mellow out the variation, which had no effect. He’s going to retry resealing to see if that will even it out.

It might just be a total loss, and we may just switch it out for ceramic; however, there is a heating element underneath it, which I’m not sure can be spliced back together if damaged during demo.
Mike W
Original Author
4 years ago
Flooring has been installed/finished for two weeks now.
PRO
Creative Tile Eastern CT
4 years ago
Without knowing the materials used and the order in which they were applied to create the shower floor assembly I don't have enough facts to work with. Sorry. For all we know it could be the sealer causing the problem. Keep track of what sealer was used initially and what is to be used on the reseal. Take note and call the manufacturer before applying more sealer.
kitasei
4 years ago
Could you live it with it with some kind of bath mat on top?
User
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
That’s a mixed up bit of watetproofing mess. The Schluter for the shower floor, which isn’t tied into the waterproofing over drywall? walls correctly, and then Red Guard over what looks like asphalt impregnated board? Surely it’s not a hot mop under it? This is a bizarre frankenhack, with no warranty from any manufacturer. I’ve never seen anything so bizarre. And that says a lot.

Then you have low quality seconds marble from Floor and Decor in the mix too. The whole thing crosses my eyes and begs the question of what price was paid for this, and what the expectations actually are.

I wouldn’t be inviting the frankenhacker back, that’s for sure. I’d be budgeting 15K for a redo from someone a bit more up the scale of a properly built and waterproofed luxury marble shower . And better materials quality to go with the better labor goes without saying.

Carrara Marble Mosaic Shower Pan Woes

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Creative Tile Eastern CT

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Carrara Marble Mosaic Shower Pan Woes

Comments (8)

Creative Tile Eastern CT

cpartist

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