If you do install marble tile just keep in mind that it will need to be sealed regularly. How often that is depends on how much use it gets. The general recommendation is that it be sealed about every 12 months.

We stay in a hotel in Rome where the whole bathroom is cararra marble it was installed in 1947 and still looks awesome the cleaner told me they use nothing but mild soap and water for cleaning and thats it . It was factory polished and no sealing is done. She said the grout had been replaced a couple of times over the years

Scroll down to the section re: sealing.

http://www.soliusa.com/PDF/Installation/Marble_Installation.pdf

The success of the outcome is dependent upon the attention to detail concerning sealing and hiring a Pro with experience in marble. Gorgeous material.

I have a marble bathroom and would do it over again because it is so beautiful.

I haven't had any issues with it but obviously I use some common sense. Since I have a cleaning lady, I ONLY have cleaning products that are safe for marble. This means that I have "safe" toilet bowl cleaner and safe mirror cleaner as well as the obvious "safe" marble cleaner. I also, of course, told her that these are the only products to be used as a double safeguard because there isn't any way she or anyone else could find a "dangerous" product inadvertently.

The marble is in my master bathroom and my lifestyle is such that I am not dying hair, cleaning pets or coming home from working in a coal mine :-). I also use liquid shower soap but since I don't use bar soap that wasn't any kind of life style change :-). The liquid shower soap is also better to prevent maintenance issues for glass shower doors as well as grout etc.

I think the marble warnings are overstated. Marble can be renewed pretty easily by a professional if it comes to that. Marble will etch but people assume that is a terribly obvious thing. Etching is pretty subtle for the most part because light has to hit it in a particular way - replace patina for etching and it sounds better, right? At any rate, for my master bath I opted for honed marble which is slightly "etched" to start with and went with polished marble for my guest bath.

I agree 100% with Helen. I had travertine in my condo and it was fine after 6 years and now i have marble in my bathroom and horrors, Onyx on my countertops.

I too had the marble honed, haven't sealed it and it's holding up beautifully. I do use bar soap but otherwise do as Helen does. Almost 2 years in and everything still looks beautiful. I think my onyx polished countertop does finally have an etch but as mentioned, it's only visible if you look a certain way.

Marble has been used for centuries. As Helen says, it develops patina.

Can you please explain what you meant by horrors?

@cpartist is indulging in a bit of hyperbole as she is joking about the posters who will invariably warn about the "horror" of installing high maintenance stuff like marble and onyx.

I read all the pros and cons prior to my remodeling and decided that based on my lifestyle, I was more than willing to install marble. After living with it, it was definitely the right decision for me.

My bathroom isn't entirely marble as I also have some crackle hand fired tile in there - also a choice that horrifies some because it is 3" x 6" which means there is grout :-) and it is crackle hand fired :-)

Exactly.

There seem to be a bunch of dictates on these forums that actually do not prove to be true.

Marble is bad.

So is Onyx.

Kitchen and bath countertops should be "quiet" stones because you're going to get tired of a busy pattern.

Stick with neutral colors for showers, walls, backsplashes in kitchens. Horrors to using actual colors.

And others which escape me right now.

Go with what you love. As the above illustrates, it is perfectly workable if you just use common sense. Obviously, if you are willing to spend the extra $$ on a beautiful marble, you are also willing to care for it properly. Post some pics of your lovely bath when you are finished, and let the naysayers stick to their safe fiberglass or plastic tubs and drool from afar over your beautiful bath!

@cpartist - The HORROR - The Terror - my master bath is marble with teal blue crackle tile with LOTS OF grout - accented by rose gold penny hex :-) I am sure some are collapsing and holding up a Cross in order to stave off the nightmares :-)

Actually I would extend the prohibition on colors to anything larger than a throw pillow because one will get tired of it and/or it won't appeal to a mythical buyer at some point.

We have a marble shower and floor in our master as well as a marble floor in our hall bath (all honed) and I have absolutely no regrets. However, those two bathrooms have windows facing north into the woods so do not get direct light shining across them which makes any etching unnoticeable.

come on guys. you know houzzers only like white. everything must be white! floors, cabs, walls, splashes. everything. your allowed some metals for appliances and hardware.

@st5530 hahaha

What do you do when grout becomes dingy and needs regrouting? Can the soft marble withstand that or does it chip?

Helen said:

"Marble can be renewed pretty easily by a professional if it comes to that."

This is not always true. I did an expensive marble mosaic backsplash from Artistic Tile and my GC buffed it when it was installed. By doing this he took the shine off the marble. We had a marble specialist spend days trying to bring the shine back and it was impossible. Artistic Tile confirmed that it was relatively easy to renew marble when placed on a floor, but it was close to impossible on walls and got harder as the tile size decreased. My mosaic tiles were about 3" x 9" each. The marble looked dull and not the look I wanted, so I decided to take a loss and replace it. So not every marble can be renewed.

A couple things make a big difference with marble showers: as Ephma said above, the amount of natural light the space receives, and second, the type of water you have.

I had a marble ( Carrara type) shower for years that because of my well water was constantly covered in heavy mineral deposits that I struggled to remove. Eventually I started cleaning it with hydrochloric acid ( yes, the stuff that takes your skin off) and that certainly “patina-ed” it!

But it actually looked ok in that matt state because it was in a windowless room. The acid did not pit it, but just made it no longer shiny- like an old Roman bath.

My floor and shower floor are marble. A 2 inch hex with a soft gray grout. No regrets. No issues. I can see some light etching in certain places, but you have to get close or look from right light. I personally would hate to stand in my shower everyday and long for the marble that I loved.... do it. It won’t remain show room perfect —nothing does—but the natural beauty will remain. I also have heated floors. Even in the summer I leave it on because wow, that marble retains the cold! Something to consider.

Another point was be careful because not all marble is the same. I had a problem with a marble basket weave I put in my powder room. I can’t articulate exactly what it was but a white film “came up” during sealing and it was a pain. The fix had to do with buffing and something (per the factory) and it does not look the same. The sheen is varied and I just wanted it honed. On the upside, it looks like it has been there for years! So I just recommend testing a spot with some grout and sealing before a huge investment. Thankfully the powder room was small.

@ulisdone, I’m looking at honed over polished, but can’t imagine using acid on it.

I have travertine on the floors and a honed marble backsplash in one house, and Carrera marble in the shower on my other house. Just remember that the "shine" of relatively soft stone (like Marble) is not the same as what you would get from tile or from a harder stone like granite.

Polishing and sealing Marble will make it relatively shiny, but it will never look like tile because its not a manufactured surface. If "very shiny" looks good to you, then marble is not the best choice for your shower. Sealing it will help prevent dirt from penetrating, and it provides a little shine, but the effect is limited.

Bruce

Please share what you have used to clean your toilet safely when it's installed on marble floors? Cant use bleach...so what do you use on a regular basis that's safe for the floors (assume there is some small splashes from toilet cleaning).

I wouldn't use it myself. First because I'm not in love with the look, but -- beyond that -- because it only takes once for the expensive stone to be damaged. It only takes once for a helpful spouse or child to clean with the wrong product /to accidentally buy the wrong product. How many threads have we seen on this site about problems with marble?

So many other nice options exist! Why make yourself a slave to something that's extra work to maintain?

@ziegler77 - On the advice of one of the stone pros on this site, I purchased Non Acidic Toilet Bowl Cleaner from amazon. Since I also have a Toto toilet with a special finish, this is also safer for my toilet. I been back in my place since October 2018 and both the toilet and my marble are doing great :-)

Majestic Non Acidic Toilet Bowl Cleaner

I also purchased a stone cleaner on the advice of the same pro - Dragonfly who posts often - which works very well. It also is used for mirrors and glass so it has the added benefit of being multipurpose in the bathroom and avoiding mirror cleaning products that aren't good around marble :-)

MB Stone And More Cleaner

In terms of aesthetics, the marble in my bathroom is not the ubiquitous look - not that there is anything wrong with that. The design of my bathroom was deliberately more of a "vintage" feel so my floor (bathroom and shower) are Calacatta basketweave; my marble counter is French Vanilla marble which has a less prominent pattern and my tile shower is a mixture of hand fired colored tile inspired by Craftsmen tiles and a large marble mosaic feature from Artistic Tile.

My work study in college involved dorm janitorial duties. The dorms were lovely old buildings built in the 1920s and bathrooms were loaded with marble: floors, shower stalls, dividers between urinals, and shelving above wall hung sinks. One thing I learned - urine is acidic and will etch marble terribly. This damage was particularly evident on the floors near the urinals and on the urinal dividers.

@cpartist - The HORROR - The Terror - my master bath is marble with teal blue crackle tile with LOTS OF grout - accented by rose gold penny hex :-) I am sure some are collapsing and holding up a Cross in order to stave off the nightmares :-)

I know! The HORROR! And what does that make me since it's one of my all time GW favorite bathrooms?

Actually I would extend the prohibition on colors to anything larger than a throw pillow because one will get tired of it and/or it won't appeal to a mythical buyer at some point.

Yes don't ever paint your walls any color other than gray, greige, gray/blue or white either. Make sure your bathroom (and whole house) lack any color personality. (I wonder what they really think of my red walls in my guest bath!)

I had a marble ( Carrara type) shower for years that because of my well water was constantly covered in heavy mineral deposits that I struggled to remove. Eventually I started cleaning it with hydrochloric acid ( yes, the stuff that takes your skin off) and that certainly “patina-ed” it!

My bath tiles were actually polished and what we did is use muriatic acid to hone them. I didn't want polished.

I have had NO issues in my shower and it has not been refreshed since it was installed over 10 years ago. The shower floor is marble - (a 1 inch honed hex) and I clean it with soft scrub. The shower bench and shelves are marble as well. All honed. I'm sure the whole thing is etched but I don't see it. I did use subway tiles on the walls, as I thought too much marble would look cold.

You don't have to worry about hard water spots if you install a water softener.

As a Pro, we hear a ton of "WHY didn't anyone warn me??" when their marble starts to age or hold water (it is porous). I do my best to talk people out of it, but if they are insistent, they do it with eyes wide open

Thank you all for your input and advice. I have decided to go with a Bianco Carrara look-a-like porcelain tile. While I love the look of natural stone, I don't want the upkeep. Stonepeak makes a beautiful porcelain that fits the bill.

I have the same exact question

Click on for link to photo. As beautiful in person

Click on for link to photo. As beautiful in person

Yes it is beautiful and a great solution to those who don't want the upkeep or are afraid of marble. However, those of us who love marble, love it because there is a depth of color that is missing with just a surface printed tile. Neither is right or wrong. Personal preference.

crazy4craftsmanGood choice! My marble is not yet installed, but I'm regretting the purchase already. Unfortunately I bought the marble online, and returning it would be too expensive, so I am keeping it. It will be beautiful, I just would rather not have to worry about it. Oh well. Enjoy your soon to be beautiful and easy to take care of bathroom!

Our contractors recommend marble for homeowners with larger budgets. Regular maintenance is required for marble.

@Rachel don’t regret it already, it will look beautiful and you will love it! Did you buy online from The Builder Depot? That’s where we got the marble for our bathrooms and I was thrilled with the quality, especially considering their prices were about a third of the local tile shop (and looked exactly the same if not better).

Marble floor (with heating underneath...we're in CO), marble pebble tile on floor and in shower. Walls are porcelain subway, but no problems and no regrets. If you love stone and the look/feel of marble, there's nothing like it. Enjoy what you do put in, and love it.

@Helen thanks so much for the advice!

Dawn, that looks beautiful

We have honed marble on pretty much every surface of our bathroom; the floor is heated as well. We have young kids, and I’ve been not that maniacal about which products I or my cleaning lady use. It looks as good as the day it was installed. I think having honed is key; we likely have some etching and staining but I just don’t notice it due to the honing.

Ephma Thanks. I'm sure I will. I bought it from Tilebar. A designer recommended it. The quality looks good to me, and the price was good.

@Dawn Martinez - your bathroom looks beautiful! I‘ve been thinking about using Dolomite on my shower walls - it would look very similar to how your porcelain tile looks.

@crazy4craftsman - your bathroom turned out very nice. The porcelain (natural stone looking) tile you used looks nice! What size is the tile you used on your walls? Also, what are the dimensions of you shower?

@NYCish - another beautiful marble bathroom! I have the same Qs for you also re: dimensions of wall tile/shower.

Thanks for all who participated in this post - helpful to hear some positive stories about using marble in bathrooms.