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Bathrooms Flooring

Practicality of Marble Mosaic on Bath Floors

3 years ago

Hi!
Have to choose tiles for bathroom renos, (3 of them!) and was wondering if anyone could comment on the practicality of marble mosaic on the floor. I know marble can stain and etch, so would it be a smart choice for the floor? Perhaps the powder room where there is little major activity, but the others are main baths. There is no hair dying happening here, but perfume spray, hairspray, etc. Is it safer to go with porcelain??
Thank you in advance!!!!

Featured Answer

cpartist

3 years ago

Depends on your level of tolerance for etching and possibly staining. I find in the bathroom staining is not as big an issue. I have marble throughout my master (floors, back wall and shower) and my vanity counter is onyx. I actually honed my marble tile and don't mind etching as I consider it a "living" finish. If you want perfection stick with porcelain.

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Comments (9)

Julie Schmooley
3 years ago
Curious as well as considering marble for my master and half! Attaching pics!
cpartist
3 years ago
Depends on your level of tolerance for etching and possibly staining. I find in the bathroom staining is not as big an issue. I have marble throughout my master (floors, back wall and shower) and my vanity counter is onyx. I actually honed my marble tile and don't mind etching as I consider it a "living" finish. If you want perfection stick with porcelain.
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Eric started you on the right path. There are some things that are just important to the end-user, it can be the difference between "a thoroughly satisfying" bathroom and "a" bathroom. The one thing you have going in your favor is that tile is pretty much "forever". It's a durable good. You put it in and it becomes the bathroom. It's not like you're dreaming of thick spa-like towels but you can't afford them so you'll settle for thin budget towels for a year or two. Or that you have a dream light fixture in mind, but you can settle for an inexpensive light now and down the road swap out for the more expensive fixture. One thing I'll encourage you to consider if you go ceramic: When you walk into the bathroom will you always think "I wish I could have installed marble but..."? When you show the bathroom to family/friends will you tell them "I'd have like to of installed marble but..."? There are things in my own house that either my wife or I are immensely satisfied with. Small details that she wanted and I thought trivial, or I wanted and she thought ridiculous, or we both wanted. Things that every day she or I now look at and smile over, because "we got it" and didn't have to settle. It can be a $2 item, a $20, or a $2000 item. We've looked at those things the day after we installed them, and we're still looking at then 10 years later, and we get that "good feeling". So think it over. $250 can be a lot of money at this very moment or at this very second. Or $250 can be $1 per week over the next five years. You just have to really differentiate between it being a whim or if it really is something you want. And do you want it for "you" or do you want it so you can show it off to the neighbors? So what are "happy thoughts" worth? Only you can decide how important this is to you.
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I used polished carrara on my last bathroom remodel and it does, indeed, etch pretty badly. There's a polish powder you can buy online but I never used it. At any rate ... HONED ;)
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I had a white marble kitchen floor in a condo once when I was young and stupid. I liked the modern feel of that shiny white floor. That was the first 14 seconds after it was installed. From there it went downhill. It stains terribly, scratches if you breath on it, and is slippery as all get out. I took that out and replaced it with granite. Ok so it was impervious to damage (didn't stain and didn't scratch) but I do have to admit it was slippery when wet, so I just didn't get it wet :oP In a kitchen it was lovely...but that's not a room you try to have a wet floor in. In the master bath I used another granite and it was slippery since you often are "wet" in there. Since then I've learned to use other surfaces like travertine or honed...or in the new place we'll have the antique tile instead. One other option is to use a mosaic for the major portion of the floor or in front of area's you'd use a rug. The smaller the tile pieces on any floor, the more grout...which means less slipping. I'm using that in our entry.
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Jan, maybe I am using the term border inaccurately? The way my walls and vanities flow, the "border" I speak of will serve as a backsplash, continue (same wall) to the tub area, freestanding, and hence the wainscot height (with wall tile under it). That area flows to the shower with 45 degree angles (3 windows), where I want to continue the "border" and tiles. The tile does NOT look like it goes with the slab in my above pics, but it does very well, as dos the hex tile. Think your underlying idea is shower and floors should match? Or maybe I AM using the term border correctly, in which case you don't like. :-) If so, trim ideas? TY!
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SJ McCarthy
3 years ago
cpartist is on top of this one. It is hard for us to tell you about your own tolerance levels. It is a personal choice. Marble can last for hundreds or thousands of years (depending on how thick it is). It won't look the same as it did on day one. In fact it will look different on day 2 than it did on day 1. And day 3 will look different than on day 2...etc.

Marble can be made a bit less likely to stain and etch by using stone sealants. The installer will apply the sealant twice prior to the installation and then once more before they grout. These are all extras you can pay for...so long as your contract specifies it.

These sealants need to be renewed periodically. Depending on the product used it can be as little as 6 months or as long as a decade.

Stone is fantastic for longevity but it does take a certain personality to 'handle' the living finish. I love marble. Love it! I don't mind stains (because my house keeping skills are non-existent so I have to live with my own level of inertia). The etching eventually evens out (over a few years). Before that time it looks splotchy...but then again I don't care so 'whatever'.

You need to understand your own reaction to products that change. Their perfection comes because of their IMPERFECTIONS. You need to love the CHANGE before it even happens.

If you need perfection then porcelain tile is the way to go.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago

Oddingsells · More Info

This is all porcelain. Does it look exactly like marble? no. I have seen too many bad marble installs where they hold water at the shower drain to be comfortable installing it.
catbuilder
3 years ago
Just to right the above wrong statement, sealing will do NOTHING to stop etching.
Patricia
Original Author
3 years ago
I was actually thinking of the marble basket weave for my floor. I can’t find it in porcelain....I’m in Canada.
I don’t care so much about a glistening perfect finish, the mosaic is not high shine to begin with. so perhaps I will be ok with the marble in the long run. All of the pics are stunning baths by the way. Thanks everyone.
cpartist
3 years ago
What I love about marble it has a depth to it that no porcelain can ever match.
Ephma
3 years ago
I have marble on my master bath floor (and shower) and I even had the nerve to put marble basket weave on the floor of my 10 year old son’s bathroom. I do not baby it at all, besides being careful with cleaning products. I absolutely love it, and any etching that is there does not bother me. BUT- I think there are various factors to consider along with your tolerance for imperfections. My marble is honed, which i think shows etching to a lesser extent than polished. Also, all of my bathrooms are north facing, so there’s no direct sunlight streaming across my floors, which helps hide the etch marks.

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