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Is a marble tile shower wall with well water asking for trouble?

3 years ago

The more I look at tile for my shower, the more I realize what I really like is real marble. We have marble countertops in our kitchen, which I call “fussy”, but I still love them and they have held up well over 6 years. Some minor etching where we had a spill, etc but nothing terrible. Our area’s well water apparently has a higher concentration of iron but it has never been an issue for our kitchen countertops. But a shower may be different...

If I pony up the extra $$ for the real stuff, what am I signing up for in terms of maintenance with a marble shower? If I seal it 2-3 times a year along with biweekly regular cleaning , should I be OK?

Featured Answer

Jennifer
Original Author

3 years ago

Thanks all - I’m going with porcelain and a 4x4 real marble accent. I can deal with special cleaning and sealing for that small area that will just be in the middle of the wall.

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Comments (8)

User
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
You bet. Sealing won’t prevent problems. You will never be able to use acidic cleaners like CLR to remove hard water buildup. If you have iron, you’ll get rust. That you can’t use any acid based cleaner to remove. Sealer addresses none of that.
0
K R
3 years ago
There are so many beautiful porcelain tiles out there, I’m sure you can find one you like and save yourself the headache of worry.
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cpartist
3 years ago
I have honed marble in my shower. I don't give a hoot if they etch and I don't believe they were even sealed. After 2 years they're fine. As long as you don't mind the finish changing, it's fine. After all, marble has been used outdoors in Europe for 100's of years and has survived.
cpartist
3 years ago
There are so many beautiful porcelain tiles out there, I’m sure you can find one you like and save yourself the headache of worry.

Yep they look nice on the surface but they miss the depth that is in a real marble or stone. Especially since they're just printed on the surface.
lucky998877
3 years ago
I hate having real stone in my shower, can't wait to remodel it and go with porcelain so I can use any cleaner I want.
kasmit00
3 years ago
You sounded just like me in your post. Same problem and dilemma. I'd love to see what you come up with for the porcelain and marble accent. Choosing tile is making me crazy ;-)
Jennifer
Original Author
3 years ago
@kasmit00 - same!! I’m still ordering samples but getting close. I don’t think I’ve ever been so indecisive in my life! I am sticking with porcelain with just a marble accent. Too many horror stories about marble showers that leaked or were destroyed by small cracks, leaks, rust, etc.

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