tell me how much you regret choosing marble vs marble- look porcelain

3 years ago

I love the marble, but it's going in my daughter's bathroom. I'll seal it and she'll squeegee down the shower every time, but I know it's smarter to put in porcelain. So please, tell me how much you wish you'd put in porcelain instead of marble...

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Helen

3 years ago

How old is your daughter?

You are soliciting input from those who regret installing marble. I installed a marble counter; marble floors in bathroom and shower and a marble mural on a shower wall.

I don't squeegee and I don't regret my decision. I do squirt all the walls of my shower with my hand held shower head before exiting - including glass doors; mural and crackle glazed ceramic tiles to get off any blotches of conditioner or shampoo.

I don't pamper the materials but I exercise reasonable caution - I don't dye my hair in the shower; I use liquid soap instead of bar soap and I don't wash animals in there either.

I have excellent ventilation in my bathroom as I have a Panasonic Whisper Fan which goes on when the ambient humidity level in the bathroom reaches a certain point. It seems to work very well as I don't have condensation.

In my experience, the care and feeding of marble is overstated as I am not sure what the horror is. There is marble used in old European palazzos and brasseries that has endured.

When I was remodeling I looked at the faux marble which was not inexpensive but it didn't have the warmth of natural products.

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Comments (9)

dani_m08
3 years ago
June - I am installing marble in my master bathroom remodel - demo begins on Thursday. The issue I’m struggling with has to do with using the marble mosaic tiles on the shower floor. Apparently, there are some marble tiles that absorb more water than others. This causes discoloration in the floor. There are several threads on here discussing this issue in depth, including articles linked by a professional contributor here on Houzz - Star Tile & Stone, LLC - who did in depth research on this specific issue (Google “Porosity of Building Materials and Marble Moisture Discoloration“ on TilePro-USA.com).

Using cheaper marble may increase this issue based upon what I’ve read. I’m not sure how often this actually happens - people don’t post when their marble mosaic tiles don’t absorb water unevenly. It has caused me to look at a few other options - but I am running out of time to make a decision.

With respect to all of the other issues, there are MANY discussions on here re: pros/cons of using marble in bathrooms/kitchens. I have been to Italy several times, and have stayed at many OLD hotels with marble bathrooms. I don’t really recall seeing issues - and there had to be, at least, etching in those bathrooms. Also, I’ve dated a guy who has marble in his master bathroom shower - he doesn’t squeegee his - and he doesn’t restrict the types of soap/shampoo/etc used in it. His shower always looks very nice (and is really why I have wanted to install one in my bathroom).

I understand why you’re concerned about using marble - especially, in a bathroom used by a child. Unfortunately, you won’t get a definitive answer to your question - because there isn’t one.
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Thanks for your response and feedback! I was looking through some books on Green and Green homes and they had subway tiles and ceramic hex floors. To me the hex floor felt busy. I put a marble mosaic in my master. Here's what I did with 12" x 12" tiles around the outside which helped break up the 12" x 12" a bit. And I ran the mosaic in the floor of the shower too. Here's my shower. Mine is mostly enclosed with just a glass door. If you like daisies, this is what I did in my upstairs guest bath although the pattern is a bit earlier than a 1940's bungalow (I was going for an early 1920's feel although as you can see with the above master, I didn't quite keep the look): We do have square tiles in the guest bath. I guess I was trying to do a bit of a riff on the traditional look. Maybe it's not working. Thanks for the dope-slap on the daisy tile. (shoot, now I want to delete the comments on the daisy tiles but it's too late!) No don't feel bad about the daisy tile. Secret? Our house is a brand new built craftsman inspired house. One that several folks thought was an original I renovated so I must have done one or 2 things right. LOL. However, I got seduced by the same tile as you! I love that tile and a few of the other water jet patterns Do you think any of this could work? The 12x12 floor? I think you could get away with the 12" x 12" if you keep the other tile more in tune with an older style. I apologize as I think I was reacting even more to the 4 x 8 and the 12" x 12" tile laid on the diagonal. I thought the 4x8 subway was at least in keeping in the proportion of the older ones. No. That is the one that really is off. If you're going for an older look than 1940's, then stick with a 3" x 6" subway. However if you want to stick to the house era, go with a 4" x 4". To take it from the ordinary, what about playing with them by doing a half offset similar to a subway tile? Is it possible to add a marble accent that would be in keeping w/ the style? The basketweave, wicker weave and spiral mosaic I believe have been around forever. Check out Subway Mosaics too. This is the company I ordered my daisy floor from. They have different sized marble tiles too.
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Helen
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
@dmac1108. I am not sure what you mean by mosaic tile. I have Calacatta basketweave tile on my bathroom and shower floor. There has been no issue with it at all. My drain is very well constructed and slopes so that water doesn’t pool. As I wrote above, my Panasonic fan seems to handle residual moisture after a shower as it runs for awhile ajd then turns off and everything seems dry.

It might have some etching. 🤷‍♀️ I think people overstate the issue of etching. It certainly isn’t a visual factor in my bathroom. My friend has had marble counters in her kitchen fir more than a decade and you can only see etching when the light hits it a certain way. Very unnoticeable - at to least to me - in normal use.

I have also read about issues of iron oxide in cheaper marbles. My marble floor tiles were pretty middle of the road and have had no issues. The mosaic was from Artistic Tile and was quite expensive. As I recall it was $145 per square foot which is why it is a design feature and not a wall. 😂😂😂🤑🤑🤑
June Erickson
Original Author
3 years ago
I put in marble... love it.
stir_fryi SE Mich
3 years ago
My DH is still mad at me to this day for nixing the marble basket weave tile he loved. I did enough reading on this forum, and it scared me away.
PRO
Dragonfly Tile & Stone Works, Inc.
3 years ago
It's really sad that many have been afraid of marble. Some good points above. Quality product and qualified tile installer with plenty of experience with marble, and credentials. Appropriate care. Marble has been used for showers for centuries. But then, old school methods and craftspeople installed it. And "cheap marble from China" wasn't the norm. There are plenty of qualified craftspeople still here, and training the next generation. Obviously location and availability of the above comes into play.
dani_m08
3 years ago
@Helen - I want to see photos of your shower! $145/sf - must look amazing!

I have a few different tiles that I’ve purchased already. I stayed away from marble that was a bargain - had to explain to my SO that it was not for aesthetic reasons only! My shower is a little behind schedule (contractor’s father passed away at the end of last week) - so, now I’ve spent time second guessing all of my selections - AGAIN!

Thanks for sharing some insight - as soon as I read the title of this post, I was like, “Uh oh - maybe I shouldn’t read it because I’ll start questioning my selections again!”
Helen
3 years ago
@dmac1108

The marble mosaic feature is from Artistic Tile. They no longer carry this but a similar one is now price at $180 per square foot. Not surprising as I am having my balcony tiled and the GC I used for the remodel came back to measure and give an estimate and told me that the prices of everything had skyrocketed in the past year.

First picture is from the website - a wall of the stuff.

Second is the shower in my master bathroom - it is the anti-Christ of current design trends 😱 😱😱
dani_m08
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
@Helen - STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to turn some of it into an art feature for above my bedroom fireplace! It’s gorgeous!

$180/sf - well, that should make you feel good - you got a ”bargain” - 😂

Oh - and SHAME ON YOU!! You’re headed straight for HOUZZ HELL - I’ll see you there because I purchased 75 SF of backsplash tile about 6 weeks ago . . . And I haven’t even selected my kitchen cabinets or countertops! HUGE NO - NO! 😬

tell me how much you regret choosing marble vs marble- look porcelain

Helen

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tell me how much you regret choosing marble vs marble- look porcelain

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