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polished or honed marble herringbone for bathroom floor

last month

last modified: last month

We're still working on our master bath. I got a good price on some gorgeous Calacatta gold marble 12x24 polished which I plan to install on the shower walls. I've decided to keep it fairly simple with 2x8 Calacatta gold herringbone on the floors. (Each piece in the herringbone is 2"x8")

Our supplier has both honed and polished. I think either will do visually, since the floors are a different area from the walls. BUT I am worried about honed being more difficult to maintain and more easily stained. On the flip side, I'm scared about slipping on polished. Should I be worried given all the grout lines on a 2x8 herringbone?

Edit: The walls are polished and the question is whether to put polished or honed on the floor given the above concerns.

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Comments (3)

Verbo
last month
Honed only where there is a chance of water and slipping. Unless the tile is really small, and the grout can help with yraction. Yours isnt small. It is large, and unless the bathroom is really large, it will be out of scale. You cannot appreciatr a pattern with a 24” tile unless there is at least 72” of open space to do so.
cmy thanked Verbo
cpartist
last month
Polished will eventually etch and you'll see the differences. I did honed for my bathroom.
cmy thanked cpartist
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Helen
last month
I have honed Calacatta marble in my master bath and polished in my guest bathroom.

I don't find the polished to be more slippery but my tiles are smaller so there is lots of grout to grip so the surface of the tile is essentially irrelevant.

I deliberately opted for honed tile in the master bath because I wanted a softer feel - my marble counter is also honed. Honed still have a sheen but it is more satin than glossy.

The polished marble is "snappier" looking - for want of a better description. It also doesn't get much use so I wasn't concerned about etching although etching - at least in my opinon - is no big deal as it is hard to see anyway unless the light is hitting it right and you are squinting :-).
cmy thanked Helen

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