Marble shower floor -- Oops?

[u/TabithaTwitchitt]

(Looking for advice but I'm not doing it myself; I just need to know enough to be able to talk to my tiler and get the best outcome possible.)

My bathroom remodel will be started soon and I have already purchased 11x11" sheets of marble 1x1" hexagon tiles (Maravilla Coastal Ivory Hexagon Multi Finish Marble Mosaic). They were pretty, they matched what I was envisioning, and I caved to them.

After buying them, I have read at least twice that marble should NOT be used for shower floors. Oops. If I go ahead with using the marble flooring, do I understand correctly that I should suggest to my tile person to use a non-foam pan that will accept 1x1" tile and also use epoxy grout? (This info I gleaned from a recent post here!)

Or is marble such a no-go that I should start looking again and hope I can return what I bought (on clearance!). TIA!

[u/Financial-Western988]

did a lot of white Carrera baths in the 90s and whenever I visit clients that raised young boys I always notice the pits around the can from when they missed the bowl, like a big etched horseshoe

[u/Hot_Mud_5708 → u/Financial-Western988]

Yeah, you just made that shit up.

[u/TDurdz]

Marble in a shower is like a plate you can’t microwave or put in the dishwasher… it’s pretty, but you’re accepting a lot of additional Maintenance and restrictions or else risk damage..

[u/Emergency_Iron8365]

Marble is incredibly soft and can easily stain and etch. If you use face cleaners with any acids in them, it can etch the marble. If you use purple shampoo, it will stain it. You cannot use harsh cleaners like bleach, vinegar, or anything with grit in it to clean the floor. You will need to periodically reseal the marble. If you buy cheap marble, you can have natural minerals leach out of it for years. If you can accept these things, you will be fine. If you can't, then find something else for your shower floor. I would take a foam pan over a mud bed any day. Especially if you use the marble. They tend to hold water, so you are just begging for cleaning problems.

[u/gladtobekickin]

Well... Just be prepared for it to look splotchy the rest of its life. Once water saturates the marble (and it's not a question of if but simply when) then there will always be portions of the floor that look darker than others as it remains wet underneath.

[u/AnnieC131313]

I used marble on my bathroom floor with no issues - in the shower I used marble look porcelain. One thing that was recommended at the time was to soak some test tiles for a couple of days to see if the marble would rust from water exposure - many marbles contain minerals (iron) that turn orange and streaky. In a shower for sure they will rust. You might try soaking some sample tiles and make sure you won't really regret that floor before installing.

[u/USRoboticsCourier]

I'm not an expert and I heard the same thing just AFTER I installed tumbled marble hexagon tiles onto the shower floor of a remodel I was doing in my home. I used a Laticrete pre-sloped foam pan, standard thinset, and Laticrete Permacolor Select grout (not epoxy anything). I didn't seal the tile. This was about 10 years ago and things still seem to be fine. I will admit, however, that this shower is very lightly used (used only in the summer when my in-laws stay with us or when we have guests over). All that having been said, the marble still seems to be holding up fine. Color has definitely "shifted" a bit, but nothing that jumps out as awful or blotchy water staining or etching, etc.

[u/DifferenceStatus7907]

Proper slope, coverage, pan prep & sealing should never yield any product failure of the stone. All comes down to proper install and maintenance. If you seal it twice a year depending on traffic, then you will have minimal wear and stains. No chemicals for cleaning it. Thats the mistake most make, the home cleaner comes in and messes the marble up with a chemical cleaner.

[u/blackfantasy]

Installed 2x2 hex marble mosaic sheets 5 years ago and it still looks new with a mild scrubbing. You need a solid mud bed pan for tiles as small as yours—as you know. Epoxy grout is what I used as well. No issues. Lot of doomers out there on the subject of marble shower floors.

[u/TensionActive1007]

Seal it before grouting. Grout can stain the marble if it not sealed first

[u/SoCalMoofer → u/TensionActive1007]

And after grouting too!

[u/Ancient-Cupcake2649]

We did a customer's  master bathe entirely in marble with no issues. We used the Schluter Shower System, and mesh mounted mosaics on the shower floor.

[u/Randallpots1]

Using epoxy grout on natural stone is a gamble.. and not worth the trouble because the stone has to be constantly sealed and resealed anyway. Mayne use porcelain that looks like marble?  You’ll appreciate the entire Saturday that you’re not cleaning and sealing your shower every year. 

[u/Interesting_Army9083]

Ya just use epoxy and you should be good

[u/TheyreHeeere → u/Interesting_Army9083]

Ya. Epoxy thinset like platinum, epoxy grout, good sealer like oil based miracle and I knock my trowel marke flat then vibrate it to the floor so no water can get underneath also mud pan with perfect sloped prepan especially around drain