Is a marble tile bathroom practical? Is it difficult to keep clean? Does it stain? Here are my honest thoughts about my marble tile floor and shower after years of daily use.
When I first started planning my master bathroom remodel, I knew that marble wasn’t exactly the most practical choice. But, it was exactly the look I wanted so I went ahead anyway knowing that there would be a little more maintenance involved. I receive a lot of emails with questions so I’m summarizing all of them in one post and giving you my honest thoughts about my marble tile bathroom!
While marble tiles do require more maintenance, I love them and have been very happy with my choices. So, if you’re thinking about using marble tiles but are worried about cleaning, staining, etching, etc, let me answer some questions for you based on my personal experience.
One thing to note, my master bathroom countertops are quartz, not marble. I choose quartz over marble because I knew the countertops would have more makeup spills, heat styling tools, toothpaste blobs, etc. and quartz was a more practical choice for me.
I have marble in two different bathrooms, multiple areas each. In my primary bath, I have marble floor tile, marble subway tile in the shower, and a marble mosaic also in the shower. My downstairs bathroom has marble tile floors and the shower walls surrounding the bathtub are also marble and have been installed for just over 6 years.
What Marble is in My Primary Bathroom?
I really wanted a crisp, white marble with gray and brown veins. Carrara marble is a popular choice for interiors and bathroom marble specifically. When I was shopping for marble tiles, I realized that many Carrara samples have a gray background, not white.
To find something with a bright background, I chose Carrara Venato from The Builder Depot. I loved the samples I received and did find that the background was much brighter than most other Carrara samples I had seen.
Carrara Venato does have some variation, as all marble does, but it’s less than others so it gives a more uniform appearance.
What’s the Difference Between Polished and Honed Marble
Polished marble has been polished to a shiny, glass-like surface. Polished marble is a very classic, timeless look and is often used for kitchen and bathroom countertops.
Honed marble has a matte finish, so it is not reflective like polished. A big benefit to honed marble is that since the surface is already dull, scratches and etches are not as visible. It is also a better choice for flooring because it’s inherently less slippery.
My downstairs bathroom has polished marble and my upstairs has honed, so I have experience with both.
Does Marble Stain
Yes, marble can stain. Marble is very porous and can soak up spills, allowing them to penetrate the surface and sink deep into the stone. With any natural material, make sure you seal it once it’s installed. While sealing doesn’t prevent staining, it does slow the absorption, giving you more time to clean up before a stain occurs.
It’s important to seal all your marble before use! You can use an impregnator sealer before or just after installation. You will periodically need to reseal all marble.
Thankfully, I am happy to report that neither of my bathrooms has any stains. I’ve spilled makeup and my dog had an accident and we haven’t had any issues with staining on the floors or in the shower. That’s two years of daily wear-and-tear in the upstairs bathroom and six years of occasional use downstairs.
Does Marble Etch
Yes, marble is a soft stone, so it can etch. An etch is not the same as a stain. Etching occurs when something acidic interacts with the stone and literally eats away at the surface of the stone. If you have polished marble, this will be more apparent because an etch mark has a dull appearance to it.
My marble tile bathroom floor does have a couple of etch marks according to the stone restoration company I recently hired to clean the marble. Can you see them? Yeah, me neither. So glad I chose honed marble tile…
How to Fix Etching
There are two main ways to fix marble etching. One is to have it buffed out. Buffing is like sanding down the top layer to expose a fresh layer…like starting over! The other way to minimize etching is to install honed marble, which doesn’t show etching quite as easily.
Does Marble Chip or Scratch Easily
Yes, marble is a soft stone and can chip or scratch. I have unfortunately done both. I’ve dropped my hairdryer and a styling wand a couple of times. I escaped a chip on all but one of the incidents. Here’s the chip my hairdryer left behind. As you can see, thankfully it blends in with some of the other natural imperfections found in marble.
My biggest, biggest problem with my marble tile is a series of scratches that I got after the felt pad on one chair leg fell off and I didn’t notice. The leg of the chair scratched the marble when I pulled my chair in and out from my makeup vanity.
Unfortunately for me, these scratches cannot be fixed. Surface scratches can be buffed out, but in my case, the marble sort of cracked deeper down into the stone.
Does Marble Show Water Spots
In a bathroom, especially a shower, almost all tiles will show water spots to some degree (depending on how hard your water is). I have polished marble downstairs and honed marble upstairs and I definitely say that the honed marble shows fewer water spots.
Truthfully, though, I have to really look to see water spots in either bathroom, because they just aren’t very apparent on the marble. Note that I don’t have very hard water.
How Do you Clean Marble Floors
It’s best to keep marble free of dirt and debris so that you minimize scratches. I use my Dyson cordless vacuum with a soft dusting head to vacuum the floors regularly. I use Aqua Mix Aquashield Cleaner and Resealer to wash the floors by spraying and wiping away with a cloth.
Make sure whatever you use to clean your marble is mild, pH balanced, and doesn’t contain any ammonia or phosphates. Bleach, vinegar, and harsh chemicals are also no-no’s for marble, so be sure to read the label of your cleaner carefully to ensure it is safe for marble.
How Do you a Clean Marble Shower
The shower gets rinsed with soap and water daily because…well, it’s a shower! But for weekly cleaning, I use Stonetech Mold and Mildew Stain Remover to clean any mild/mildew that accumulates around the caulking.
Any chemical used around marble MUST be safe for natural stone. Many cleaners contain acid, which can ruin the marble, so double-check that any cleaner you use is approved for use on marble.
Is the Grout Difficult to Clean
Yes, but isn’t all grout difficult to clean?! With marble, it’s important to find a cleaner that is safe to use around the stone. I like Black Diamond Grout Cleaner. To use it, I just spray, let it sit, scrub it with a brush, and wipe away the dirt. I also recently had the grout professionally steam cleaned and resealed and it looks almost new again.
My grout is Bright White grout from Bostik. Not at all a practical choice for my home because it’s difficult to keep white grout clean. A soft gray would be a more practical grout color if the task of cleaning the grout seems daunting to you.
So, aside from one chip and a few scratches, I’ve really had no issues with my marble tile bathroom. I absolutely love the look and was prepared for the extra maintenance prior to installation, so there haven’t been any surprises.
Hopefully, this will help you decide if a marble tile bathroom is right for you!
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Great informative information. As you discussed keeping the grout clean is very important. Failure to do will make it harder to clean and when it comes to cleaning you will have to scrape and remove some of the grout to get a good cleaning. This can lead to pin holes in your grout where moisture will accumulate and grow mold. Weekly cleaning as you explained is highly recommended and periodic professional steam cleaning and sealing is highly recommended.
I am in love with your bathroom and the shower faucet is to die for. Could you share where did you buy it and what is the name of it? Thank you
Hi! Thank you so much for your kind comments! I’m still completely in love with this shower faucet and we haven’t had any issues with it. I’ve linked to the faucet and everything else I used in my bathroom at the bottom on this post: https://www.tidbitsandtwine.com/french-elegant-master-bathroom-reveal/
:) Kim
Hi, Kim. What size are your subway tiles in the showers?
IS that the same for the lantern/arabesque style wall tile you also chose?
Hi! Yes, all of my tile is honed from The Builder Depot, I just chose a few different patterns.
Ok. And are those 3×6 size tiles on your downstairs shower wall? I’m going for the same look you have in the shower. It’s beautiful.
Hello, I am putting very similar hexagon (Polished not honed) marble tiles in my small bathroom on the floor (there is a tub). I have been assured the fact the tile are small and there will be a lot of grout will make the floor far less slippery. I am still worried as we have young grandchildren and re-thinking my decision. ( We went with the polished as the veining was so much prettier than the honed.) Do you find your floors excessively slippery? Thank you!
Hi Margaret! My tile is honed, so I can’t say for sure how your polished tile will be. In my case, though, there is so much grout that it isn’t slippery at all, not even on the shower floor! Because there is so much grout, though, be sure to ask your installer to seal the marble AND the grout before you start using your new bathroom. Good luck! :) Kim
Hello KIm🙂 I so appreciate your quick response and happy to hear that your grout has made for a safe surface for you (and hopefully here as well). We did have the option of the honed however he found the veins looks more yellowish than grey. I wonder if it is just the sample piece? Perhaps it is not too late to have another look and switch. Thank you so much for your help as well as for posting this very informative blog. I will be using all your tips and recommendations. BTW, your bathrooms are GORGEOUS! Have a lovely day! Margaret
Hi Margaret! When choosing any natural stone, including marble, always order a sample of the current batch. Sometimes stores have samples that are months or years old. Old samples might be from a part of the quarry that isn’t currently being mined and because natural stone varies depending on where it’s mined, it’s always best to get a sample from the current batch. So the yellow veining you see in the honed might be accurate, but it could also be from another part of the quarry that isn’t being used. Good luck with your renovation – I’m sure it will be beautiful and I hope you love it! :) Kim
Love your design and found the information very helpful! If you don’t mind me asking, what type of marble is this? Dolomite?
Hi KJ! It’s Carrera marble but this brand has been sourced so that the background is more white than gray. You can find details and links to everything I used here: https://www.tidbitsandtwine.com/french-elegant-master-bathroom-reveal/
Love this – great information! Thank you!!!
Hi. I am curious that you have had a restorer in after only 2 years? Is that the normal timeframe I can expect to need to do this if I choose marble as well? Beautiful bathrooms!
Hi Millicent!
I had a company come out to professionally clean the grout because white grout is hard to maintain! But the marble itself is still fine to this day and hasn’t required any upkeep. When the grout was cleaned, they re-sealed everything as a preventative measure, though.
-Kim