The Tile Oracle: Using marble tile in a bathroom
Q. Should we venture to use honed-marble tile when we renovate our bathroom? We will be tiling the bathroom floor plus the walls, floor and ceiling of a 3x5-foot, walk-in shower. We saw some beautiful, honed Carrara marble tiles recently. But I have read much advice not to use marble in showers or bathrooms because of the extensive upkeep required. Should we look for a porcelain alternative?
- Kevin Mitchell, Manhattan
A. Using marble in a bathroom is problematic because of the maintenance you have to put in to keep it as immaculate as it was when first installed. And there are porcelain imitators that will give you the look and feel you want from Carrara.
While I never recommend marble for countertops, you don’t have to rule it out for bathrooms. Deciding between a natural stone like marble and a manmade rendition can be like deciding between a real diamond and a piece of expensive costume jewelry that no one but an inspector at De Beers could spot as a fake.
I’m assuming from your question that your heart is longing for real marble. I don’t blame you - I’m Italian, I love it, too. So let me break down for you what to expect in each case.
Marble is formed by the recrystallization of limestone. Carrara is one of the densest marbles and has much less porosity than limestone. That’s why the Romans used Carrara in their bath houses and not the more porous marble, Travertine.
Carrara marble has a .10 percent water-absorption rate and will also absorb other liquids, especially the oily kind you might use when bathing. In the past, most quarries in Italy only shipped Carrara in one finish - polished. The polishing process gives the stone a natural seal that closes its pores and makes it much less apt to stain.
Italian quarries now ship Carrara in a honed finish. When honed, the marble undergoes a long sanding process, too, plus an extensive buffing that gives it a satin finish. This is extremely smooth but without the shine or reflection of a polished finish. Unlike polished marble, honed will hide scratches; however, the pores in the stone will remain open, so honed Carrara requires a lot more maintenance.
Both finishes should be treated with a water-based silicone sealant, which impregnates the surface and body to prevent staining. Since marble is a product of nature and "breathes," over time and with use the sealant will evaporate. The marble has to be resealed at least once a year in dry areas of a room and at least twice a year in showers. The sealant protects against oil-based soaps, hair dyes and other chemicals in toiletries. It will not prevent etching in the stone, or dulling caused by hard water, chemicals in the water or harsh cleaning products.
Since polished Carrara is much more likely to retain its life and luster than honed, and generally requires less maintenance, you might go that route, instead.
If all of the work and details in either case seem too demanding, look at porcelain alternatives. One note - while many porcelain companies can imitate the exact look and feeling of polished Carrara, they have not mastered honed quite as well.
I suggest choosing a porcelain Carrara imitator with a semi-gloss, which is in between a honed and a full polished look. You can pair this with honed or polished natural mosaic borders. You’ll still get a faux Carrara bathroom that doesn’t require endless pampering, with enough of the real thing to give you the satisfaction of having true marble, like the Romans.
Sometimes you just want the real thing, other times a fake will do. If you’re dead set on honed, but you’ve got better things to do than protect the tiles in your shower, I think a bit of both is the way to go.
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