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10 Modern Marble Looks
Marble has broken free of the standard kitchen countertop slab and is showing up on bathtub backsplashes, modern dining tables and more
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design is collected, not decorated, and that homes should always be as comfortable and functional as they are chic. In addition to writing for Houzz, I work as the Head Copywriter for Layla Grayce and Zinc Door.
I'm a freelance writer and design enthusiast who believes the best design... More »
Marble has been used in kitchens and bathrooms for years. But this traditional material is now making a big splash in new ways. At the 2012 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) and the High Point Market, visitors got a peek at how this timeless stone is on trend with new applications, bold colors and interesting installations. If you love the beauty of marble but are craving a new look, take a cue from these spaces.
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Instead of applying it to your floor or walls, introduce marble to your space in an unexpected way. In this bathroom, the tub has a marble backsplash designed almost like a headboard, while the door frame stands tall and sophisticated with a marble trim.
The best part of this trend? When marble is used in smaller doses, it’s much easier on the budget.
The best part of this trend? When marble is used in smaller doses, it’s much easier on the budget.
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| There are endless ways to get creative with marble and other materials. In a bathroom, you’re likely going to hang a mirror over your vanity. Instead of using a freestanding one, weave mirrored tiles in with marble ones for a geometric design full of texture and visual interest. |
by Annette English
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Marble can go with any style — try topping a modern table with a surprising slab of marble. This marble tabletop makes the Saarinen dining table suddenly feel both contemporary and classic.
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While the Saarinen dining table comes in marble, you can also have a vintage wood table updated with a marble top for a new, fresh look.
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If you choose to top a table with marble, consider making a superchic statement by accessorizing it with another of-the-moment material — gold.
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Don't forget that marble is available in a range of colors. Consider something beyond white or gray for ultimate visual interest.
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Similar to the marble bathtub backsplash at the beginning of this article, this marble application is even more stunning with a unique gold-tinted marble. Carrying it around the rim of the bathtub creates an additional cohesive element.
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Consider how you plan to lay the marble. Instead of standard square tiles, invest in a detailed pattern like this herringbone floor.
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Try to mix and match different size tiles throughout your space. This is especially effective when marble is the main material. Mixing up tile sizes in this bathroom steers it away from a uniform look and adds an extra level of dimension.
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Of course, you can’t beat the look of massive marble slabs in their natural form. Make a big impact by doing careful research and finding interesting marble that truly stands on its own. It might not be cheap, but if you can afford it, you won’t regret the impressive outcome.
Ideabook published on June 11, 2012.
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taste all in one !
I would hire you in a New York Minute...
Tim Judge
http://barscigarsandbrew.com
If you like the look of marble and don't mind the stains it's great otherwise it will look messy and dirty with shiny and dull spots all over!
(Stains such as red wine soak into the marble and yellowing comes from foot traffic. Dull because mentioned items will etch it)
You can clean it and you can rebuff it but you cannot get set-in stains out.
How about quartz? It's durable, requires no sealing, easy to take care of. Great for Kitchen and bathroom. Not to mention it feels great!
Check out....
http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/products/zodiaq/zodiaq_use_gallery.html
..also go through their gallery
Good luck
Patti
!!! Marble installations are not comparable with tile installations !!!
And everyone who is planning to install marble in whatsoever areas should be aware of this. It starts by preforming the preparation work and follows thru the installing process which is different to the installation process of tiles. And most important you can't "use" marble like tiles. There are some important differences.
Marble is very soft and porous. It looks fantastic one it is properly installed however you have to know how to clean, to maintain and to "use" it to enjoy your marble installation.
Our Advice: Do your homework to find an experienced installer for your “marble project” which is knowing all about installing marble. This company should be also capable and competent to apply the surface coating with the proper material. Marble isn't equal marble and sealer isn’t equal sealer! Ask lots of questions to find out whether it is the company you can trust.
@ cvsharkey: “…There was a pervading smell of mildew.”
This is not the fault of marble, rather than a result of wrong surface preparation, wrong installing and wrong maintenance.
@ ycarter: “…next time there is mildew etched in any crack, just spray a little bleach into the area from a spray bottle and its walla!!!”
Don’t do this! Marble is very sensitive. The bleach could act like acid and destroy the surface!
Regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
Efflorescence: You might be able to clean it, but you can’t correct it without eliminating the moisture source! Lagos Azul is not recommended by many for horizontal wet applications.
I love the contrast in color, the rest of my countertops are absolute black granite. But in retrospect, I probably should have gone with a champagne granite or something other than the crema marfil for the island.
Or did you refer to: "!!! Marble installations are not comparable with tile installations !!!" I didn't mean the look. I was trying to point out the differences between the installation process, cleaning and maintaining of marble versus tiles.
@ trasgorshek: Was the contractor telling you all about the disadvantages before he let you sign the waiver? I assume no. Because if he had you properly informed, I think you wouldn't sign the waiver and he was maybe thinking he could loose this job. A good contractor would advise you properly and give you some alternatives so you could chose.
Regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
Love the massive Marble slabs in the last pic!
My solution to avoid stains in the marble and guarantee it forever is usually to create an interesting table foot with a glass top. ... easy, simple, and with very nice outcomes! ;-)
Some other times clients have asked me to use marble as a table top, (like one of the tables shown made in Carrara marble). In that case there are solutions to avoid stains. The most recommended is to apply a waterproof protector, it is a transparent coat suitable for polished surfaces. That way the stone becomes completely impermeable. This protection can be applied even to already installed stones.
If your marble counter already has stains, here is a hint I've got from my marble supplier. Every night during a period of about 15 days, pour water on the stain and let be there all night. Because the stone is porous it will suck the water and will start diluting the stain. Finally it will disappear. (Hopefully!)
About the loss of shining in polished marble surfaces...the only thing I can say is that because it is a natural material it is always polishable... (Like it is often done on marble floors).Table tops, counters, etc can always be polished and it'll look like the first day.
One last hint! If your stone is not polished and is very porous (e.g. Travertine) a way to clean it is to rub it with strong sandpaper, and then vacuum it well.
I invite you all to see: www.gonzalodesalas.com
Best regards,
This is probably caused by another common problem. I assume the toilet bowl is mounted on the floor. In this case the connection between the bowl and the flange from the sewer pipe is just a wax ring and two small screws.
Try this: Sit on his toilet and move your weight to the left and to the right. If the toilet bowl just moves a little bit, then it is not anymore tight/sealed and your waste water (maybe just a few drops of it) goes every time you use it in your wood floor. And finally after a while you get the scenario in the two attached pictures.
Regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
This is probably happen underneath his tiles/marble.
But, isn't there a way to sand out the scratches, etc. and put a heavy sealant on or even a coat of poly? A couple of people have told me I could sand them out but then another person told me I would just dull the marble if I tried. Can't you do like a multi step sanding process on it, with extra fine at the end to bring the shine back? And what would you put over it to protect it? Thank you!
Yes it is possible to polish the marble like you mentioned by a multi step sanding process on it, with extra fine polishing at the end to bring the shine back. However you can't do it by yourself.
First you don't have the right tools and second you don't have the experience to do so. You have to hire a qualified marble-contractor and let him do this work. And this person/company should know which the best sealer for your marble is.
As I said "Marble is not even Marble". And depend what you want he has to advise you about the different sealers and finally chose the right one. Some sealers are bringing the structure more out and other sealers just protect the surface without changing the visibility. It is also possible to use a combination of sealers. First to bring the structure more out and second to protect the surface.
Regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
One other thing...in your comment to elh11 you talked about the wax seal. If your toilet does not move side to side could you also tell by the look of your subfloor underneath? I remodeled my 1/2 bath on the main floor and put travertine flooring in but the tiles are very thick so I had to double up on my wax ring. I always worry about little leaks happening since I'm an amateur. However our bottom floor is unfinished so I keep going downstairs and looking up where the toilet is on the upstairs to see if there is any damage on the subfloor..l don't know of any other way to check. It has been a year since I did the bathroom, would the leaks be appearing by now? Thank you again!
The problem in most cases is a “weak” subfloor or a wrong installed flange or both. (See the first two of the attached pictures.) Unfortunately most tile setters/contractors don’t care about this because they think it is not their business. But this “thinking” is wrong. Before a tile setter start’s to set any “tiles” (mosaic, marble, granite, etc.), he has to check other peoples/contractors work first. And this includes the plumbers work too. We have to fix almost every flange before we start our tile work because they are not properly installed/mounted.
If the tile setter just “covers” everything up, which unfortunately many tile setters do, you’ll get sooner or later problems. A proper preparation work is essential for a successful and long lasting tile installation without any failures. And this preparation work needs sometimes even more times than the actual tile work.
What you described is a typical installation and If you did it right, nothing should happen. The third and fourth picture probably shows your situation. We used in this case (a marble floor) an extension ring and four wax rings. However there is a risk too. Natural stone like marble and travertine are very porous and this material will absorb the wax/grease. So it could cause stains. However these stains are actually not visible because they are “hopefully” only around the cutout and therefore “hidden” under the toilet bowl.
In Germany is nobody using this system. We have rubber gaskets instead of these wax rings. Those systems provide 100% sealing. We always recommend to our clients to consider a wall hung toilet. These toilets have many benefits which we already discussed in this thread.
http://www.houzz.com/discussions/130065/Need-advice-on-wall-hung-toilets
Gladly we will provide you with more information if you like. Just give us a call or send us an e-mail. We will be glad to help you.
Regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
The first two pictures show wrong flung installations.
Notice: Our company didn't install the marble floor.
.
Here's a picture of our bathroom tile.
From the same block we carved the sink and pedestal
http://cooritalia.com/stoneworks/casestudy/unique-powder-room/
Thanks for your comment. It looks very nice to me however I have a bit of a problem with the "open corners" behind the sink. How you are going to keep this corner clean? Furthermore I would attach a marble baseboard to. That would be the dot on the "i". Or is the room in this picture not yet finished?
Can you tell us how much was the cost for the marble incl. cutting?
Regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
http://www.cooritalia.com/stoneworks/casestudy/unique-powder-room/
Trangorshek - thanks!
It would be very interesting if you could give me (us) some more input / information about HOW your shower was built? I really would like to investigate your case a bit more to clarify what exactly caused the mould. The results will help to prevent other customers to avoid such costly mistakes. I would very appreciate if you answer the following questions.
- How old is your shower and how often are you using this shower?
- What kind of tile backer was used on the walls?
- Does your shower smell mouldy?
- Where the walls waterproofed and if yes what material / waterproofing system was used?
- Was the shower floor built (traditional) with a PVC pan liner and a mud bed on top?
- If yes, was the sub-floor (underneath the pan liner) sloped towards the drain?
- Were the tiles installed with thinset (which is called in thin-bed method) or in middle-bed or with cement mortar in thick-bed?
I would also appreciate if you could/would send me pictures from: NOW and LATER when you start to demolish your old shower. This would also help me to clarify what exactly caused the mould. You can contact me at any time.
Kind regards,
3D-Tile-Design - Bertram Tasch
Maple Ridge, BC (Greater Vancouver)
http://www.3D-Tile-Design.ca
Hot mop, don't know what waterproofing, adequate slope, no drainage issues, no leaks behind the tile into the walls or crawlspace.
Just asked the demo guy who's here - concrete and chicken wire, no sign of leaks anywhere. All was installed well.
The best explanation I've heard was that the lighter colors are more susceptible to this problem because there's more fill to get the creamy color.
It may be mildew, not mold, not sure of the difference. It looked like spidery black veins running through the marble on the floor and up about 2 feet. We removed up to about 5 feet where there's a border tile for a natural break.
Thanks, Bertram
Time to reseal that blasted granite. Sigh. :)
It is true that marble and other forms of natural stone are porous but this is easily resolved by using the correct type of good quality sealer - and you can expect it to last 5 - 10 years on marble if it is applied properly. Give it a further application after that time using a paintbrush or a rag and it will last another 5 or 10 years. Use the correct type of ph neutral cleaner - NOT bleach or the usual supermarket cleaners or you will degrade the sealer and make the problems worse. The comments about mildew and mould are really surprising. We have had a marble bathroom for about 5 years now and it looks as good now as it did on day 1. There are several blog posts on http//info.amarestone.com/blog that might help dispel some of the worries that have been raised in the comments above.
P.S. did you know that many porcelain tiles are porous and should be sealed to prevent staining?