To get it to look good can require a bit of finesse. Instead of just butting sheets to one another, I usually pull some pebble pieces off the edges of the sheets and then mix 'n match a bit so the edges of the sheets become invisible. Some sheets blend well out of the box, but most can use a little help.

Grouting can take longer, and it can take more grout to boot.

If doing a pebble shower floor, I increase the pitch of the floor a bit to promote better drainage.

You'll need to have a discussion with the installer regarding grout. I've seen some installations where the grout was left high, and the pebbles looked like little nibs sticking out of a sea of grout. Too much grout, too little pebble showing.

Our master was all DIY, and we are not that experienced, but were able to put together something that we really love and are enjoying a lot.

It included a pebble shower floor. It is by far the centerpiece in the room. I stare at it all the time, it gets the most oohs and comments. I love it.

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I had to do it myself, and all things considered, it wasn't that hard, although the only challenging place for me was around the drain- but a professional shouldn't have that problem. I kept trying to balance having too much thinset ooze up between the pebbles vs not enough- had to dig some out, also need to lift up some sheets to put more down. Again, professional should know how to do this !

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We used a kerdi showerpan, which has a set slope (not quite ready to try a mud job ourselves yet) so we didn't do that.

Mongo gave me great tips, as he mentions above which I think really made the whole thing work out well.

I decided to set out all the pebbles on the floor next to the shower soI could get a good sense of whether I would see the seams between sheets, and my particular pebbles were pretty darn good, but I did pull up some pieces at the edges and move around just to be sure, and I think it makes an improvement.

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Also as he suggested, used a 2x6 to even push them into the thinset when setting them.

There was a lot of grout, and it was a dark grout, but as I sealed and enhanced them prior to grouting, it went super smoothly.

I used sliced pebbles which will not so easily get buried in a high grout, but I was also careful not to leave the grout space too full either. The pebbles are nice and textured under my feet, definitely no slip, and we enjoy the feel.

My last comment is how much I love the Kerdi shower, the floor is soaked, and certainly I see water sitting initially when I turn the shower off in some areas where I was not that even, being my first time, BUT my floor is 100% dry everywhere at least to the eye and touch withing 2 hours of the shower (we have a good vent fan too) and I believe it is due to the Kerdi shower system. So that's my plug for that.

Thanks Mongo!!

Sheila,

Once again we're on the same wavelength! I've been coveting a pebble tile shower floor since I first saw it a show room...oh perhaps five years ago. It's ironic, considering both DH and I have an irrational fear of grout!

Pepperidge Farm - love your floor- and the fact that you did it DIY is very encouraging! Could you please tell me how long you've had it in, and how the heck do you clean it? Do you use a squeegee after each shower?

Thanks, it's been in use about 4 months? I think?

Raehelen-
The whole shower (glass and wall tiles) gets squeegeed, occasionally I squeegee the floor too, maybe twice I have washed it with tile cleaner. Our biggest nemesis is our well water, so standing water leaves white residue, but otherwise it is so dry in there with the vent and the nicely draining pan, that no other problems have yet to emerge... yet.

But it is no different than a tile pan floor. The stones are sealed and water is still beading on them.

PF

I would imagine grouting is the biggest pain with pebbles. If your tile person doesn't like grouting to begin with, they might fuss.

As a side note, there is now such a thing as MINI PEBBLES!!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Mini Pebbles

Thanks everyone for posting the pics and info! I am considering some sort of mosaic or pebble for our shower floor, and it was so nice to see it installed. I also have a fear of too much grout, so I'm glad to hear that it's not much of a problem!!

We had someone else install our pebble floor. My husband installed the pan. The guy did a good job but he charged $800.00 for a half day's work!!

Did he atleast take you to dinner first?

lol Bill, no he didn't but I certainly didn't offer him a free lunch either.

My DH installed (and even re-installed after 20 yrs) all of the tile in the rest of our home. It's so ironic that we paid so much for a 3 x 4 shower floor. I'm guessing the 650 sq ft of travertine that my DH installed recently would have cost us dearly if we had someone else do it!

Between $4-5K just for the labor.

Bill - I'm not sure anyone caught the btw the lines humor but that one is hilarious!

Yeah, I think it went over (almost) everyone's head. :-)

I like the look of pebbles, but are they comfortable to walk on?

Most of them are. With most, the stones actually show a more or less flat side up. The only one I've done so far that wasn't used a much larger than normal stone. Other than the floor pictured below, all the river rock floors I've done (5 so far) have been flat stoned.

This was the only one that was rounded, and even it didn't feel bad on the feet. (I tried it)

Our pebbles are also slightly rounded and I love the way they feel on my feet. Reminiscent of a foot massage. I think the uneven surface is good for your feet . . . it's like walking barefoot outside. Opens the foot chakras : )

Just make sure they aren't installed sloppy with some pebbles sticking way up. I wouldn't want to stub my toes while showering, lol.