Are marble floor tiles a bad idea in a bathroom with a shower?

13 years ago

Someone told me that marble is NOT a good choice in a bathroom, as they become very slippery when wet and they are easily chipped. Is this correct?

Bethesda · More Info

Featured Answer

PRO

Cercan Tile Inc.

13 years ago

Hi Lois, Marble is a beautiful classic choice for a bathroom. Just ensure you protect it with an impregnating agent (not a topical sealer) that is both oleophobic (repels oils) and hydrophobic (repels waters). Some Impregnating agents even increase the co-efficiency of friction allowing a polished stone surface to become less slippery. Marbles have been used in bathrooms (public and residential) for thousands of years and will over time form it's own natural protection. One thing to keep in mind is that marble reacts to acidity so use ph balance soaps to clean your bathroom and keep your perfumes and nail polish removers in your bedroom. If you are still concerned with slippage then consider using smaller tiles (as stephkirbo mentioned) so that the grout lines provide you with some traction. Chipping is not something that happens easily once a marble is installed. The traffic in a bathroom is light in the sense that you are not dropping heavy pots on it or travelling through it with heavy furniture. Hope this helps.

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Comments (9)

PRO
Distinguished Flooring LLC
13 years ago
Marble gives a great look in a bathroom. Usually it is no more slippery then ceramic tile when wet.
elphaba
13 years ago
I think you should find a COF (coefficient of friction} in the specifications for any tile you buy. Supposedly if the COF when wet (it should specify) is greater than 60, it is acceptable but of course it would make sense that a tile with a greater COF would be safer. I'm not sure what the COF for marble is (probably different depending on the finsh) but I've seen a COF spec for every tile I've looked at. You can google for COF if you would like more info.
stephkirbo
13 years ago
Maybe using honed smaller tiles would make it less slippery too.
prainom
13 years ago
Thigh
calidesign
12 years ago
There are beautiful porcelain tiles that look like marble and don't have the staining and upkeep issues.
jsrachels
12 years ago
can you tell me where to get the tiles?
PRO
Cercan Tile Inc.
12 years ago
Hi jsrachels,

We carry a variety of marbles similar to these. For information on our products please email us at sales@cercantile.com with your inquirey and your location so we can put you in touch with your closest showroom.

Thank you and have a great week!
PRO
Construction Guaranteed
11 years ago
Hello Lois.

Marble is a very nice material for a bathroom.

If you are in your later years you may not want marble as it can be slippery and you should not take a single chance with the material if it is an issue.

Our clients choose materials by what they LOVE. You gotta love it.

There is no substitute for marble.

Ceramic and porcelain are also nice tiles but lack the regal feel of the marble.

There was only one bathroom we have seen where the countertop was a real problem. The customer kept using CLR on the countertop and it turned into a sandpaper finish. Lesson that day was - No CLR on Marble.

Happy Designing