If you like the look of marble, find a porcelain tile that has the same look. Porcelain is the easiest to maintain, but you can find ones that mimic almost any natural stone. You can use almost anything with white subway tile. Your choice is also impacted by the flooring in the rest of the bathroom, as well as other finishes in the room.

I've spent months and months going over every tile option in my own huge remodel (the shower is crazy expensive, isn't it? lol) I'm doing white 4X12 subway and black marble hex because I'm a glutton for punishment.

anyway, having had prior showers w/natural stone, u need to ask yourself this....

Can you seal your stone twice a year? Do you dye your hair? The dye that washes out has a tendency to discolor natural products and grout, if they are not sealed properly. you would have to do a stain proof grout for the shower floor.

Cleaning. you cannot use regular cleaners for the bathroom. Even on the walls because it would wash down onto the stone floor. Natural stone cleaners only. j

Porcelain. same stain proof grout. That's it.

does this help? As for your gray choices, is that the only color you came up with???

Don't really care for the square 2X2. have you seen any hex tiles you like? how bout ceramic?? Fireclay tile has some gorgeous options you can use.

Please call Lindsey if you are interested and she will send you out free samples. Tell her i sent yoU! https://www.fireclaytile.com

although this hex is on the wall, you can do them on the floor in any color combo. they have a few grays you could do. these are totally stain proof and look beautiful.

here are other colors. you could do a light and med gray, and then maybe 25% of another color you like. since the walls are all white, a little something on the floor would add some visual interest. they have over 40 colors.

I would suggest you go look at Crossville/Manoir/ Bellemeade. It's got a great mosaic very organic, in the tones you want. I just did the mosaic over an entire bath floor and the large subway on the shower walls. My client is thrilled and so am I . Very rich looking, and ESPECIALLY the mosaic which will give you so many tones of gray but warm as the marble you covet. Looks far more $$$ than its friendly price and EASY CARE. We put it with a charcoal vanity.....and simple white Caesarstone top. It looks..........amazing.!!! Sorry, house is new no pic yet. Just very rich and organic looking with zero maintenance worries

To be truthful, I shoved the idea of the 2 x 2 mosaic on the entire bath floor down her tonsils. She's thanking me for that. :)

Beth H: Good one on the hair dye and natural stones (that are lighter in colour)!!!! Excellent point! With the neutral/beige tones the poster wants to work with in the marble/travertine look, I would suspect that hair dye will discolour those stones.

Good call! Porcelain = stupid-easy.

Cancork,,,ask me how I know about the dye (I have purple/blue). hah! Totally ruined the natural pebble/river rock and the off white grout. oh well, was tearing it out anyway.

Very informative Beth.... I had not thought about what I wash the subway tiles w washing down onto the floor tiles. So what would you clean with that is safe for such a scenario?

I do not care for the 2x2's myself. I think it's repetitive with the squares and the rectangular wall subways, but after much research at my local tile stores for a matte glazed light grey (to medium grey) hex tile... I came up empty handed. They have white, white w black, but no other colors with a matte glaze. I don't want glossy ones for the floors or the unglazed ones ( dal tile keystones) as they remind me of hospital floors and I don't think I could keep them clean. Any other brand I researched online was out of my price point for hexagons.

I've seen the hex tiles w the printed image of marble on top. It's just not my thing, but could be for someone else. Thanks for the idea though from the one who suggested it.

Also, you are wanting punishment w those black hex tiles, but when clean ....they will be a beautiful design. I had a black kitchen floor and I just can't go there w a five year running around these days! ;)

Jan, I will look those up. Thank you for your advice!

Beth, I looked up the fire clay hex tiles. They are exactly what I was wanting with my subway tiles, but they appear to be out of my price range though. They are beautiful and look to be like little works of art. I used to teach ceramics so I can appreciate fine craftsmanship of materials. Beautiful tiles wish I could find some like these n my price range.

miss,,,yes I agree. I had considered them for my floor as well, but was already over budget w/everything else.

Don't forget that a smaller tile will help with slip resistance on the floor! 3 x 3 and smaller is the safest bet. Another thing to remember is that matte glaze isn't slip resistant - you can still hydroplane on a matte glaze.

what about the Home Depot hex?

And I know these are natural, the Athens Gray, but these aren't as fussy as marble.

Somertile at Overstock also has this overlay over ceramic.

I have used a thru-body porcelain in a hex that i get through Daltile called Keystones. It is sturdy, comes in many colors, and has the advantage of being matte and having no glaze to chip etc since the actual porcelain is colored all the way through. It's especially nice for showers because it is pretty non-slip. Reasonably priced and works well in either a contemporary or traditional format. I'm with you on the printed on "fake" stone unless it is fabulous. I used a very high-end large format marble-look porcelain tile in my master bath that even the stone guy thought was real. BUT it cost me a fortune. Here are a couple of links to information. You can use solid colors or they make some patterns and blends. Keystones by Daltile and sales sheet: Daltile Keystone Sales Sheet Good Luck!

Those porcelain mosaics are great, and if you are fearful of hair dye - grout them darker - and that will help to avoid the grout discoloration - or at least hide it better than light grout!

PS. Absolutely would not do natural stone again in a shower. In addition to minerals in the water, even with many sealers the oils from hair conditioners and moisturizing body washes stain and darken them, leaving a splotchy mess. Definitely suggest using porcelain.

PPS LOL: I have also used and LOVE Fireclay tiles. Gorgeous. But would probably showcase them somewhere other than a shower floor :-).

Chroma Natrix, tell me more about your experience w the keystones. I have samples of those... they come in beautiful colors and are in my price point. I'm worried about them staining and possibly looking dirty. What was your experience w them ? Also, is it safe to clean them w normal shower cleaners?
I've read some people seal them? Did you do this? I know daltile says you don't have too.
Sorry, lots of questions this morning as I've had a full cup of coffee already! Thank you for your much needed advice

Michelle, thanks for your input also. I'm trying to use a medium grey, taupe, or warm grey color. I plan on either matching the grey or going one shade darker w my grout.
I've had light grout before and just couldn't keep it clean. I'm hoping a darker grout will help out.

PS. Yes, safe with shower cleaners. Just one note: My tile guy told me that he had one client who had a problem with her grout discoloring to orange. It was a grout with the sealer pre-mixed into it. Apparently she obsessively bleached it daily, and bleach cleaners were not recommended by the manufacturer. He said he had not had that problem with any other installations.

my grout wont have that to worry about, lol! im not the best cleaner... the older i get, the less i care about cleaning. thank you for your experience and your brothers with the keystones. I will be buying those for my shower floor. :)

Looks like you made up your mind, but we went with glass tiles in a hex pattern and love the looks.

Glad to see mention of hair dye. I stopped coloring my hair when I remodeled my bathroom and life is so much easier, not to mention not having to worry about the marble and grout.

lol Anne,,,I guess I'll have to use the bath spigot in the other tub when I need to wash my hair because I'm not ready for the gray yet!

Leemiller, I actually bought glass tiles for the 5 ft "niche". It runs the length of the wall for shampoo, soap, ect. Then, subways for the walls... and yes, I did get the keystones for the floors. I've just read too many people saying they wish they had not done a natural stone.
I ended up getting the keystone in a 1"x2" brick design. Thanks everyone for your help and advice. It was much appreciated!

We want pictures!!

A quick update: I went with daltile keystones and we have been using our shower for about 6 months now. Neither myself nor husband has even slipped once. They have been very easy to clean. I highly recommend for anyone looking for tiles for the floor of their shower.

I have used charcoal toothpaste on the matte tiles in our shower where my coloured hair shampoo stained the tiles....we seem to be making progress without any discolouration of the tiles

Missmilldad, glad to hear you like the keystones on your shower floor. I am thinking about them. Did you get the little squares the size of Scrabble squares or bigger? They look like biscuits to me, which I don't like, like they're porous or will crumble. That's probably a misleading look. But I like the colors. Thanks.