Are you worried because you wanted a white marble tile with gray accent veining and you are seeing gray marble with dark gray veins?
This is natural characteristics of marble, it's very porous and soaks up water in mortar when installed. Wait it out up to a week and see how it looks. It will definitely dry and become much lighter but might never be as light as your sample. That's just normal for carrara marble tile.

Yes, white marble gray veining. OK. Will wait it out and cross fingers for it to dry up and come closer to white... but why are those few tiles that are actually white? Thank you.

Honestly, I don't know. They may not have taken the water as much as the others or are from a different lot.
I assume they all looked white before installation?

Yes they were all white. Will wait it out and let you know. Thank you.

HU-328, sometimes it could be that particular batch of tiles. Maybe it's denser than the others, or maybe it absorbs water at a diff rate.

Don't fret yet. wait for a day or two and see if it lightens. The tile setter used a white thinset mortar, right?

Yes, white thinset mortar. Thank you, Beth.

Here's a dilemma. Had Pinara honed marble installed on floors and shower. Yes, I went through the same horrific concerns about white tiles turning gray but they did lighten up eventually although NOT to original color.

The real issue is the discoloration of the shower tiles (after being installed over 2 months ago) . This situation became obvious after only 3 showers. When discovered, immediately stopped and for the last 2 weeks have had a fan/heater going. The tiles are dry but they still look wet And no apparent leaks anywhere either. Am thinking this must be stain now.

I'm wondering if this is something to do with the mastic or the sealer? Am doing a small sample area with a poultice to see if that will work to pull the stain. Would appreciate any insight or suggestions.

Kristine,

what was used to set the tiles? (product and color)

what sealer? When did you seal it?

what do you use in a shower that could stain? it's prob water absorption since anything that stains, (in a shower) would likely be colored, and would be splotchy)

have no idea since you've given limited info and no pics.

Thanks for the reply. (Photo didn’t upload apparently) I don’t have details on what materials the contractor used (And neither does he since he sent it out to another sub)

Regarding above post

could be many things. You have to ask about waterproofing (how was the shower built? what about the shower pan? products used? )

otherwise it's a guess. it looks like water absorption, but after 2 weeks it should be dry.

So, I'd question whether or not Mastic was used. Mastic takes a long time to dry and should NEVER be used in a wet area.

Or, maybe the way it was built, water has collected under the tile and isn't draining properly.

are there any pictures of the process? to see how things were constructed behind the tile?

Your GC needs to get the person HE hired to come back and rectify it. That's why you hire a GC. He's responsible for any issues.

Wow. So glad I used porcelain tile instead of marble.....it has looked perfect from the day it was installed. I selected a stone-look porcelain for the shower enclosure and bathroom floor, and granite for the shower entry curb, shower niche and vanity counter. Too much drama with marble issues here on Houzz.

I’m with you felizlady. There are so many challenges and “Design Dilemmas” around marble that I’ll never use it in my house. Thank goodness someone invented porcelain. I would be freaking out if my marble shower was discolored.

Heres a follow up on my recent concern. Its been almost two weeks now. It appears to have gotten a bit whiter

Had no idea about color change, praying it lightens for this white bathroom..16 hrs so far, you can see white marble on left not installed yet...geez...nervous...love white marble...NOT

I’m having the same issue 😩 the white marble turned gray after the grout was put on yesterday. I hope it changes. I confirmed white thinset. The Solto white and calacatta gris look nothing like they did out of the box after the installer put on the grout.

it should lighten. put a fan in there if you want to speed it up

@Beth H. : - quick Q for you: when you installed your marble floors, how long did you wait to seal your marble? My marble will be installed in the next few days. I assume that it will turn gray for a period of time while the thinset dries (tile setter will be using white thinset). I assume that he should not seal it until it dries - otherwise, the sealer will slow down the drying time, correct? I’m sure that the tile setter knows all of this - but I want to personally understand the correct process to follow. Thanks!

Also - I feel like since we comment back and forth fairly often, it would be nice for you to be able to have an actual name instead of “dmac11“ - it’s Dani.

Dani,, I actually sealed my marble tile prior to install. sat there and took every single piece out of the box, laid it down on the cement floor( my wood wasn't installed yet) and treated every piece. Twice. Make sure it does NOT drip down the sides or grout won't adhere. the first coat gets sucked up immediately. 2nd coat also seemed to absorb rather fast. can't remember if I did a 3rd coat or just waited until after install.

Does it have to be done first? no. but being that it's so absorbent, I wanted to get a head start on it. and it makes grout clean up easier. I had honed marble so any thinset or grout really adheres to unsealed honed marble.

for install, make sure the tile guy uses WHITE mortar meant for marble. no gray. and yes it will darken a bit, but not that much. Depending on the weather and humidity will determine how long it takes to dry. shouldn't be more than a day or two unless you live in a rainforest.

@Beth H. :- please let me know which sealer you think is the best to use. I’ve purchased this one:

My marble is honed also - I seem to remember you telling someone in a post that there are different ones that should be used depending on whether it’s honed or polished. I wrote it down in a notebook at the time - but I can’t seem to find my notebook at the moment. Thank you so much!

I have never used that sealer.

It should say "suitable for honed marble".

test it on a tile and see how it absorbs. with honed marble, it should soak it right up. buff any residue. wait a bit and apply a second coat. any left on the surface? buff dry. drop some water on it. does it sit or absorb? if the latter, try another coat.

I like 511, aquamix, and this is the one the marble restoration guy used on my shower floor honed marble. (this stuff is still beading up water on my shower floor)

for my other marble, I think i used one of the first two I mentioned. One was a water base. not this one, but this one is also good

Hi, got a batch of thassos white marble from a marble store doing some clearance, does sealant need to be applied on the back surface of the marble, the part that will be in contact with the cement? and do the concrete walls need to be completely waterproofed? thanks!

No. That will cause it not to stick. Just make sure to use white thinset.

GRACE NO! don't ever put sealer on the sides or the back. top only.

concrete walls where? are you talking about a shower? they aren't done in concrete, they're done in a lath/mortar OR some type of underlayment like Durock cement board, or a Kerdi system.

who is doing the shower for you? they should know. but it's either a vapor barrier BEHIND the cement board, OR you apply a waterproof membrane on TOP of the cement board. Never both.

Hi Beth and Tiffany, thankyou for your responses! yes its a shower, and yes i checked, its mortar not concrete :)

Hi

I have been reading through this feed - HELP!!! I am in the middle of installing Honed Marble, but these patches have appeared, We used grey adhesive first - which was on the LHS 2 rows - then realised the mistake and changed to white - but the damp looking patches have appeared and I don't know whether to rip it out and go for something else, or hope that it fades??

Caroline- gray adhesive? you mean mortar?

take a picture of everything you're using. including a shot of the uninstalled marble

And marble should all be set with White thinset mortar. I like Versabond for marble and stone.

you will see moisture patches as the stone absorbs the water from the thinset. it should evaporate.If you're in a humid climate, a fan could help speed up the process.

Depending on how transparent the marble is, I don't know if it's going to look darker w/the gray mortar as the white mortar

Hello- I’m between using a plastic vapor barrier behind wonderboard or using redgard on top of wonderboard prior to marble subway tile in my shower (walls and ceiling). If possible I’d like to go the plastic sheeting route to save $150 on redgard. Does anyone have experience with both methods as it relates to white marble changing colors? I’ll be using white thinset specifically for stone / LFT

HU, You can use the plastic barrier behind the cement board. It's fine. just make sure to tape and mortar all seams and holes on the cement board. Do not use Redgard w/the vapor barrier. It's one or the other.

another option is to have the wall 'mudded'. old school lath and mortar. A good mud guy can get your walls perfectly level and plumb w/this method.

I had mine done this way.

The marble wont change colors. (Make sure you use a white thingset meant for marble)

Use a proper sealer on the tiles so that water beads up. I have a marble shower floor and it never changes colors. my marble guy used this on it

Perfect I’ll use that on my marble shower floor! I was thinking about using the 511 impregnator sealer on the walls and ceiling, would you recommend this as well or is there something better?

those are fine too.

@Beth H. : you mentioned sealing your marble before installation, but I assume the back side of the marble absorbs moisture from the thinset upon installation. If the front is sealed, doesn't that make it harder for the moisture to evaporate? I assume it comes out through the stone?

cmy, it still comes through. and it will still come through the grout joints. You only do the tops, never the sides. (grout won't adhere)

Sealer doesn't completely seal the stone. all a sealer does is buy you time if something should spill. it prolongs the absorbtion. sealer doesn't make things impenetrable. (not the ones I'm suggesting anyway)

Thanks @Beth H. : That's good to know, though too later for my current project. I've got some dark (wet) marble tiles that I am hoping will turn back to white when they dry out.

The order of the steps is tricky, having to seal before grouting as well. I imagine a lot of installers don't want to go to the trouble of sealing before installing. Definitely porcelain would have saved a lot of stress and heartache!

was a white thinset used or gray? if the latter, the tiles will appear a tad darker, even when dry

and you're right, most installers won't take the time to seal pre-install, even though it makes their clean up a bit easier. it's just more time.

I had to seal my marble floor tiles 2-3 times before water would bead on top. it takes a bit of time to do correctly.

Hi Beth. i read all ue post. i am so frustrates i changed twice the marblewall. but the color is gray. its been 4 days. should i put a fan. they used white thinset. should a use baking soda? i was looking for that white look. onlg one wall came out bad.

alaouiasmaa,, i'd need to see pics and find out exactly what was used, and how the tiling was done. can you start your own 'dilemma post' w/pictures ? have no idea what 'changed twice the marblewall' means.

have no idea what marble was used.

no idea how the tiling was done.

no idea what it looks like!

start your own post w/pictures.

(don't use baking soda)

It’s the first time using houzz so I don’t know how to start my own post.
I installed white marble with gray vein. The tiles were white before install after install they turned white gray. I picked one by one myself. But when he drilled the tile for plumbing or cut some to install they turned gray after he applied white thinset. He didn’t use anything gray. It has been now 4 days since install. The color didn’t change . I am putting a fan overnight. Do you think I should redo the wall. Size of marble are 3 by 3’.

Comment above

Comment above

alaouiasmaa wow. that's a lot of marble.

I hope he completely coated the entire back of the tile, and didn't do a spot application.

I think the tile looks fine. If the house isn't warm, it's going to take a bit longer to evaporate. keep the fan on it and give it a few more days. turn up the heat in that room if you can

after it's all dry, use a very good sealer.

My marble guy used this for mine:

make sure to use only stone safe cleaners. I use this one in my shower

(dilute w/water in a spray bottle)

So do you think I should tear down the whole wall and redo it or give it few more days? Thank you so much for the tips . I am bit upset about this wall it totally changed the look I was hoping for.

alaouiasmaa

I said I think it looks fine and to wait. I also said to turn up the heat and keep the fan on it. It could take another week or so to lighten. Marble is going to darken. those are huge tiles that have sucked up a lot of moisture from the thinset.

It could turn back to the white tone, or it could stay the way it is. Natural stone varies in it's look, and there's no way to control the outcome.

If you wanted more of a white tile look, you should have used porcelain tiles since the color would not change.

any pictures of the install? I want to see how they did behind the tiles

Looks fine! It looks like marble because it is marble. If nothing changed, it looks fine.

Thank you for your answers. I will wait. I don’t have pics of the install. But the used white thinset all over. And applied it to the wall before. Thx

Does anyone have good news of the marble lightening back to white after drying or stuck with gray or mixed color tiles now?

Tbh it’s the same color still but maybe I got used to it. I don’t know if I will redo. Shower looks nice now

@alaouiasmaa your shower looks beautiful. Do you have any pics of the finished room?