I love the idea and look of concrete, but there are so many gorgeous, large format tiles that look like concrete. You can't use a swiffer, mop or anything that will really deep clean concrete to my knowledge? A nice porcelain, large format tile would be a breeze to clean.....

My high school and college gym showers were concrete floored.

I worked for a caterer whose kitchen floor was concrete with a drain.

While practical, I wouldn’t want an industrial looking bathroom.

There are products on the market that have the same look and feel as concrete and that can be used in bathrooms without problems. It's a finish that gets 'plastered' on the wall and is waterproof. Now I don't know any American brands or manufacturers since I'm in Europe, but you could try and Google "Beton Ciré" and see if you can find something similar.

Concrete is just a hard sponge. It will wick water straight through it to your walls and other wooden framing. Not a good scenario for the long term health of your home.

Yes, you can still do overlays on top of waterproofing. But it’ll be more expensive than granite slab walls. And the concrete topping will still be porous and yucky without moving to specially densified materials.

Bad road to go down if you have a limited budget. A limited budget and no grout lines is an acrylic surround.

Concrete floors are awesome but when it comes to showers I would use a good large format tile with minimal grout lines in a matching color not white . Porcelanosa does some large format tile that is great in showers

So you don't like grout, so instead you're getting JUST grout? ;)

Beton Cire´= waxed concrete. Like everything else it sounds better in French.

What about using the same material/application that they use in pools?

That's funny, Summit Studio!

I hate gout lines also. It's OK for a back splash in a kitchen, because it doesn't get dirty like bathrooms, but in bathrooms tile is extra work. We built our last house and put in one piece acrylic tub/shower and shower units. Soooo easy to clean and durable.

The image above is so cool I had to research beton cire. Very cool stuff. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available here in North America.

People do it, but I imagine that this is nontrivial to do right and seal well enough to maintain.

This one involves the waterproof + skimcoat approach. Again no word on how well it keeps its color -- remember that concrete counters discolor and stain...

You might be better off using large panels of solid-surface material like Corian, which would have a more up-scale look than acrylic but with easy upkeep.

Take a look at the concrete solid surface look-alikes, please. All the look with none of the performance issues of real concrete and tile.

Concrete is porous. Concrete shifts and cracks. Concrete discolors. Concrete takes very precise mixtures and placement. Concrete takes very experienced finishing and sealing. Tradesmen who know how to do this in residential interiors are few and far between. This is not your driveway. Do not use concrete where water is present. Really.

Poster wants concrete.

This article may help you.

http://concretesealerreviews.com/the-truth-about-concrete-waterproofing/

My whole freaking house is concrete and I will epoxy coat the shower floor, and use large format porcelain tiles for my master shower (minimal grout lines on a 4' x 8' "tile")

You will likely have a hard time passing an inspection for waterproofing.

Yes we did this. We had a pool concrete shower (concrete, with pool waterproofing, concrete stain was used to add some pattern/color) put in. I was hoping it was a forever shower. But unfortunately it cracked along the line between the cement panels. I think the installers must not have put enough screws into the durock underlayment and/or perhaps not mesh taped them. We used clear caulk to caulk the line and it is water proof but we are going to pull the whole thing out and go with large format tile. If they had done a good job we would be keeping it as it is the lowest possible maintenance. No grout at all.

We just had another bathroom done with new tile and I had to watch like a hawk. They used drywall screws so I went back and added deck screws between each screw. They tiler wanted to skip the fiberglass mesh tape so I popped in with my own roll and asked it be used. I asked where they intended to caulk. The answer was in some places but not others and I asked for all the changes of plane and materials. Basically you have to know everything about how something is supposed to go in and then check every step of the way.

Is it just me, or does a big concrete bathroom feel like a dungeon or jail (not that I would know what that's like), but those photos of that concrete shower texture are not inviting. ;-) There are sooooo many gorgeous tiles, marbles and stone that would make the most amazing bathroom!

I have an all concrete shower in my home. It's in the mudroom and has a dog door. I just moved into the house. It looks as if it hasn't ever been used for it's intended purpose. I store dog food and dog toys in it. I threaten to make the DH hose down in it before coming into the house from the yard. I take my dogs to the self-serve dog wash.

It depends on the quality of the fabrication and installation. It's discouraging to see industry professionals make such broad declarations about an extremely variable building material. Good decorative concrete experts can make panels that compete in quality with granite slabs. Just as with countertops, most concrete artisans seem to be meeting this need with glass fiber reinforced concrete GFRC.

The appeal of big slabs (concrete panels or stone) is aesthetics and maintenance.

I visited a home recently, and their shower was done in Corian. You can also epoxy floors, and use different colors/patterns. Easy to clean.

If you want concrete check out Sonoma Stone's NuCrete.

http://www.sonomastone.com/concrete-countertops-sinks.html

A good porcelain tile with rectified edges allows you to get 1/16" or smaller grout lines that require no maintenance. and if you go with a 48x24 tile, you could really minimize your grout lines further. But grout shouldn't be an issue so long as you seal it. Most people that hate grout have a sanded grout that was never sealed and 1/8" thick so it collects bacteria and mold. New Epoxy grout is mold resistant and easy to use.

I am a big fan of concrete anything...however it has to be scored or inlaid with re-bar to avoid cracks...it is absolutely beautiful stained and sealer gives it a shiny finish..but like any big flat surface it will show soap build up over time ..so look for the right cleaner at any “cleaning service” supply store...which is also an excellent source for all cleaning supplies...everything is concentrated so you get gallons of cleaners for a fraction of the cost of regular name brand cleaners

If you want it the concrete gray...just use a clear sealer...nothing will penetrate the sealer...and it is very easy to apply or re-apply as needed..for an example we had this on our floors...the shine began to look a little less shiny in spots ...after about 5 years...so we just spread on another coat of sealer...consult a quality commercial paint supplier for more info if you have questions