Marble can be both. It can be well sealed at install AND stain in the future. I'm OK with that (I'm both lazy AND a flooring pro).

Will you be?

I ahd a shower that I had to re-seal. The problem is after the first 1 or 2 times one tends to forget or procrastinate...at least I do. And then you can get past the point of no return where you waited too long and the staining has occurred. Make sure you have the commitment to keep resealing it, or decide that you are ok with the consequences if you get lax.

@kudzu9 how often should I reseal?. I was told some seals lasted 10 years, but not sure how accurate that is

10 years sounds like fantasy. I did it annually the first couple of years until I got lazy. 😆

There are lots of beautiful porcelain tiles that resemble marble, that’s what I did in my shower. No maintenance.

Stained marble is not the only issue. Sealed or not it will etch when in contact with an acid. There is acid in shampoo, soap, mouthwash, urine and even water sources. Water also sometimes has iron which will “ rust” marble and cause it too often yellow.

If you like clean, pristine marble be prepared that marble sealed or not will age and what you have in two years will be different than what you have today. It is a living finish and not for those who prefer young and pretty rather than marred, aged and softened. I prefer the older worn patina to the new perfection in marble but most do not.

Thanks for your comments everyone! I’m leaning towards only using marble hexagon in the master bathroom floors, except the shower. And for the shower do porcelain which mimicks marble for shower walls and shower floor, maybe a smaller size for floor so that it allows the right slope

Don’t mix fake and real. It makes both look bad then.

Sealing marble actually makes the issue worse. If anyone actually read the above experiments. The old fashioned mud built showers with traditional cement grout, and no sealer, fared the best.