Marble is an awful choice for a shower, especially considering the superior alternatives available.

The porcelain look alikes are very close to the real thing and lower maintenance. You can use any kind of cleaning product on them. Look in this forum for history on complaints about marble floors in showers.

I want low maintenance for a shower floor. There are too many little things that can go wrong with marble. As noted above, there are a number of other products that look about the same and won't have marble's potential problems.

I have marble tile in shower and on my bathroom floor and after a bit more than 4 years it still looks great.

I do take reasonable precautions as I only stock cleaning products that are safe for marble to avoid a cleaning person screwing up. In terms of my shower usage, I don't dye my hair in the shower and I use liquid soap - but I never dyed my hair at home and I always used liquid shower soap.

As far as I am concerned there is nothing as beautiful as natural stone - I looked at the manmade stuff and there is no comparison. If it comes to that I can always hire a professional to do what is necessary but at this point I don't have issues with it.

I've had honed marble in my shower now for 4 years and it looks as good as the day it was installed. And horror of horrors, I use regular bar soap.

To those who say porcelain is very close, I beg to differ. There is a depth and luminance that is missing from porcelain.

I have a marble shower floor, but it's black.

do you dye your hair? If the answer is yes, then white marble can discolor over time.

you will also get etching.

The other down side is cleaning products. you have to use stone safe cleaners. if you have very hard water, it can be tough getting a good clean w/those safe products.

I also have a marble floor on the outside of the shower. it's honed. I still get etching merely from droplets of water that sit too long.

even with all of that, I still love the marble. you'll just have to be careful and take extra time to seal and clean w/certain products if you want it to last.

If you do go w/marble, try and go w/a dolomitic marble tile. They're a bit heartier than carrara.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC "Marble is an awful choice for a shower, especially considering the ..." Joseph, Not sure what your professional experience is regarding natural stone shower installations. Marble is a fabulous choice for a shower IF you are a discerning consumer who honors the beauty of natural materials that have been used for centuries and you are commited to hiring qualified labor and caring for your choice of materials. We work primarily for homeowners, not builders, and our clients tend to be expereinced. Many prefer natural stone. We provide them with the PH Neutral cleaners and instructions. 38 years in here and still working for some of the same clients who love those marble showers installed decades ago. But of course, it is always personal preference.

We stay in hotel in Rome the whole bathroom including the shower is cararra marble that was installed in the 50s and still looks amazing . All the floors are the same through the whole space and honestly so beautiful . IMo there is no subsitute for the real thing . Yes they porbably use a sealer once a year but IMO a small price to pay for a real stone.

Dragonfly:

You are correct and I generalized a bit too much. Properly installed marble paired with a properly educated client can provide years of service. I can't let the pictures of the failed installations and the men's room floor at the Vegas casino cloud my judgement.

Aren't there different " qualities " of marble? I remember there being a discussion of marble from China vs Turkey vs Italy. I see beautiful marble in the lobby of hotels. Granted, they have maintenance crews, but those floors sure do take a beating and many are polished!

Our shower has a honed Calacatta marble bench (also used for tub surround and vanity counters) that was installed in 2010. We also have 3" Calacatta hexagons on the shower floor) It all looks as beautiful as when it was installed. I don't 'baby' it, but I am careful, in that I use safe cleaners and I stopped dying my hair myself at home. I also avoid products with lemon, and, while it may not matter, I use shampoos and bodywash that are clear or white...no dyes in them. I think there is one spot of etching on the bench that can only be seen if I get on my hands and knees and the light from the window is at a particular angle. I do not store products on the bench. For the bathroom counters, I love the beauty of the marble and have had no problems with staining, chipping or etching. They were sealed at installation, but I haven't sealed them since. I wipe up water after each use. I wouldn't want it in a kitchen, but in my master bath, I love it!