Using Marble in the Shower (12 Pros and Cons You Need to Know!) | Favorite Stone Guides (2023)

We all love a nice shower and there are a few things that can help make your bathroom one of the best places in your home. Choosing what fits your shower screens, floors, seats and shower countertops is key and if you are considering using marble I will share with you 12 benefits and caveats of using marble in the shower.

But first let me address the elephant in the room. Is it okay to use marble in a shower?You can use marble in your shower as it offers many benefits like a beautifully clean and unique look, high versatility and durability. However, using marbles in your shower has some downsides like easy staining and etching. Nonetheless, marble is a great staple for modern showers.

Keep reading this article to learn more.

The advantages:

Let's take a look at some of the benefits of using marble for your bathrooms or showers.

1. Each marble is unique

The next time you visit a place with a marble installation, do well to take a closer look at the patterns, colors, and textures on the marble's surface. Even without being very attentive, you will find that not all marbles are created equal.

Every marble will be completely different and this is one of the qualities that makes marble very desirable. Whatever marble installation you choose, it will be unique only to you. Isn't that cool?

A natural marble comes with 100% unique patterns or veins, a different color palette and a variety in its depth - therefore no other bathroom will have exactly the same characteristics as your bathroom.

The uniqueness of marble usually comes down to the type and quality of marble you choose. Most low endMarbles often have very visible veining and coloringunlike the high-end models which usually have very faint or light veining.

2. Marble develops a beautiful patina

Patina is the quality that most natural materials such asManager, stone and wood evolve over timeabovetheir surface. It is a beautiful and subtle sheen that forms on the surface of most natural materials.

This property of most natural materials when it comes to marble is also unavoidable. When you put marble in your bathroom it develops a patina that usually has a nice warm appearance.

This is why marble ages so well and its aging process is unique and a beautiful transition from year to year.

3. Marbles are easy to work with

If you enjoy DIY a lot of things in your home or are a professional doing marble installations then you might be glad to know thisMarbles are very easy to editwith.

This is because every piece of marble you pick up is essentially soft stone that can be easily cut or adjusted, machined and tumbled to suit your needs.

4. Marbles are versatile

Marble can serve multiple purposes in a bathroom. You can installMarble for your shower walls, curb, along lower walls if you have a freestanding bath or splashback, countertop, ceiling and shower seats.

This shows how versatile this wonderful piece of stone is. The only thing to pay attention to is the type of marble you choose for your floors, especially if you have children.

What you can do ishoned marble for your bathroom floors. Since honed marble has a matte finish, this will help reduce the slipperiness of the bathroom to a large extent while maintaining a classic marble look.

Another great and safe way to add natural traction to your marble floors is by using small tessellated marble tiles. The grout line between tiles helps create traction, which can help prevent slipping.

5. Marbles never go out of style

In fact, marbles never go out of style. Marble as a material has long been used in monuments for many architectural and sculptural monuments.

Such remarkable works of art remain to this day and serve as huge tourist attractions, drawing millions of people from all over the world.

Some of the most popular marble monuments are Taj Mahal in Agra - India which was built between 1632 and 1648, Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa - Italy etc

This is a long way to tell you how long marbles have been around. As trends come and go, marble has been relevant in architecture for hundreds of years.

6. Marbles are long-lived

There are many buildings whose main material is marble that have survived for decades. Marble is a type of natural stone, so it is very durable and will last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance.

It is a well known fact that marble is a living stone and as such will vary in appearance and staining. However, it is simply part of its nature and the way it develops naturally.

7. Natural stones add value to a home

Another benefit of using marble for your bathroom is that it will help increase the value of your home or property when you are ready to sell it.

Marble is a really cool material that will appeal to most potential buyers. Most people will find marble installations to be a valuable investment as most natural stones make wonderful selling points for most properties.

This is among other good reasons why you want itIncorporate marble installations not only in your showerbut also in the kitchen, dining and living area - not only as a functional element, but also as a significant added value for your property if you are thinking about selling one day.

The disadvantages:

1. Marbles are very porous

This is probably one of the most common disadvantages of marble that you will learn about from any professional who makes marble plumbing or anyone who has had marble plumbing in their home.

Marble is porous and this has to do with the fact that marble is a natural stone and not only is it a stone, it is also one of the softest there is.

Due to the porous nature of marble it is very absorbent and if you use it in your bathroom water will easily seep into the marble and depending on what is in the water this can spoil your bathroom.

A good example is if you dye your hair or try to wash it off in a marble installed shower, the color can easily penetrate deep into your marble and cause stains.

Because of this, you will find that most professionals advise using other durable materials like porcelain tile to deal with the marble to handle such situations.

2. Marbles can be easily etched

When you use marbles in your shower, many of the hygiene products you use frequently such as hair products, dental products, oils, perfumes, body lotions, cleaning products, etc. can contain acids or bases that can easily corrode and transform your marble installations very quickly very ugly.

Since marbles etch easily, you need to learn a few things very quickly and that is what type of marble to choose for your shower, what type of hygiene products to choose and how to store your hygiene products in the shower.

First, you need to choose the right type of marble for your shower if you want to keep the beautiful, clean look of your marble all the time. While polished marbles easily show etch marks and wear, cut marbles are great for their soft satin matte finish and don't leave too obvious etch marks.

Before deciding on any type of marble, no matter where it is installed in your shower, you should also take home a piece of marble and test it on it with your regular shower hygiene product to see how it reacts to the marble.

Finally, if you have already installed your shower with marble, you should consider where to store or store your bathroom hygiene products to prevent the marble from etching or discoloring.

3. Marbles can discolor over time

Another common disadvantage of using marble in your shower is the risk of the marble discoloring over time. Marbles are naturally heat resistant, but all the humidity, humidity, or steam that comes from the hot showers will wreak havoc on your marble.

This is due to the fact that marble is porous and allows water to seep through, causing the moisture to react with the natural minerals such as iron found in almost every natural marble.

And the moisture reacts and oxidizes theMarble can turn orange, brown or yellow and can leave a very clean shower that looks like a total mess.

4. Requires constant sealing

If you don't want your marbles to discolor and want to preserve the appearance of your marbles, you should seal them constantly.

The downside to this disadvantage is that even after sealing your marbles, you don't need to use your shower for about 24-48 hours to allow the sealer to provide optimal protection to your marbles.

I know this is definitely a bummer. However, if you care deeply about keeping your marble looking really clean, you have no choice but to seal the marble in your shower every 3-6 months - which can be a serious maintenance issue for most people.

That's because you don't just have to seal the marble, you have to do it very well. What you will do when sealing your marble is to carefully and thoroughly seal the pores on the marble's surface to slow down any form of absorption that the marble will naturally have - giving you much more time to clean, if this is the case of a stain or etching.

Pro Tip:You should make sure to seal your marble from time to time, even if you're told your marble installation comes with a multi-year warranty.

17Tips for maintaining marble in showers

• The first rule of thumb when maintaining marble in showers is to seal it constantly - usually every 3-6 months.

• Set some sort of reminder on your calendar so you can seal your shower marbles on time.

• Make sure to seal your marble witha good seal.

• Avoid using acidic cleaners on your marbles to prevent them from damaging the protective coating on the marble.

• Agood marble or natural stone soap, plain water (or warm water) and a good nylon scrubbing brush are all you need to take care of your shower marbles.

• When choosing a finish for your shower marbles, you want one that allows water to get on and off your marbles without reacting with the marble's natural irons, which can cause staining.

• Also, avoid sealers that can potentially change the color of your marbles. Test the seal first and when unsure. Research or speak to your seller for more information.

• If youSeal your marblesMake sure you put about 2-3 coats of sealer on it.

• Make sure not to use the shower for at least 24 hours after sealing. If you have another shower, use that instead.

• Clean your marbles often - about once a week.

• Always use marble or natural stone specific soap for your marbles.

• If you notice aStain on your shower marbles, you can make a natural poultice (by mixing baking soda and water) to remove stains. Leave the poultice on the stain for 12-24 hours before removing. Works like magic. Do not use acidic products to clean stains.

• Don't let water stand on your marble shower seats, floors, etc. Make sure you wipe away any water that sits on your marble surfaces.

• Always opt for honed marble for your showers if you don't want etching marks to be visible all over your marble surfaces.

• Receivethis etch mark removerif you have etched marks that you want to remove.

• When it comes to the type of hygiene products you use, go for the more natural and gentle ones. Go for natural body wash, natural shampoo, natural conditioners, etc. – mostly for your health, but also with the side benefit of a great looking marble.

• If you are in doubt about marble for your shower, go for porcelain tiles as they look like marble and offer much more durability and resilience to your showers.