# Shower redo



## stslimited84 (Aug 4, 2011)

Redoing daughter and son-in-laws master bath. They want marble tile (they highly want the white with grey/black veining). I've tried talking them out of it but they cant find any other suitable tiles with the look they want.

Questions:

1) Any suggestions on a better shower tile to use with that look? They've seen some porcelain tile but it looks "fake" to them

2) If they cant find anything else they like and go with marble, is it going to be major maintenance to keep it in good condition? Recommendations on sealers?

Thoughts? 

Thanks in advance.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

stslimited84 said:


> is it going to be major maintenance to keep it in good condition? Recommendations on sealers?
> 
> Thoughts?


Make sure you waterproof with a membrane of some kind before setting the tile.

Use an appropriate thinset for the marble

Maintenance will be an issue and possibly a problem if not kept up.

Sealer: StoneTech Heavy Duty Sealer 
Enhancer: StoneTech Enhancer

Enhancer might not be the best seeing as Carrera marble doesn't really transform that much when wet.


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## SSC (Feb 8, 2011)

i agree with angus. 

Ill add as long as they treat the master bath with care and it doesnt become a kids playroom they should be fine.

White carrera is beautiful when a quality tile is set by a qualified installer. If this was a hall bath that would see alot of traffic i would say no way but for a master they should go for it.

No shoes at all
no kids toys
if they're going to put mats down make sure the bottom is soft or get a floor protector for under the mat

do not get the home depot crap. the color variances are insane


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## stslimited84 (Aug 4, 2011)

SSC said:


> i agree with angus.
> 
> Ill add as long as they treat the master bath with care and it doesnt become a kids playroom they should be fine.
> 
> ...



No kids yet, its just the two of them and the dog so the master is going to be the primary shower but they'll be the only traffic. I agree the white carrerra is beautiful. 

Through research, Ive come across multiple types of impregnators/sealers. Which ones are best and how often do they need to be applied? 

What kind of maintenance/cleaning will they need to do and how often? 

Thanks for the great input!


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

stslimited84 said:


> Which ones are best and how often do they need to be applied?


I only use StoneTech products. There are others but you will not go wrong with either I listed above. They say to apply every few years but the shower floor gets a lot of abuse. I would be fine with yearly.



stslimited84 said:


> What kind of maintenance/cleaning will they need to do and how often?


StoneTech makes a cleaner: KlenzAll 
They could do regular maintenance with a mild cleaner and then use the StoneTech stuff monthly.

The grout used can make a big difference in the amount of maintenance needed. Consider a high quality grout like QuartzLock 2 (urethane) or an epoxy.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

Why not go with a porcelain that looks just like marble? It eliminates the maintenance nightmare of stone in a shower.

http://www.porcelanosa-usa.com/home/gallery/bathroom-ideas/marmol-carrara-blanco.aspx


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

A lot of stones claim to be white carrara. The Italian type is very good. Installed a Tile Shop version called "Hampton Carrara" no where near the same look. Everybody loves stone but not everyone wants to maintain it properly.


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## opiethetileman (Apr 7, 2005)

i agree with precission by far
:thumbup:


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## tazmanian (Jul 22, 2010)

make it easy and go with solid slabs...have the quarry come out and do the template...............use backer board and membrane..............never have to worry about grout again...........................................:thumbsup:

how bout that Angus? I want to do this one!:clap:


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## stslimited84 (Aug 4, 2011)

PrecisionFloors said:


> Why not go with a porcelain that looks just like marble? It eliminates the maintenance nightmare of stone in a shower.
> 
> http://www.porcelanosa-usa.com/home/gallery/bathroom-ideas/marmol-carrara-blanco.aspx


I showed this to the kids and they were interested. As i mentioned, they dont have to have marble, but they want it to look like it. They are somewhat skeptical because of seeing porcelain look a likes and werent happy with the "fake" look to it. 

has anybody actually bought this particular product? does it look as good as it does on the website?


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

tazmanian said:


> make it easy and go with solid slabs.


:laughing: There is nothing easy about hanging a huge slab of stone on a shower wall.....


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

stslimited84 said:


> I showed this to the kids and they were interested. As i mentioned, they dont have to have marble, but they want it to look like it. They are somewhat skeptical because of seeing porcelain look a likes and werent happy with the "fake" look to it.
> 
> has anybody actually bought this particular product? does it look as good as it does on the website?


I have not personally installed it, but have talked to setters that have. They were pretty impressed with it and spoke highly of how "real" it looked.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Good porcelain will be pretty realistic. But for that, you pay. 

You can spend the $$ up front on the better product or spend the $ over time with the maintenance. 

Of course, nothing really replaces the look of _true_ stone.


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## tazmanian (Jul 22, 2010)

that is why i said to go with slabs...if you have a good fabricator it will go nicely.........................:thumbup:


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## SSC (Feb 8, 2011)

you know. . . . . the dog scares me! is it a large dog? are the rest of the floors in the house scratched up? if so i would lean towards porcelain or granite.


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## stslimited84 (Aug 4, 2011)

SSC said:


> you know. . . . . the dog scares me! is it a large dog? are the rest of the floors in the house scratched up? if so i would lean towards porcelain or granite.


The dog isnt going to be a concern, he doesnt venture into the bathroom.

Is this kit the way to go? How much does that go for?

http://www.schluter.com/8_4_kerdi_shower_kit.aspx


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

A Kerdi kit is pretty user friendly. 

Can't say much for pricing. Depends on where you purchase, if you buy wholesale and what size the kit is.

Could be as cheap as $350 or as high as $700.


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## stslimited84 (Aug 4, 2011)

angus242 said:


> A Kerdi kit is pretty user friendly.
> 
> Can't say much for pricing. Depends on where you purchase, if you buy wholesale and what size the kit is.
> 
> Could be as cheap as $350 or as high as $700.


I'm in Pa if that helps. I think they want to go the linear route and I saw they have that available. 

The shower is going to be 72" long.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

I'm not a vendor so it really matters on where _you_ would purchase.

However, if you want to do a linear drain, all the rules change. You will end up doing a custom shower pan. It would be a hybrid of materials.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

ForzaStone. Great stuff. Pre-sealed. You do have to go to one of their classes to buy it.
http://www.forzastone.com/Default.aspx


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## stslimited84 (Aug 4, 2011)

Well the Kerdi shower kit comes in a big enough size 72"x72" but the linear drain does not, so thats disappointing. Was hoping they had a big enough size. The thought of using the same large sized tile on the floor was very intriguing. 

Any other quality brands out there have a linear drain kit that would work?

Samples of the porcelanosa are on the way.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

My Shower Grate Shop, Luxe, ACO & Proline all make linear drains.

You will not have a "kit". It will entail pouring a custom pan.


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