# marble tile



## bruno002 (Oct 5, 2006)

ok so i am redoing my bathroom, i want to put 12x12 marble tiles on the shower wall, my question is i dont want big joints i want them as small as possible, now what would i use to grout that i dont think nonsanded grout will work that good i just dont know, i am just a mason and you cant put bick in a shower. 




thanks





http://BuCustomMasonry.com


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## thom (Nov 3, 2006)

10 years ago I did my own house with marble on the walls and ceiling of one bath. The tiles have a beveled edge that is not polished. I butted the tiles tight then grouted with unsanded. Hasn't chipped out yet.


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

Use 1/16" spacers (or better yet - wedges), grout with a non-sanded grout, if you want to reduce the visual effect of the grout lines, the color of your grout should match the color of the marble. Keep in mind marble is a crappy material for a shower, but hey, people want hard wood in a kitchen too.

You have to have grout lines, at least that is what I have always been told.


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## bruno002 (Oct 5, 2006)

why do you say that marble is crappy for a shower?
and by the way i have hardwood in my kitchen:laughing:


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## thom (Nov 3, 2006)

Marble is soft and stains easily. Soap scum will adhere and build up and look crappy. Keep it clean and polished. Put a sealer on it right away and reseal based on use.

I did mine at the bath and shower by an indoor pool. It doesn't get much use because we have the ones by the bedrooms that the family uses. It does look real dramatic, and it's real visible to guests. I used the frameless glass for the shower enclosure so you see the whole bathroom. Did some inlay and design with the marble, ceiling is a diagonal checkerboard.


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## MattCoops (Apr 7, 2006)

travertine is the new marble

don't like marble anywhere except for doorway thresholds and around fireplace


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

Matt, I hope that you are using something better than the old grey crap. That is SOOOOOO out.


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## MattCoops (Apr 7, 2006)

I try to keep away from marble

it stains, it breaks, its brittle, it makes my cut man swear a lot

we've been selling a lot of granite jobs lately
and some slate
and of course travertine is quite popular in bath remodels


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## turner flooring (Feb 4, 2007)

Go to professional flooring supply. They have a new sealer that comes in a spray can. Guarenteed for 22 yrs. No stains. The only sealer i have ever used that is worth every dollar. Marble is a good look but without the sealer it's very pourous(stains bad)..Seal it with something great. Or get ready for disappointment..


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## MrFloors (Feb 6, 2007)

*Use a high-end solid body porcelain tile like Graniti. Use mastic to hang the tiles, then unsanded grout. Enjoy.*


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

MrFloors said:


> *Use a high-end solid body porcelain tile like Graniti. Use mastic to hang the tiles, then unsanded grout. Enjoy.*


All good except the mastic. Do yourself a favor and lose the word mastic from your vocabulary when it comes to wet areas and floors.


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## Eric K (Nov 24, 2005)

Mike Finley said:


> All good except the mastic. Do yourself a favor and lose the word mastic from your vocabulary when it comes to wet areas and floors.


I would lose the word completely unless you have days to kill to wait for that crap to dry. We did a design center display and the company had a tile guy already scheduled before they had me... He was putting tile on a wall that I built. As he was setting his last wall tile with mastic, his helper was mixing up the grout for it! I bet I could go there today almost a year later and peel off that tile with ease.:laughing:


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## R&D Tile (Apr 5, 2005)

turner flooring said:


> Go to professional flooring supply. They have a new sealer that comes in a spray can. Guarenteed for 22 yrs. No stains. The only sealer i have ever used that is worth every dollar. Marble is a good look but without the sealer it's very pourous(stains bad)..Seal it with something great. Or get ready for disappointment..



NEVER use any sealer that comes in an aerosol can, NEVER!


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## R&D Tile (Apr 5, 2005)

MrFloors said:


> *Use a high-end solid body porcelain tile like Graniti. Use mastic to hang the tiles, then unsanded grout. Enjoy.*



Never use Mastic with any type of stone, NEVER!:no: 

Mastic can be used with ceramic tile 8" and smaller in dry areas only.:thumbsup:


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

R&D Tile said:


> NEVER use any sealer that comes in an aerosol can, NEVER!


:laughing: I was waiting for that one. :laughing: 

Isn't that the stuff that is killing people or something?


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## MrFloors (Feb 6, 2007)

*R&D,*

*Not to be a wise guy, but porcelain ain't stone. And a product like DalTile's DS-50 Mastic is great for 12x12 wall tile or less. *


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## Mike Finley (Apr 28, 2004)

You could do it on a wall, but not in a wet area wall. Let's just say you could do it, you can do anything you want, but you shouldn't do it.


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## R&D Tile (Apr 5, 2005)

MrFloors said:


> *R&D,*
> 
> *Not to be a wise guy, but porcelain ain't stone. And a product like DalTile's DS-50 Mastic is great for 12x12 wall tile or less. *


Maybe some brands might work, some are crap, I'll stick with thinset for any tile over 8 to 10" in size, next time you use it, just remove a tile 48 hrs. later and see if it's dry underneath, if so fine.

The only Mastic I use is Durabond and sometimes mapei's brand.

Yes, I think I know porcelain isn't a stone, it's ceramic.


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## andybuildz (Jan 19, 2007)

R&D Tile said:


> Maybe some brands might work, some are crap, I'll stick with thinset for any tile over 8 to 10" in size, next time you use it, just remove a tile 48 hrs. later and see if it's dry underneath, if so fine.
> 
> The only Mastic I use is Durabond and sometimes mapei's brand.
> 
> Yes, I think I know porcelain isn't a stone, it's ceramic.


Hey RD,,,whats shakin bro?
I disagree with some of these guys about marble in a shower area.
I did several 12x12's in my own houses...Green marble to be exact...walls ceiling and floors with fantastic results!!! Looked absolutly stunning and stayed that way with zero issues. I had em' all butt tight together and used a non sanded grout. All the tiles I used thinset...ceiling tiles as well.
Question for you...You think mapei thinset is THAT much better than Versabond? I know its better but how bad IS Versabond ...I have some bags I was gonna use for my Kerdi/tumbled marble. Think I should go out of my way and get some mapei or am I cool with the VB?
PS...gonna go check out Old Cntry Tile tomorrow...going right by there i "think".
oh yeh..while I have you here...did I already ask you this??? John says its cool to use VB on 1/8" luan in his E-Kerdi-book...lotta people seem to disagree ...I put together a scrap piece tonight to be sure he's right. I can't imagine he's not!! Whattya think?
swcond pic is just framing first pic has luan over the framing...radius is too tight to use 1/4" rock...even wetted...I tried. 
I forget if I already asked yo uthis so if I did...sorry.
Thanks dude
andy


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## Teetorbilt (Feb 12, 2004)

I really wanted marble in the bath and I literally have tons of the stuff. I guess that I'll have to prove 'everybody else' wrong again!


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## andybuildz (Jan 19, 2007)

Teetorbilt said:


> I really wanted marble in the bath and I literally have tons of the stuff. I guess that I'll have to prove 'everybody else' wrong again!


Like I said Teetor...I did a huge shower with 12x12's taiwan green marble floors walls and ceiling shower and bathroom and I really don't know what anyone's talking about. It looked fantastic and I had zero problems and I lived in that house for a decade and a half.I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
That was over 15 years ago...just noticed the other day I still have a dozen of those tiles left...maybe I'll rip a few for accent tiles in this bathroom.
Go for it dude!
andy


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## R&D Tile (Apr 5, 2005)

andybuildz said:


> Hey RD,,,whats shakin bro?
> I disagree with some of these guys about marble in a shower area.
> I did several 12x12's in my own houses...Green marble to be exact...walls ceiling and floors with fantastic results!!! Looked absolutly stunning and stayed that way with zero issues. I had em' all butt tight together and used a non sanded grout. All the tiles I used thinset...ceiling tiles as well.
> Question for you...You think mapei thinset is THAT much better than Versabond? I know its better but how bad IS Versabond ...I have some bags I was gonna use for my Kerdi/tumbled marble. Think I should go out of my way and get some mapei or am I cool with the VB?
> ...


Versabond is fine, I was talking about their Mastic.

Watch out with green marble and thinset, it can curl the stone, most green marbles have to be set with an epoxy thinset, no water.


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## turner flooring (Feb 4, 2007)

R&D Tile said:


> NEVER use any sealer that comes in an aerosol can, NEVER!


I USED TO THINK THE SAME AS YOURSELF. THEY HAVE A SEALER THAT DRIES IN TEN MINUTES. gUARENTEED FOR 22 YRS. LISTEN GUARENTEED FOR 22 YEARS. YOU CAN ROLL IT ON OR SPRAY IT ON. IT NEVER STAINS ANY MATERIALS, DOESN'T PEEL AND DOESN'T NOT WORK. TRUST ME SEEING IS BELIEVING. SOME PEOPLE STILL THINK WE HAVEN'T LANDED ON THE MOON EITHER. SPRAY OR PUT ON TOILET PAPER AND TWO MINUTES LATER YOU CAN USE THE TOILET PAPER FOR A GLASS TO DRINK OUT OF. All sealers before were a joke. So was marble and stone that had stains. Somebody actually got it right. Remember when you think you know exactly what it is you should use, somebody in a large business spends the money on technoogy to fix those problems. And then let's you see that all things can change. NEVER IS A LOT LESS USED IN TODAYS WORLD WOULDN'T YOU AGREE.:clap:


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## turner flooring (Feb 4, 2007)

*Ardex - Check This Out.*



Eric K said:


> I would lose the word completely unless you have days to kill to wait for that crap to dry. We did a design center display and the company had a tile guy already scheduled before they had me... He was putting tile on a wall that I built. As he was setting his last wall tile with mastic, his helper was mixing up the grout for it! I bet I could go there today almost a year later and peel off that tile with ease.:laughing:


I AGREE.. AND ARDEX HAS A TYPE OF MASTIC PRODUCT IN A SENSE WORKS THE SAME BUT DRIES FAST AND HOLDS LIKE A CHAMPION WEIGHTLIFTER. SEEING IS BELIEVING ON THIS PRODUCT AS WELL. ARDEX HAS SCHEDULED MANY APPOINTMENTS WITH OUR INSTALLATION CREWS ABOUT NEW PRODUCTS. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST IVE SEEN. AS WELL , THEY HAVE GROUT THAT IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS TOO. NOT ENOUGH IN COLOR OPTIONS YET BUT IT'S GOOD STUFF. LIKE AN EPOXY GROUT BUT WORKS AND CLEANS LIKE REGULAR GROUT. BUT REEEEEEAAALLY TOUGH AND DOESN'T STAIN..:clap:


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## R&D Tile (Apr 5, 2005)

If it's stand and seal, call an ambulance before using it, while you can still breath, good luck.:whistling


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## turner flooring (Feb 4, 2007)

THATS CORRECT I WOULD PREFER TO USE THE ROLL ON OR PUMP SPRAY APPLICATION OVER USING ARESOL IN A CONFINED AREA. i USED THE ARESOL SPRAY ON A BACKSPLASH OR TWO WITH TUMBLE MARBLE AND YOU COULDN'T TELL IT WAS SPRAYED IN THE HOUSE. bUT IF YA TRIED IT IN A BATHROOM AND DIED THREE WKS LATER, IT'S NOT WORTH THE CHANCE. I'M WITH YOU ON THAT ONE. tHEY HAVE ALL TYPES IN THIS PRODUCT. i'LL GET THE NAME ON IT FOR OTHERS TO CHECK IT OUT AND SEE WHAT THEY THINK. ONE CAN IS OVER $20+
VERY EXPENSIVE. TAKE CARE
I've bragged on it so i'll list the makers name(SURE - SEAL)HAS A a picture of a seal on it.
Worked for me..


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

Wow, this thread is really old but I was floating around the site and reading up on some stuff. The one thing I noticed here is that Andybuildz has some pics of this shower and the seat looks killer :thumbup:
Is this fella still around, id like to see finished picture of this shower??


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Thanks for digging up the dead :clap:


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

I have the day off so I was just spending some time reading some old stuff... I just thought those pics were cool on the construction


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## tileman2000 (Feb 14, 2011)

Well, just read the first post as it was a new one. DIdn't realize how old it was until Todd chimed in today.

Thanks Todd. :biggrin:

Was going to show a marble shower I just did for a reference,but the guy posted 3 years ago,so either he went with the marble or gave up on it all togther.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Yes, the original post was about 4 1/2 years ago; the guy who asked the question hasn't logged on in 4 years. He gone...


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

angus242 said:


> Yes, the original post was about 4 1/2 years ago; the guy who asked the question hasn't logged on in 4 years. He gone...


Sorry.....


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Tech Dawg said:


> Sorry.....


Tech, are you near mechanicsburg Ohio or pa?

http://www.ohiohomedoctorremodeling.com


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

Mechanicsburg, PA... but we'll have to stop talking on this thread and let it die again :laughing:


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

No way, you did it now. It's _your _baby. Have fun watching guys answer the 4 year old question :laughing:


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## tileman2000 (Feb 14, 2011)

angus242 said:


> No way, you did it now. It's _your _baby. Have fun watching guys answer the 4 year old question :laughing:


Like being married. :wallbash:


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

angus242 said:


> No way, you did it now. It's your baby. Have fun watching guys answer the 4 year old question :laughing:


:laughing: 
I just wanted to see the finished pics of that shower because the seat looks pretty cool........ guess we'll never know.
This will be a bit fun though :lol:


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## Floormasta78 (Apr 6, 2011)

see what happens when you leave Civilization Todd..


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## detailhawk (May 29, 2011)

Years ago a customer talked me into setting white marble tile on his bathroom floor. I walked in the day after sealing it and it was all I could do to keep from physically throwing the plumber out on his azz. No drop cloth of course... tools all over the floor... it looked like an ice rink after a hockey game!!


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## jbdivinedesign (Mar 1, 2018)

turner flooring said:


> Go to professional flooring supply. They have a new sealer that comes in a spray can. Guarenteed for 22 yrs. No stains. The only sealer i have ever used that is worth every dollar. Marble is a good look but without the sealer it's very pourous(stains bad)..Seal it with something great. Or get ready for disappointment..


So what is the name of the sealer please?


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