There are a LOT of decisions that I went back and forth on a zillion times when planning the design of our master bathroom. One of the biggest was whether or not to use marble tile in our bathroom or go with something easier to care for like ceramic or porcelain tile. I absolutely LOVE the beauty of marble but was a little scared off by the extra maintenance and the possibility of staining. In the end I went for it and wanted to share my experience, tips, and overall thoughts of whether I’d ever use marble in a bathroom again. (post includes affiliate links; full disclosure statement available {here})
Where We Have Marble Tile In Our Bathroom
We have marble in three different areas of our bathroom. Area #1 is the Walker Zanger mosaic tile on the wall behind our tub that’s a mix of porcelain and marble tile:
Sources: Rattan pendant (also available {here}) | Bathtub | Tub filler | Stool
Choosing marble tile for this accent wall was a no-brainer – it’s in a spot where the worst of what could get on it is a splash or two of water and it sets the tone for the entire space.
Area #2 is in our shower – EVERYTHING is marble tile from the shower floor to the walls to the accent in the niche and even the curb area (I used {this 3″ x 12″ Bianco Bello tile} for the shower walls & {this Bianco Bello 2″ hexagon tile} for the floor and niche):
Shower sources: Pump bottles (16 oz white/gold) | Body brush | Sea sponge | Stool | Shelf sources: Floating shelves | White woven basket (medium) | Kumquat tree – no longer available | Gray & white striped planter | Colorful moth art print | White wood frame | Pair of decorative stacked boxes – no longer available | Glass canister (1 gallon size) | Bath bombs | Belly basket with tassel | Favorite bath towels | Large lidded basket for hamper
And area #3 is our vanity countertop – our vanity (which we bought {here}) came complete with the vanity base, sinks, and the marble countertop. While the prices of store-bought vanities like this one seems high, when you compare it to the cost of buying cabinetry & sinks plus the cost of having to fabricate countertops, buying it all in one is typically a cost savings.
Sources: Wood & rattan double vanity | Vanity knobs | Bathroom faucets – brushed nickel | Vanity lights | Vanity mirrors – gold | Woven seagrass tray on vanity | Cross base planter | Marble stacking dishes | Soap & lotion sink set with tray | Toothbrush holder | Bamboo toothbrushes | Gray & white striped towels | Robe hooks – golden champagne
How We Sealed Our Bathroom Marble
To protect our marble, we sealed every bit of it (AND the grout) in our bathroom with {this impregnator sealer}. Impregnator sealers differs from topical sealers because they penetrate below the surface of the marble to protect it but are breathable and don’t trap the interior moisture which is key with marble. My tile installers sealed my shower and tub wall tile after they finished it and I sealed our marble vanity countertop:
It’s really simple to do – you apply it evenly with a paint brush or clean white towel, let it sit for 3-5 minutes, and then remove any excess with another clean white towel before it dries.
My marble countertop really soaked up the sealer so I did a second application too. Then allow 1-3 days for it to sit undisturbed and totally cure. It will initially darken the appearance of your marble but gradually it will lighten back up as it cures.
Should you always seal marble? My tile installers have recommended it for all of the marble tile they’ve installed in our home (we sealed the marble mosaic behind our kitchen range too) but there are horror stories out there of sealers reacting with cleaning chemicals or components within the surface of the stone so ask your own installers for their advice and ALWAYS test it on a sample spot before application. You can test it in the most non-obvious spot of the surface you want to seal or on leftover tile.
How We Clean Our Bathroom Marble Tile
Marble tile is definitely trickier than ceramic or porcelain tile to clean because typical cleaners CAN damage it. The things you DON’T want to use are vinegar or anything else acidic, bleach, or most other generic tub and tile cleaners and glass cleaners. What you DO want is a cleaner that is mild, non-abrasive and pH balanced. It can be as simple as a mild clear dish soap (like {this soap} that I’ve used) and warm water. You can also use a spray cleaner such as {this Granite Gold shower cleaner} that’s pH balanced and contains no phosphates or ammonia (plus it states that regular use will help prevent soap scum and hard water deposits):
But if you want to know what I think is the TRUE trick to cleaning marble, it’s to keep it from getting full of mold and mildew to begin with. We keep {this 10″ squeegee} on the little shelf of our shower bench:
and use it to squeegee not only our shower glass but also the walls and the floor after the last person showers for the day. Then I follow it up with a quick wipe-down of everything (including our shower hardware) with a microfiber cloth.
I know you’re probably thinking that sounds like too much work but it literally only takes about 3 minutes and means you NEVER have to do any time-intensive deep cleaning. Our master bathroom was finished a year ago and it still doesn’t have a spec of mold or mildew because our tile and grout aren’t kept wet, so those things can’t grow – truly, the squeegee is a marble shower’s best friend!
And one last cleaning tip – I HIGHLY recommend getting {this pack of 50 cleaning cloths} for not only cleaning your shower, but cleaning your whole house (whether you have marble or not)! Once you use them, you’ll see how much better they clean than paper towels and you’ll never go back. I keep them in {this woven basket} on the shelf in our shallow storage closet:
And I have {this white bin} next to it to collect all of the dirty cloths:
Once they’re all dirty, I throw them in the washer (don’t wash them with anything else and don’t use fabric softener) and dryer and they’re ready to be used all over again.
Would I Use Marble Tile in a Bathroom Again?
I have zero regrets about using marble in our master bathroom so overall my answer is yes, I would definitely use it again. But would I use it on every tile surface in every type of bathroom? Nope. Here are a few more details on where I would use it and where I wouldn’t…
Marble On a Bathroom Tile Floor
Personally, I would NOT use marble on the floor of a bathroom because I want to be able to use bleach and other disinfecting products on the tile around a toilet. If a toilet overflows or someone gets sick and doesn’t 100% hit the toilet, cleaning with mild soap wouldn’t cut it for me – I’d want to go after that tile with bleach! 😂 And not to be gross but having staining or etching from urine spots near the base of the toilet isn’t too appealing of a thought either. In our bathroom I went with a simple ceramic tile floor that coordinates well with our marble:
Marble In a Bathroom Shower
While I would absolutely use marble in a shower again, it’s not for everyone. There’s nothing that compares to the beauty of marble and I love it enough to take a few extra minutes to squeegee and wipe it down every day. But if that sounds like too much for you and you’re more of a wait-two-months-until-my-shower-is-moldy-and-gross-and-then-deep-clean-it kind of person, I’d reconsider marble in the shower. Once it gets really dirty it can be a challenge to get completely clean. I would never do marble in a kids shower for this reason.
Also, my tile guys (who have a lot of past experience installing marble tile) warned me that tile on the floor of a shower can get a mottled appearance due to some areas being more constantly exposed to water than others. They encourage homeowners to consider a different material on the shower floor if they’re not ok with that possibility. I fortunately haven’t had any issues but I’ve definitely filed that bit of advice away for future renos.
Marble On a Bathroom Vanity Top
Our vanity came with a marble top and I’ve had other marble topped vanities in the past and haven’t regretted my purchases. While marble counters can etch and stain, it’s generally not as much of an issue in a bathroom as it can be with kitchen countertops. That being said, if I were designing a bathroom with custom cabinetry and a custom vanity top where I could choose any material, I would absolutely choose quartz over marble. We have {this Caesarstone quartz} in our kitchen and it looks so much like marble but is an absolute breeze to maintain:
Do you have to make the same decisions that I would? Absolutely not! For example, I know myself well enough to know that marble kitchen counters are not for me (the etching and fear of stains would drive me nuts), but I have several friends who LOVE theirs (and I LOVE seeing them in their homes too – they’re gorgeous!!). It’s all about knowing yourself and the ins and outs of your options to make decisions about what’s best for you.
I hope you guys found this helpful and have a great start to your week!
JJ says
Hi, and thank you for such a comprehensive post AND your incredible design style bathroom.
It’s simply stunning. Love all of your design choices- inspiration for an upcoming guest bathroom remodel.
For the sealer. Can you apply that to a marble countertop that already has mild/light etching.?
Would the sealer lock in those imperfections?
I’ve had marble in 2 homes a d have never known to seal it.
Thanks for any info. Best-JJ
Kris Jarrett says
Glad it was helpful! You can certainly seal it to protect it from that point on but I’d try to get out any etching spots first if possible because you’ll still see the spots after sealing and it will be harder to get rid of them once sealed too.
Michele M. says
GREAT post, thank you so much. Your master bathroom is the stuff dreams are made of.
I adore the look but no WAY could I have a marble shower. It’s weird – we used to live in a town 12 miles over, but had a different water supplier. (The big one for the entire big city, we were in burbs.) Then we moved and now get our water from a water supplier much closer in a different county now even though we are only 12 miles from last place.) The reason I bring this up is that our water here is much more prone to mold. It just has less bleach in it I guess. I couldn’t believe the difference in our hot tub maintenance. So I am constantly fighting mold. It is the weirdest thing!!!!! So my dreams of marble are moot. No way I could win the battle of cleanliness.
I really appreciated this post because every single day I want to redo our bathroom. Thank you. I love your bathroom and your tastes!!!!
Kris Jarrett says
I hear you – we’ve definitely lived in homes where we’ve had lots more cleaning issues than other homes based on the type of water!!
Anne says
Hi Kris. I love reading your blogs and this one is so timely!! I am debating a marble mosaic for my backsplash. Sounds like you have a marble backsplash too. Have you had problems with food stains after sealing? how often do you seal the backsplash? would you do it again??
Thank you!!
Kris Jarrett says
My marble mosaic behind our kitchen range has aged really well with no spots! You can typically go years before you have to reseal it and I haven’t redone mine since finishing our kitchen about 3 years ago. I’d absolutely do it again!
Joanna says
While I love marble, I would be devastated if it got etched or stained, and it inevitably would with a not so careful nor tidy hubby. I’ve decided to go with quartz and porcelain in my baths.
Your bathroom is dreamy! Thank you for sharing your experience with us,
Kris Jarrett says
Smart decision! My husband isn’t a huge fan of the squeegee but I usually shower after him so I’m on squeegee duty or I’d be in the same boat!
sharon hurt says
Beautiful bathroom. Love your tub also. We went with marble on our 2 sink vanity but with porcelain tile in our large shower and floor. Went with quartz counters in our kitchen & island that looks like marble. We also use a squeegee in our shower every time we use it. 😍
Where did you buy your shower stool?
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you! I linked our shower stool in the “shower sources” under the second photo 😊
Elizabeth says
Great post, great tips and excellent information. I love all of your tile and the quartz.
Karen B. says
Hi Kris,
Your bathroom is beautiful and I agree, a squeegee is your best friend in a bathroom. When we remodeled our guest bathroom some years ago I did marble floors and countertop. The floor around the toilet seemed to get stains…with sons and visitors, you can imagine. what might be the problem. I found this formula online using baking soda and water and it worked like a charm.
I love marble, especially white with gray veining.
Thanks for the helpful article.
Karen
Kris Jarrett says
That’s great to know that you had success cleaning it – thanks for sharing Karen!
tina says
Your bathroom (and marble) is very pretty. I must say though that I’m not sure someone not using a squeegee contributes to mold/mildew. I clean out bathroom a couple times a week, but we do not squeegee. I have never had mold in our bathrooms. I think alot of it has to do with ventilation.
Kris Jarrett says
If you keep on top of cleaning it as well as you do by cleaning your shower a couple times a week, I can totally see how you can get away with not having to squeegee. You can choose to squeegee daily or clean frequently but the bottom line is that with marble tile I wouldn’t recommend going weeks without doing anything or you will definitely end up with issues. And yes, running a shower fan always helps!
Angie says
I love how your post are always so educational! I love reading them. You need to write a home book.
Sandra Miller says
Thank you for making this post about marble. My entire master is all marble too, except for the mosaic marble looking ceramic tile I put on the shower floor. And the quartzite counter tops. The bathroom is a stunner( if I must say so myself)! I love your cleaning tips so please keep’em coming!
MARY says
hi Kris,
What a great post! Your bathroom is gorgeous! We recently moved into a house with a marble master and a marble sink in the children bath. Do you know …do you periodically need to reseal? We’ve been here 18 months so far they still look great but with four kids Im afraid they won’t last!
Kris Jarrett says
You do need to reseal marble but typically only every few years – horizontal surfaces like countertops generally need to be resealed more often (I believe it’s every 1-3 years) than vertical surfaces.
Michelle Berasi says
LOVE this bathroom! We have been using squeegee but will now wipe down! The tile behind the tub is fantastic! I also really like the floor tile, can you share the manufacturer and color?
Nhien says
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I’m in the middle of renovating our master bath and 2 children’s bathrooms so this is super helpful. Could you please share the tile you used for your bathroom floor? I love the color!
Kris Jarrett says
Thank you! Sure, all of the tile is linked in the Source List at the end of my bathroom reveal post here: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/master-bathroom-reveal/
Nhien says
Wow, that is an incredible price for the tile. Have you had any problems with the tile? I always wonder if less expensive tile means lower quality but if it has held up and you still love it, I’d definitely feel more confident to grab some for our bathroom remodel! Thanks again for sharing all this info!
Meredith says
Love your bathroom and thank you so much for all of the info!! What tiles did you use for your bathroom floor?
Amanda says
Hi! We are currently remodeling our master bathroom and I am using yours for inspiration! What are your thoughts on having a white vanity, but still doing the gold mirrors and lights? We are using the same faucets as you. Thank you!
Michelle says
Did you also seal your subway tile grout in your kitchen with the same impregnator sealer? We used the same grout for ours but had to have it redone in spots because it darkened in some spots and I’m afraid sealing it might do the same thing.
Christine says
Hi kris,
Any updates on whether you’ve had any mold issues, with the cleaning regimen posted above? I was inspired by your post and went with a marble shower pan but now an so worried about mold, I’m trying to formulate the best prevention plan, including sealing and daily wipe downs to dry it out. Do you spray clean it daily with the granite gold cleaner as well, then wipe dry? Or just do that weekly?
Thanks!
Christine