ATOT DIY Remodelers chime in

[CPA]

Last year I had to rip apart out master bath walk-in shower and jacuzzi tub because the original builder did such a piss-poor job that the underlying structure rotted from moisture and ant exposure (both from the inside and outside of the house). It was a mess and had to be completely removed. This area is rather large - about 13' x 5'.

I already have the new outline and rough-in work of the shower and tub (floor standing rather than built-in) done. The showerhead is of a rainforest type (directly over head, large nozzle), and I have a seat and a built-in shelf. Now I'm getting close to working on the facade. And that's where you I'm debating.

The original used a travertine tile, which you may know if very porous. I'm debating going that route again for the mere fact that it matches the remaining floor tile that I didn't remove, or using a faux rock, something like this:

My first worry of course is the ability to keep it clean. Other than that, it's very unique for a shower which I like.

Well, I'm off to the dentist and will check in later, so in the meantime, what say you ATOT?

 

[bignateyk]

Well, it's dark, so it probably wouldn't be too obvious that it wasn't cleaned well. But it would be a bitch to clean.

Also, what's the backing on that stone? Do you have to grout it at all? How do you keep water from getting into the cracks and back to the wall?

 

[highland145]

My first worry of course is the ability to keep it clean.

I'd imagine that would be impossible. Is it made for a shower?

 

[Fritzo]

You can not use porous tile or stone in a shower. The pores will grow mold like crazy. If you want to do something like that, you'll either need to get glazed material specially made for the bathroom or add glazing yourself (which is messy and never works well).

 

[jaedaliu]

if you have hard water, it'll look like crap.

 

[amdskip]

Define facade exactly as I'm not sure where you are tiling.

 

[Greenman]

That fake stone isn't made for a shower, it will be a dirty, moldy mess in very short order.
Put in proper tile.

 

[Anubis]

if you wanna do something different looking than tial put in the smooth river stones, they go in with grout and are sealed, and are smooth and cleanable

 

[CPA]

You can not use porous tile or stone in a shower. The pores will grow mold like crazy. If you want to do something like that, you'll either need to get glazed material specially made for the bathroom or add glazing yourself (which is messy and never works well).

Believe me, I know from experience

Need something, however, that will tie into the existing travertine floor. I don't want to pull that up.

 

[CPA]

Define facade exactly as I'm not sure where you are tiling.

sorry, couldn't come up with a better descriptor. Basically the walls.

 

[CPA]

if you wanna do something different looking than tial put in the smooth river stones, they go in with grout and are sealed, and are smooth and cleanable

hmmmm....

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Yeah, that tile is not a good idea for the shower at all. Water will sit there all day and never drain.

I would look into the river stone tile that's out there.

 

[skyking]

we need a pic of the travertine and area, mister. Stat!


I have been hanging with a lot of granite guys lately. I have seen some sweet sweet big slabs of stone that go up easily, are easy to seal and clean, look like da bomb.
Just a thought. Screw the grout.

 

[skyking]

This has been invaluable for me. This forum has tons of great advice regarding tile and stone installation, and the pros post up some finished projects here that are beyond cool.
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php

Seriously, this is a great place for tile and stone advice, and how not to end up where you are at down the road.
Look at this travertine corner detail, for example.
http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=40874&highlight=pics

 

[CPA]

we need a pic of the travertine and area, mister. Stat!


I have been hanging with a lot of granite guys lately. I have seen some sweet sweet big slabs of stone that go up easily, are easy to seal and clean, look like da bomb.
Just a thought. Screw the grout.

That's not a bad idea either.

I will try to get pics up later today.

 

[Sluggo]

we need a pic of the travertine and area, mister. Stat!


I have been hanging with a lot of granite guys lately. I have seen some sweet sweet big slabs of stone that go up easily, are easy to seal and clean, look like da bomb.
Just a thought. Screw the grout.

The first image that comes to mind is a slab coming detached from the wall during an earthquake or something and squashing the unlucky soul in the shower like a bug.

Beyond that, sounds cool!

 

[SphinxnihpS]

You can not use porous tile or stone in a shower. The pores will grow mold like crazy. If you want to do something like that, you'll either need to get glazed material specially made for the bathroom or add glazing yourself (which is messy and never works well).

You can as long as you fill it (with grout), and seal it. Tile Lab makes a nice sealer that keeps the stone and grout from absorbing dirt and stuff mold grows on. It will still hard water stain over time, but walls are not nearly as problematic as floors. The problem is that acid-based cleaners (CLR, Simple Green, Bam! Scrubbing Bubbles, etc.) strip the sealer away, so every time you clean it to get rid of calcium, you need to reseal it. The sealer is about $20 and you will get 2-3 seals out of it.

if you wanna do something different looking than tial put in the smooth river stones, they go in with grout and are sealed, and are smooth and cleanable

River stone ends up about 50% grout. It's a super pain to clean.


My parents have a house with natural rock wall showers that look just like that fake stuff in the OP. The house is 8 years old, and I have never seen any problems with it per se. Obviously labor-intensive toothbrush cleaning is necessary from time to time.

I put a foot of rubber around the top of the tub under the tile. It overlaps the lip of the tub and it covered by the concrete board, tile, and caulk. I also put a piece around the shower head and faucet.

Hope this helps.

 

[skyking]

Indeed, grout is the enemy of a clean shower. Do what you can to keep joints small and pieces relatively large.

 

[DrPizza]

Or, you could go with a epoxy grout. More difficult to work with, but (afaik), no problems with staining.

I'm amazed at that rock facade you linked to - amazed in that it looks exactly like the thin rocks that I stared at in a showroom for 5 minutes, trying to piece together a bathroom in my mind with that on a wall - perhaps the wall with a double sink & mirror on it.

I *hate* travertine. I just don't like exceptionally porous stuff like that. In a kitchen, a bubbling pot of spaghetti sauce & it would be a pita to clean out. I want easy to clean surfaces. I'm unsure (at this point) about using marble in a bathroom, but am considering it, with a custom shower & a garden tub.