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Anybody have a cultured marble shower?

Posted on 4/18/26 at 4:16 am
Posted by indytiger
Krotz Springs
Member since Oct 2004
10246 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 4:16 am
Debating on tile vs cultured marble. The cleaning/upkeep/no grout really intrigues me.
Posted by 9rocket
Member since Sep 2020
1713 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 4:29 am to
I don’t have one, but I’ve demoed many of them Nothing really wrong with them but they look kinda cheap, and some had yellowed over time.
Posted by indytiger
Krotz Springs
Member since Oct 2004
10246 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 6:21 am to
quote:

but they look kinda cheap


Thats what I'm most worried about
Posted by El Segundo Guy
1-866-DHS-2-ICE
Member since Aug 2014
11606 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 9:22 am to
We went (my wife picked out) large format tile that was 2'x4' to minimize grout. Not many grout lines and because it's so smooth, a quick squeegee over the tile and the glass door and water is wiped off cleanly.
Posted by El Segundo Guy
1-866-DHS-2-ICE
Member since Aug 2014
11606 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 9:39 am to
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The large format tile really reduces the number of grout lines.
Posted by Spankum
The Sip
Member since Jan 2007
61980 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 10:09 am to
quote:

Anybody have a cultured marble shower?



I have had tile and currently have cultured marble. Can honestly say I will never have tile again due to cleanup effort. Some things in life just don’t make any sense….and using tile is one of those things.

Anyone can readily see the difference in cultured marble any one of those plastic inserts at a glance. With stylish fixtures and shower door, cultured marble looks damn nice.
Posted by Jmcc64
alabama
Member since Apr 2021
2121 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 11:47 am to
same here on tile. can get the grout clean as new and a week later, black again. I long for stainless steel walls and floor
Posted by 9rocket
Member since Sep 2020
1713 posts
Posted on 4/18/26 at 5:57 pm to
Ventilation is important. Also helps to take 10 seconds to squeegee most of the water off the walls.
Zep mold and mildew remover is very good.
Posted by gumbo2176
Member since May 2018
19957 posts
Posted on 4/19/26 at 8:02 am to
I've had the cultured marble for 25 years in the main bathroom and have had no issue with it other than digging out and replacing the silicone caulk in the seams about 4 times over the years.

I'll never have ceramic tile with all those grout lines to deal with.
Posted by BestBanker
Member since Nov 2011
19399 posts
Posted on 4/19/26 at 8:27 am to
Porcelain slabs for the ultimate no grout lines. Marble graining looks great.
Posted by UptownJoeBrown
Baton Rouge
Member since Jul 2024
9429 posts
Posted on 4/19/26 at 9:07 am to
All I know is don’t get glass tiles. I’ve given up on keeping them clean from water spots.
Posted by Twenty 49
Shreveport
Member since Jun 2014
21257 posts
Posted on 4/19/26 at 4:24 pm to
Busted the tile out of two bathrooms and replaced with cultured marble many years ago during a complete remodel. No regrets.
Posted by Baers Foot
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Member since Dec 2011
3906 posts
Posted on 4/20/26 at 2:47 pm to
Have a fairly large cultured marble walk-in shower that was put in around 4 years ago. As someone that has had tiled showers my entire life, don't think I'll be going back. My past experiences with mold, cleaning, regrouting, leaks...no thanks.
Posted by turkish
Member since Aug 2016
2368 posts
Posted on 4/20/26 at 8:53 pm to
My cultured marble shower leaked like crazy. Even that strategy seems sketchy compared to the modern membrane systems used beneath tile.
This post was edited on 4/20/26 at 8:54 pm
Posted by Baers Foot
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Member since Dec 2011
3906 posts
Posted on 4/21/26 at 12:58 pm to
I don't see how it would have leaked besides a crack in the pan or poorly sealed drain. Watching the install, not sure how it would leak even without silicone caulked seams.
Posted by turkish
Member since Aug 2016
2368 posts
Posted on 4/21/26 at 1:04 pm to
For a while, culture marble builds were totally dependent on caulk beads at the corners. Curbs are notorious for leaking due to the inability to actually see the caulk bead under the lip. No idea if this is still prevalent. Modern tile showers using a membrane aren’t dependent on the caulk or grout to seal.

Are current cultured marble builds using this approach or are they still being built to rely on caulk beads in corners to stay waterproof?
Posted by Baers Foot
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Member since Dec 2011
3906 posts
Posted on 4/21/26 at 1:38 pm to
My install had the walls sit inside a very tall, raised pan/curb. Without a caulk bead, you'd have to fill up the pan/shower with about 2 to 2.5 ft of water for it to climb behind wall and over pan.
Posted by turkish
Member since Aug 2016
2368 posts
Posted on 4/21/26 at 4:42 pm to
Well that would be a decent design. That’s essentially what a lot of custom tile builds are doing, too.

ETA: are you talking about the wings that fold up the walls? Those still rely on a caulk bead in the corners and don’t help with the curb.
This post was edited on 4/21/26 at 5:45 pm
Posted by BRich
Old Metairie
Member since Aug 2017
2957 posts
Posted on 4/22/26 at 12:21 pm to
quote:

I've had the cultured marble for 25 years in the main bathroom and have had no issue with it other than digging out and replacing the silicone caulk in the seams about 4 times over the years.

I'll never have ceramic tile with all those grout lines to deal with.

Exactly the same, but 26 years in two bathrooms ( master bath and children's bath). Looks nice and SO much easier to deal with.

On the other hand, I wish I had NOT done the master bath sinks in cultured marble. I daily shave "old school" with a razor and hot water, then switch to cold water to rinse and then brush my teeth then take medicine and vitamins. My sink is all full of surface cracks near the drain, basically I assume because of the change from hot, hot running water to cold runing water. Wife's sink on the same counter has no such issue.

Wife said my in-laws (her mom and dad) had the same situation in their old master bath sink, her dad's was cracked, mom's wasn't.
Posted by gumbo2176
Member since May 2018
19957 posts
Posted on 4/22/26 at 1:18 pm to
quote:

On the other hand, I wish I had NOT done the master bath sinks in cultured marble.
quote:

My sink is all full of surface cracks near the drain,



Same here. I have a single sink in the bathroom, and it too has surface cracks at the drain.
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