Both quartz and granite are very hard and essentially non porous. There are a lot of them around and I have used about a dozen different brands to seal stone tiles and regular cementitious grout. I said sounds like a lot of waste. There is also a very real risk of wetting the back of the tile too much using the sponging strategy. The more dense a tile, the less permeable it is to water (more on that later), and the more load stress it can handle. Thank you for your comment! Hi, thanks for taking time to inform the not so of us lol! Please let me know what you think of the post in the comments below, and please ask me any question you like about choosing the best shower tile. After all I have said about the deficiencies of ceramic tile, most of these can be managed with the strategies I have mentioned except one, the permeability problem. Thank you. Porcelain tile has a clear advantage over ceramic tile in the shower but you must weigh the risks and decide for yourself. It can also mean that the color and finish of marble tiles and travertine tiles can be altered or damaged with exposure to acids or organic stains. This could be a big problem. The cement coated foam shower bases being a possible exception to this rule. This arrangement poses no problems at all to installing larger tiles in your shower. This is the only solution if you insist on a standard left hand drain (LH), right hand (RH), or center drain(CD). Ill leave it up to you to decide if its worth it. The problem is that no matter how much waterproofing is applied, drywall screws will rust over time and its difficult to predict the exact consequences and the timeline. All of a sudden ceramic or porcelain tile doesnt sound so bad does it? Or you can simply raise the shower pan and create a standard shower with curb. This damage can be mitigated but not eliminated by regular maintenance. Im super happy that I have managed to relay my thoughts clearly and to clear up some of the confusion around choosing and installing tile in the shower. The only way to solve the tile lippage problem in the shower with these large format tiles is to lay them adjacent to each other from the wall towards the drain, tapering the cuts diagonally and smaller as you approach the drain. Pebble stone tile shower floors are very unique and compelling but there are some risks associated with them. The problem is that the slope is not linear towards the drain.. instead it constantly changes as a tile position changes on the base. I am not sure I understand what you are suggesting here (2.25 tiles? I talk more about tile drift in my Tile laying post. Great synopsis of the considerations of what type of tiles. Is this a good combo to eliminate maintenance? That means that you should absolutely NEVER install these particular mosaic tile matts in any shower or tub surround. But your biggest problem will be the wall/pan margin and the drain assembly. This indicates that its absorbing water. They stated the stone and glass I chose was nice informed me what to get. It was a long search. As soon as her profile came up on the search results, it was love at first site. In my humble opinion, a porcelain tile shower is generally better than a ceramic tile shower, but there are benefits to using ceramic over porcelain. Nothing is worse than your tiles being stuck in place after being set into the tile mortar. One way to eliminate the ceramic or porcelain tile question is to skip both these options and go with natural stone or quartz stone tiles instead. The subfloor is also exposed to an immense amount of extra weight when you tile over tile, which can enhance floor deflection. In this post Im going to show you what type of tile (ceramic or porcelain or stone) is the best choice for your shower walls & shower base, and why. And because you can quite easily shape your cuts with tile shaping hand tools, your rounded corners can be made to look perfect without the need for an electric cutting or grinding tool. Custom structure would be required in the floor in order to drop the pan below the top of your floor joists, or youll have to jackhammer the slab if its a concrete subfloor. The floor thickness also becomes unmanageable when tiling over existing tile. On a mosaic tile, this same downward force is focussed on an individual tile or a small group of tiles making the point source pressure extremely high. Im not suggesting that the top face of the ceramic tiles in your shower will be unglazed like the base of your coffee mug, but its a good way to see the major difference between the material used to make porcelain vs ceramic tile. I have installed a lot of tile over the years and from this experience I have compiled a list of little known facts and advice to help you choose your tile with confidence. However, it can cause some issues if youre planning to install a curbless or barrier free shower due to the large drop in elevation required from the high end of the shower pan, to the drain. They recommend instead that a mortar base shower pan should be installed if you plan to use mosaics for your shower floor tile. Steve Gehrmann is a remodeling contractor (SKG Renovations) as well as a partner in Redblock Industries. Of course there are other measures like increasing your outside wall insulation that can lessen this risk, but the risk is simply higher with ceramic tile vs porcelain tile. Because ceramic is so much softer than porcelain (less dense), it can be a breeze to cut with a tile saw or a standard tile cutter. As the mortar dries, it stiffens and become brittle as the ceramic draws the moisture out of it. The main problem that I have with ceramic tile is that the shower wall is always going to be exposed to vast amounts of moisture, regularly throughout the life of your shower. Below I will compare these two types of tile, assuming that they are being installed into an area of constant water immersion.. in other words, a fish pond you plan to build in your backyard (just kidding), or a shower (much more common). When you are laying tile, the hydration of the mortar beneath your tile is extremely important for secure bonding to the substrate, and strength after setting. So what does this mean to you, youre wondering? On the unglazed base of any ceramic mug, you can see the tone of the ceramic gets darker when exposed to water. Your thought Let it rest for about 10 minutes and then wipe clean with a good microfiber rag (also works great for grout lines). Because the back side of all ceramic tiles absorb water extremely well (hygroscopic), they tend to remove the water from the mortar reducing its ability to bond and set properly. ", "Shadimate.com team searched Saba for me, their efforts to find my soul mate was really marvelous. A terrible situation all around if youve ever experienced it. A lot of extra work, but definitely worth it. If the installation includes a modern under-tile waterproofing membrane, the pan is usually fixed to the substrate so theres a lower chance that the pan will crack during tile removal. Its time that I balanced the scales a bit on the question of Ceramic or Porcelain Tile. This is also a more expensive option because linear drains are quite pricy, and youll likely have to relocate the shower drain, and possibly restructure your subfloor. Id like to remove these and replace with porcelain tiles and epoxy grout. If you have a traditional installation, there will be a liner under the pan. You will likely destroy the drain assembly if its plastic and even if its not, you wont likely be able to re-bond the membrane to it after the demo. 1. If you install either marble tiles or travertine tiles in your shower, you should thoroughly clean and dry out your shower a couple of times a year to apply a new coat of stone sealer. Granite is made from naturally forming quartz crystals, so it has dents and fissures in its surface which can trap dirt and bacteria. Really it was a wonderful experience to find most suitable,lovely life partner for me as I wanted. Even if you do seal these tiles regularly, you must be ok with the possibility of damage from soaps and other personal care liquids that may pool on the stone surface. And if you are unlucky enough to use a some of the many household cleaners that are not suitable for travertine and marble, you may end up damaging the surface instead of cleaning it. Although they make no attempt to explain themselves, they are recommending this because of the risk of point source compression. This is Steve from SKG Renovations (Steves Bio) with one of three new additions to myRedblock shower remodel series, entirely dedicated to shower tile and shower tile installation. Im guessing that because of its extensive use throughout history, its become an important part of classic bathroom styling (so Ive heard . Drywall screws and drywall tape in the seems after lying to my face. Its difficult to say whether the installation will be OK for awhile, since other installation steps may not have been done correctly. If your ceramic tiles vary too much in size, and youre using a fixed size tile spacer, your grout lines will drift out of level and out of alignment. Oxi-Clean powder dissolved in water and sprayed on the surface, works great for this purpose. This can be a problem with foam shower bases because they can be damaged by point source compression. As mentioned above, the decision about ceramic or porcelain tile is all about material density. I routinely use Aqua Mix Sealers Choice Gold. Because these tiles are composed of small pebbles, they share the same disadvantage of all small mosaic tiles when it comes to installing them on a foam shower base. It is a pain to maintain. Its not an easy choice because they are all very different products, and theres a lot of confusion about each of them. There are a few primers that allow this but you can never be sure if the original tile is still adequately adhered to the substrate. Granite has fissures and pits in its surface that can accumulate material so it may look like its staining but it will not absorb liquids, so it cannot stain. The one I have had the best results with is Aqua Mix Sealers Choice Gold. Please keep in mind that this is strictly a nuts and bolts guide to choosing the right type of tile for your shower remodel it is not a design guide. And if there is no shower wall waterproofing membrane present this scenario only gets worse, as moisture condenses within the tile backer board or within the stud wall cavity. Porcelain tile is the best tile for showers in my opinion. Quartz tiles are not quite as hard as natural granite but this difference is not really important when it comes to installing them in the shower. Any of these tiles are dense enough to be used on the shower walls or shower base with conditions. Like Ive said before, Im not a scientist, but I can tell you that granite is not porous and does not require sealing . In this post Ill explain everything you need to know about shower tile backer boards so you can decide which one is best for yourRead More DIY Guide to Choosing and Installing Shower Tile Backer Board, In this post Ill show you 19 solid shower tile installation strategies I have learned over the years to increase my tiling efficiency and quality.Read More 19 Pro Tips on Shower Tile Installation, If you have completed or are planning to complete a shower remodel, youve likely wondered about shower waterproofing. "I am very happy to have Adeeba as life partner. You can probably look in your kitchen cupboard again for another good example of this. It is not completely water resistant like glass, but it does repel water similar to glass. The small mosaic tiles are pretty much always mounted on a matt (or sheet) (usually 1 x 1) to allow you to more easily install them and to keep them relatively evenly spaced. These are manufactured with fiber matts and waterproof glue. Thanks to Shadimate.com for providing best platform as here i have found most of profile verified and personalized support. Although the density of porcelain tiles can vary significantly, porcelain is more like glass in the way it absorbs water. All it takes is to drop something solid, sharp or heavy near the edge of one of these tiles to cause a chip or compression mark. The problem with these mosaic tiles is that the matte is sometimes made of paper and a light duty glue, which basically dissolves when exposed to water. If the pebble mosaic tiles are made of sedimentary rock, then they would definitely need to be sealed the same as you would for marble tiles and travertine tiles. In the debate over ceramic or porcelain tile, varying tile size is another strike against ceramic tile in the shower in my opinion. ", About Shadimate: Sahdimate.com one of India's best matrimonial webiste which provide limited free service for different communities, was developed with a simple objective - bring peoples together. Wanted to start this Friday but I didnt have all the bathroom tile tub etc. As I said earlier, porcelain tiles are significantly more dense than ceramic tiles. Porcelain tiles and epoxy grout would be an ideal combination to make cleaning easier. Looks like we have to remove and modify the subfloor under the tub ares, unless we go with Tile redi pan . This is the most comprehensive, technically defendable discussion on the use of Shower Tiling..Well done Sir !!!! We are highly committed to provide secure and genuine relationship. Wow! Stone on mat with glass (eye drops) for appeal. This type of mosaic tile is most often made out of granite pebbles glued to a mesh sheet or matt, but they can also be made out of small marble, travertine or sandstone pebbles. Ive made it pretty clear that I have a slight bias against ceramic tile. Depending on your choice of shower bases this could be an important restriction. Ceramic tiles can vary in size significantly, even within the same box. Hopefully I was able to open your eyes to a few new things about these tiles, and give you the knowledge and confidence to choose the best tile for your shower remodel project. If this doesnt work, you should politely suggest that youd like to settle the bill so they can move on to their next job. , but I must admit that ceramic tile is much easier tile to work with, especially if you dont have access to a tile saw and youre using a standard scoring type tile cutter. The pan will need to be replaced if this occurs. If you use this strategy, the ceramic will be partially sealed allowing the tile to absorb only a small amount of moisture from the mortar. See my Shower Tile Installation post for more info about mosaic tile installation. Very clear and useful information. Bottom line is you dont want to continue with a contractor you dont trust, even if the job has already begun. These are important factors when shower wall waterproofing is a priority. WARNING: In my experience, I have found that the lower the tile cost, the more exaggerated this problem becomes. I regularly see the advice that granite needs to be sealed regularly, much like marble. This is not a good look and creates some unanticipated problems with floor transitions. Because this is a risk you cannot afford, you should be sure to ask for the specs on any mosaic tile sheet product you intend to buy and install in your shower. few hours later he called saying price was for easy tile Im guessing ceramic, price went up 1,000 job. This also causes a serious and very irritating problem of tile immobility. It is also fairly easy to chip, scratch or mark their surface permanently. Installation of these tiles is very similar to any other natural stone tile and their maintenance is quite similar to that of granite tiles. If you decide to take a chance and install these in your shower, you will inevitably experience tile delaminations as the tiles disconnects from the paper matte and pop off your shower wall or shower base. Hopefully youre not as confused as theRead More Shower Membrane Waterproofing DIYers Definitive Guide. 2. Period. Stone tiles can include marble tiles, slate tiles, travertine tiles, granite tiles, pebble stone tiles, engineered quartz tiles and a few other less common stones. Another solution to the large tile problem is a single slope shower base with a linear drain on one end. You should always consult a licensed local contractor before undertaking any remodeling work in your home. It will also have very low moisture permeability, which is even more important. One of the problems with tile wetting is that you must do it while you are in the middle of laying your tiles. Youll also have to remove a couple inches of wall tile above the pan to reinstall the waterproofing membrane. If it gets too wet, the mortar will also not bond properly. With this install, the pan almost always cracks when you remove the surface tiles. It sounds like there are at least a couple of issues that you are concerned about with this particular tiling contractor. Granite tiles are extremely dense so they can be used anywhere in your shower. I received a bid from contractor which seemed fair. This is often the only way to keep rows of tiles uniform and symmetrical. This allows for perfect tile adhesion, perfect tile mobility, perfect bonding, and perfect mortar setting. Since quartz or engineered stone became so popular for kitchen counter tops, there has been an increase in the production of tiles made out of this material for use in the bathroom and shower. Can the old marble tiles and thin set be removed only it does the mud pan also need to be removed? Some contractors prefer to just wet the back of the tile with a sponge and water before setting it into the mortar. The fact is, the glazing on the top surface of all ceramic products only inhibits moisture from being absorbed. Much appreciated! Click here for my full Personal / Professional Disclosure. I know that they pu out on with That means that there may be no need to install tile edging, as long as your cuts are clean and you are willing to do a little hand finishing. They are also both made from carbonate rock so they are very sensitive to acids of all kinds. The benefit that quartz tile has over granite is that its manufactured under controlled conditions so its quartz surface is smooth and uniform. One such consideration is tile size. Our bath floor is relatively solid, and if we decide on curbless, ouch, can we prep our existing 2.25 inch tiles and tile over them on the main bath floor, to gain some needed height for curbless? My diamond file is my best friend when Im cutting the valve openings into a ceramic tile shower wall. It would definitely be a bigger problem if its an outside wall with inadequate insulation, because of a higher risk of condensation in this wall. They are also pretty much worry free when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. Thank you Steve. We currently have marble tile and sanded grout on out shower floor. In this case the grout would obviously need to be sealed. So, if you want to install a tile ready foam shower pan like the Schluter shower tray, I would recommend that you not choose any tile smaller than 4 square for your shower floor tile. Im super happy that you are getting so much from my blog! All Rights Reserved. ", "Thank you Shadimate for making me meet my soulmate. This is not necessarily a terrible thing if your membrane is great and you live in a relatively mild climate. Even the mosaic tiles with fiber matts may not be rated for showers, so its always best to make certain of this before you buy. I left a link to buy this product in the Marble and Travertine section above, but its also quite easy to find at most home improvement stores. But there are also a few other things you should consider before choosing your shower base tile. As I talked about in my shower tiling post, the downward pressure applied from someone walking on larger format tiles is distributed across the entire tile. Ceramic or porcelain or stone tiles in your shower? I thought odd. Tiles larger than 4 always pose a challenge if you want to install them on any shower pan / base with a standard round drain. The more permeable a tile is, the more work the shower wall waterproofing membrane has to do to keep moisture from getting behind the shower wall. It is for this reason that I believe that porcelain tiles are the best choice for your shower base. If you have a foam shower base, it will be utterly destroyed during tile removal so the pan would definitely need to be replaced. Most of these mosaic pebble tile matts are specifically made for installation on the base of the shower however, I am aware of some cheaper products out there using paper based matts and inferior glues. In a word, the primary difference between porcelain tiles and ceramic tiles is density. Is this a major problem for the integrity of the shower or should it be ok for awhile? They can be as attractive as any other type of tile but they have the added advantages of high density and low moisture permeability. Natural stone tiles are quite popular in the bathroom and in the shower, but they can be tricky to handle, install, and maintain. Remember, Im a contractor, not a designer.. although I do have a lot of opinions about design. If you have thought about using these quartz tiles in your shower remodel, here are a few things to keep in mind. Because moisture can permeate a ceramic tile, there is a risk of condensation and mold growth behind the tile and eventual tile delamination if mounted on an outside wall.