Marble in the bathroom: choosing stone for vanities, showers and walls

The bathroom is where marble looks its best and suffers least: no lemons, no oil, no knives. With a couple of precautions, a marble piece in the bathroom lasts a lifetime.

Why marble suits bathrooms

• Fewer hazards: kitchen culprits (acids, grease) hardly appear.
• Light and warmth: marble reflects light and creates a calm feel that is hard to achieve with other materials.
• Seamless surfaces: large slabs can clad whole walls with almost no joints.

Vanity tops and basins

This is the most common use. White marbles (Carrara, Statuario, Thassos White) give a clean, classic look; coloured ones (Verde Alpi, Rosso Lepanto, Calacatta Viola) make the basin the centrepiece.

Watch out for two things: perfumes, colognes and products containing alcohol or acids can mark the surface if spilled, and wet metal objects (cans, razors) can leave rust stains. A tray for toiletries solves both.

Walls and showers

A marble-clad shower is spectacular, especially with book-matched slabs (bookmatching). Recommendations:

• Seal the pieces and joints well.
• Squeegee or dry after showering, especially in hard-water areas: limescale builds up and dulls the shine.
• Clean with neutral soap. Never use descalers or acidic bathroom cleaners — they attack marble. More in our cleaning guide.

Floors and shower trays: mind the finish

Wet polished marble is slippery. For bathroom floors and shower trays, choose a finish with more grip:

• Honed (matt): less shine and a little more grip.
• Leathered (textured): pleasant to the touch and hides marks.
• Bush-hammered or grooved: for shower trays, with texture or grooves that channel water away.

All finishes are explained in this guide.

Backlit pieces

For a luxury effect, backlit onyx behind the basin or as a bath panel creates a unique atmosphere. Stones such as Onyx Capuccino or Pink Onyx glow from within.

In short

• Vanities and walls: almost any marble, sealed.
• Floors and showers: honed, leathered or bush-hammered finishes.
• Cleaning: neutral soap and dry; no descalers.

Browse our marbles or get a quote for your bathroom.