Granite or quartz owners HELP please

GildedIcon

I am looking for user feed back on the wear and clean-ability of SLAB granite or quartz in a shower. I am concerned that our hard water and my constant scrubbing/cleaning is going to be problem in the short term. We are going to Reno our new (4 year) master bath because I am OVER tile and grout lines. Grrrrr. I do not want to back to square one in another 4 years.

LisaMinFL

Well, not sure about in a shower, but in my kitchen I have granite counters. By the sink if the soap pump drips or you put a soapy sponge down, the soap seeps ino the granite. It is discolored and always slimy. If you try to wipe it off, it just creates never ending bubbles. Therefore I don't think it's a good idea for a shower. Maybe you could look into one of the shower surrounds. It is essentially one piece but covers your whole shower. I have seen them look like subway tiles and other decorative more modern styles. 

laurabb

wouldn't granite or quartz in a shower be extremely slippery?

GildedIcon

The walls would be slab quartz, not the floor. It would be a "I've fallen and can't get up" situation.

kcpokergal

Doesn't water eventually stain granite?

FoxinFiji

Woah woah back the train up.  Why are you "over tile and grout lines?"  Please explain.

1.) In a shower you want quartz as it is non-porous unlike natural stone.  It never needs to be sealed and it's hard to stain.

2.) Unless you are unbelievably wealthy you won't be able to afford something like that.  I read a high end interior design blog where a client got this and it cost them $17K for only a 4x4' shower (two walls slab and two walls glass). 

3.) You better be planning an entire bathroom demo down to the studs for a shower like that.  Odds are what you have no will not be able to support a shower that heavy and thick.  

4.) There are a million other options that can reduce your maintenance in the shower without going to such an extreme.  

 

GildedIcon

FoxinFiji:

Woah woah back the train up.  Why are you "over tile and grout lines?"  Please explain.

1.) In a shower you want quartz as it is non-porous unlike natural stone.  It never needs to be sealed and it's hard to stain.

2.) Unless you are unbelievably wealthy you won't be able to afford something like that.  I read a high end interior design blog where a client got this and it cost them $17K for only a 4x4' shower (two walls slab and two walls glass). 

3.) You better be planning an entire bathroom demo down to the studs for a shower like that.  Odds are what you have no will not be able to support a shower that heavy and thick.  

4.) There are a million other options that can reduce your maintenance in the shower without going to such an extreme.  

 

 Thanks for your feedback, as for your #1 point regarding the quartz, do you know this from experience?  I also know this about quartz- we have it in other applications, BUT NOT in a shower.  I have serious concerns regarding long-term water, body wash, shampoo/conditioner, cleaning product exposure, "real life" effects on the material.  I can not find a referral from someone who has it in use for more than a few months.

As for your other points- this is not pie in the sky thoughts, we are in the process of getting quotes and working with contractors.  Your points are absolutely valid and true, but we are beyond those concerns and issues.

Every contractor LOVES the granite/quartz concept, but they do not have to live with it.  They leave and it is shiny, pretty and great looking, I am the one who will be cleaning it

 

Mrs.G123

Granite walls in the shower sound like a nightmare to me. My sister has huge granite tiles (maybe 24 x 24) with miniscule grout lines, and the water stains are a major PITA. She cleans it all the time, as well. I think you may be inviting future cleaning headaches with this one.

sala

In our old house we did a cultured marble shower, with a textured floor to prevent slippage. It was very easy to maintain,and no grout lines. It wasn't much more expensive than a tile shower would have been.

FoxinFiji

GildedIcon:

FoxinFiji:

Why are you "over tile and grout lines?"  Please explain.

 Thanks for your feedback, as for your #1 point regarding the quartz, do you know this from experience?  I also know this about quartz- we have it in other applications, BUT NOT in a shower.  I have serious concerns regarding long-term water, body wash, shampoo/conditioner, cleaning product exposure, "real life" effects on the material.  I can not find a referral from someone who has it in use for more than a few months.

As for your other points- this is not pie in the sky thoughts, we are in the process of getting quotes and working with contractors.  Your points are absolutely valid and true, but we are beyond those concerns and issues.

Every contractor LOVES the granite/quartz concept, but they do not have to live with it.  They leave and it is shiny, pretty and great looking, I am the one who will be cleaning it

You did not answer my question.  I can suggest cheaper alternatives that will equal less maintenance than solid quartz walls but you need to explain why your current shower is an issue.  Also a water softener to take care of the water hardness costs a hell of a lot less than a shower like that. 

Yes #1 is a true statement.  All natural stone is porous.  Man made Quartz is not.  Natural quartz slabs are.  Do your research on how to clean each and you'll see natural stones are etched and stained by any non-pH neutral product.  Most cleaning products are acidic so they can't be used.  Products used to clean off hard water stains are extra acidic so a natural stone of any kind should not be in an area that gets hard water on it.  Almost all products you use in the bathroom (shampoo, conditioner, shave gel, body lotion and scrub, bathing salts, hair dye, acne cream, even contact solution) are not pH neutral.  Shaving cream is the most acidic product in your bathroom.  These will etch and stain all natural stone.  The finish of man made quartz can be etched but it harder than natural stone.  Quartz can stain...it's much harder to stain than natural stone...but yes it does stain.  Light colored quartz shows it much more than dark colored quartz.   

If you are serious about spending $10-20K on a shower why are you coming on this lowly board and asking stupid questions?!  You should be working with the best stone yard you can find and only the best tiler (to construct the pre-sloped mud base of course not to lay tile).  They can answer all of your questions and more.  Also make sure when they are giving your quotes that they actually come out to see the job site.  How the area is constructed could alter how they design the shower; any niche, bench, frameless glass surround, curbless shower or not, etc. needs to be taken into consideration.

Note: Man made quartz is much more expensive than most granites.  A honed finish won't show etching and water spots as much but also costs more.  You will want a waterproofing membrane just behind the stone not farther back in the wall like traditionally would be done.  If you are having a steam shower a water + vapor barrier should be used.  This could be an issue if any of these walls are exterior. 

We are using quartz pieces in our master shower along with porcelain tile and epoxy grout.  In our main shower we just installed granite shelves to match the vanity top in that room.  Porcelain tile, epoxy grout, and top of the line waterproofing were used in that shower as well.

 

simplein06

this seems to be a lot of trouble over hard water. Why don't you just get a water softener?

GildedIcon

sala:

In our old house we did a cultured marble shower, with a textured floor to prevent slippage. It was very easy to maintain,and no grout lines. It wasn't much more expensive than a tile shower would have been.

This is VERY interesting.  I love the textured floor idea. 

GildedIcon

FoxinFiji:

GildedIcon:

FoxinFiji:

Why are you "over tile and grout lines?"  Please explain.

 Thanks for your feedback, as for your #1 point regarding the quartz, do you know this from experience?  I also know this about quartz- we have it in other applications, BUT NOT in a shower.  I have serious concerns regarding long-term water, body wash, shampoo/conditioner, cleaning product exposure, "real life" effects on the material.  I can not find a referral from someone who has it in use for more than a few months.

As for your other points- this is not pie in the sky thoughts, we are in the process of getting quotes and working with contractors.  Your points are absolutely valid and true, but we are beyond those concerns and issues.

Every contractor LOVES the granite/quartz concept, but they do not have to live with it.  They leave and it is shiny, pretty and great looking, I am the one who will be cleaning it

You did not answer my question.  I can suggest cheaper alternatives that will equal less maintenance than solid quartz walls but you need to explain why your current shower is an issue.  Also a water softener to take care of the water hardness costs a hell of a lot less than a shower like that. 

-- I was not looking for cheaper alter.  we are well aware of the options out there.  Yes, we are from this planet, and know what a water softener is and does. Our dec. was not based on a single issue such as the hardeness of our water.  That said, we ARE replacing the tiled shower with slab material. WE do not like tile seams, that's all, I understand some people have different opinions and preferences.  This is just a part of the entire bathroom project.

Yes #1 is a true statement.  All natural stone is porous. 

--We, know this.  I was agreeing with you. We have done plenty of research and spent enough time and money to learn this.  Again, I was looking for some real-life feed back of after install wear.

If you are serious about spending $10-20K on a shower why are you coming on this lowly board and asking stupid questions?!  You should be working with the best stone yard you can find and only the best tiler (to construct the pre-sloped mud base of course not to lay tile).  They can answer all of your questions and more.  Also make sure when they are giving your quotes that they actually come out to see the job site.  How the area is constructed could alter how they design the shower; any niche, bench, frameless glass surround, curbless shower or not, etc. needs to be taken into consideration.

--I did not think my question is stupid.  I never thought of this as a "lowly board."  If there is a price limit to projects that may be discussed here I was unaware.   I must ask though, WHO, HOW, and WHY would you get a quote from someone who does not come out to your house!! I have never heard of sure a thing.  We only work with professionals and craftsman, not fly-by-night yahoos. 

Note: Man made quartz is much more expensive than most granites. 

--We are well aware of the price, that is why I would like to hear from someone who has used it in a shower application who has had it for some time. Time answers a lot of questions. 

We are using quartz pieces in our master shower along with porcelain tile and epoxy grout.  In our main shower we just installed granite shelves to match the vanity top in that room.  Porcelain tile, epoxy grout, and top of the line waterproofing were used in that shower as well.

-- I hope you enjoy your new shower.  The epoxy grout helps immensely with cleaning and wear.

Happy Easter! 

 

mie

We have quartz as our shower/bath surround in our bathrooms, however, it's still pretty new to us ~4 months. We decided to go with quartz because we wanted something low maintenance and were also tired of dealing with tile/grout in the tub/shower.