Carrera Marble Tile Shower Staining
by michelle
marble shower tile staining
QUESTION:We recently redid our bathroom and had carrera marble tile installed on the floor of the bathroom and also the walls of the shower.Over the course of the past year, brownish stains have been appearing, particularly in the grey veining of the tile - spreading and darkening as time goes on. What was once a purely grey/white tile has morphed into a grey/white/brownish tile. The same tile was used on the floor and has remained true to color. When our contractor was installing the tile, he remarked to me that he had $20 in change behind the tile in our shower - as he was using change (mostly quarters and pennies) to shim the tiles. I am wondering if this could be the cause of the staining. Thank you. ANSWER:Yeah, he shouldn't be shimming the marble tiles... that's just a way to try and compensate for lippage and a sloppy installation. A poor marble shower installation is a common reason for water getting behind the tiles and causing problems.Also, need to inspect all grout lines for voids and cracks where water may seep in. Carrara marble contains iron deposits. If these are exposed to a constant source of water they will oxidize and rust. The rusty water will then bleed to the surface. I'm guessing the iron deposits are concentrated in the veins (not always the case) in these tiles and/or the veins are a bit more porous, thus allowing the water to pass through more easily. You must first fix any problem allowing for water behind the tiles. Unfortunately, the most likely fix for a bad install is to rip out and start over. Bummer, but hey, at least you'll get $20 back! You may want to remove the most affected tile and see what you find underneath first. The other option is to quit using the shower and let it dry out completely. Check and repair any grout line damage. Then follow the instructions in the Removing Granite & Marble Stains ebook to try and remove the rust stains, which are often difficult. Then use the shower and see if the problem returns. It's not clear if the shower walls are affected, but if not and unless this is a very large shower, I'd just rip out the floor and have it re-installed by someone more experienced and skilled. Good Luck, Ryan P.S. Get all the facts, answers, explanations and simple solutions with step-by-step instructions for any issue, problem or question with our Granite & Marble Maintenance Manuals.
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