Have you considered incorporating natural stone shower walls in your bathroom?
Natural stone shower walls can transform your bathroom into a luxurious and spa-like retreat. But while stone offers a lot of advantages, there are some drawbacks that are important to take note of.
Let’s explore the pros and cons of a natural stone tiled shower so that you can make an informed and confident decision for your next bathroom renovation.
The Pros of Using Natural Stone for Shower Walls
1. Unique Beauty
Natural stone is uniquely beautiful and offers unparalleled aesthetic elegance. Each piece of stone has its own one-of-a-kind pattern, colour and shading. This makes your shower a unique piece of art. Natural stone shower walls bring more than just a hint of sophistication, regality and beauty to your bathroom.
2. Durability
Natural stone, particularly granite and quartzite, is an incredibly durable and hardy material. It can last the lifetime of a home when properly sealed and maintained. For your shower, you need such a material. Apart from the daily use and exposure to potential scratches and chips, shower walls are also exposed to moisture, steam and water. Natural stone is a great value-for-money, long-term investment for your home.
3. Increase Home Value
Due to both its appeal and its longevity, natural stone in a house can boost a home’s resale value. Using stone in your shower is an affordable way of incorporating this fantastic and luxurious material. When or if it comes to reselling your home, the natural stone shower will stand out as an attractive feature for potential buyers.
4. Heat Retention
The last thing you want when you are having a shower, for both energy consumption and personal comfort purposes, is for the material of the walls to lose all of the heat from the shower. Natural stone has excellent heat retention properties. This means that your shower will feel warmer and be more comfortable, even during colder months. It can also help maintain a more consistent temperature in your bathroom so you won’t have to rely on artificial heating to the same degree.
5. Flexibility
Apart from the different types of natural stone, stone tiles can be provided in various sizes, shapes and styles. This means you have flexibility in installation and patterns. Whether you prefer a seamless and minimalist design or want an intricate and bold pattern, stone can be customised to suit your preference and complement the rest of your interior design choices.
6. Environmentally Friendly
Natural stone, unlike many other construction materials, requires little to no manufacturing processes. This means that there is less waste and less energy consumption in the production of natural stone tiles for the shower.
The Cons of Using Natural Stone for Shower Walls
1. Higher Cost
Natural stone is not the cheapest of materials for use in your shower. Ceramic tiles or acrylic walls are both more affordable when it comes to installation. However, it is important to consider that while the initial investment is significant, the longevity and value add to a home more than makes it worth it.
2. Maintenance
Natural stone, when properly and periodically sealed by professionals, is durable. However, to keep it looking its best it is recommended that you conduct regular maintenance and cleaning. This will prevent water damage, staining and mould growth.
3. Porosity and Staining
Some natural stone varieties, such as marble, are more porous and can be more subject to damage. Consider the individual features of the type of natural stone you are looking at carefully before installing it in a shower and make sure that the soap and other cleaning agents you use are not likely to leave visual stains and damage.
4. Slipping
Showers get wet, of course. Some natural stones can become quite slippery when wet which poses a safety concern. This concern can be mitigated through the choice of slip-resistant finishes and textures, but is certainly something to consider. If you are planning on only using natural stone for your shower walls but not the floor, this is unlikely to pose a problem at all.
5. Availability
Natural stone is quarried from different sites and then shipped around the world. The consequence of which is that only the stone slabs that are available from your local supplier can be chosen. Artificial materials that are manufactured in a factory are not subject to the same tight supply constraints.
How to Find the Right Natural Stone for Your Shower
Fortunately, and as mentioned above, natural stone comes in a wide variety of colours, shades and styles. Depending on your needs and aesthetic preferences, one type of stone may be more or less suitable for your application.
Choosing the right natural stone is about balancing aesthetic preferences with functionality. The team here at Euro Marble are more than just experts in all things stone, we’re enthusiasts as well.
We would be more than happy to provide you with a custom consult to understand what your needs and wants are. Our team would love to show you around the showroom and help you discover the perfect option for your natural stone shower.
