Best Natural Stone for Bathroom Floor

Featured Image: Basketweave Bianco Polished Mesh Marble Floor Tile & Calacatta Gold Polished 4 x 16 Marble Bathroom Wall Tile from Arizona Tile

Flooring is a big decision when designing a residential or commercial space and there are essential factors beyond aesthetics to consider. Natural stone tile and manufactured tile—like porcelain and ceramic—both offer fantastic features. In all rooms, these tile options provide visual, performance, and care benefits that will last a lifetime.

In a bathroom, there are added elements to consider for your flooring selection. A small space would work best with one type of tile vs. another. A bathroom will get wet, which requires forethought. Colors are also essential. At Arizona Tile, we have many styles, types, and unique series of natural stone tile that will dazzle in a bathroom, regardless of the design!

Natural Stone Vs. Manufactured Tile

Natural stone tile, such as marble, has been used for centuries and started as a great expression of wealth and dignity. While it is used far and wide today, its luxurious appeal remains the same. Natural stone provides an aura of beauty and quality regardless of whether it’s used on a countertop, wall, or floor. Given its incredible strength and durability, natural stone can radiate for decades, if not centuries.

What is paramount to know about natural stone is that it’s porous, meaning it will absorb liquid that’s on it; therefore, any spills or water drops need to be wiped away immediately. To help prevent such worry, have your natural stone sealed on a routine basis. As long as you do that, basic sweeping and mopping with a pH-balanced cleaner is all you’ll need to do. Natural stone is an investment that will upgrade your home and maintain its integrity. The upfront costs of natural stone may be a little more expensive than manufactured tile, but given its lifespan, you will likely save money in the long run.

Image: Paros Black & White Checkerboard Porcelain Bathroom Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

Manufactured tile has also been around for thousands of years in some cultures, like the amazing Spanish tile that originated in Spain and later made its way to Mexico and other countries. Porcelain and ceramic tile have some great advantages over other tile types:

• Versatility
• Practicality for home design
• Simple maintenance
• Super durability
• Affordability

Both porcelain and ceramic come in a massive array of colors, designs, and textures. Strong, beautiful, and a bit more cost-effective, indeed, but nothing can beat natural stone for durability and elegance. If you prefer porcelain or ceramic tile, maybe because of its solid colors, Paros will complement other design features on walls, floors, and showers in commercial and residential spaces.

Bathroom Floor Tile

Bathrooms large and small will benefit from natural stone tile. Some stone will be better in a dry environment, while others can handle a wet space, like the shower or wet room. Mont Blanc Satin and Beverly Blue, both quartzite, are excellent examples of this. Mont Blanc Satin is creamy in color with grey and taupe veining. Beverly Blue is a cool grey with blue undertones that hosts gold and burgundy veining. Resembling marble in appearance but much harder and more durable, great placement for these quartzite slabs are on a bathroom vanity or walls. A bonus to a natural stone slab on the wall is that it’s super easy to wipe clean vs. painted walls, and its streamlined appearance makes the space feel open and airy.

Image: CS-Bianco Venatino Honed Picket Bathroom Marble Tile Wall with Bianco Venatino Honed Dome Liner, & Bianco Carrara Honed 24 x 48 Large Format Marble Bathroom Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

A dry landscape can host more natural stone options than a wet space, but if a tile can survive water, it can typically be used in a dry space, too. Therefore, if you like uniformity, Calacatta Gold marble can dazzle from the bathroom entrance as flooring and walls and carry through the shower space. When working on the shower floor, smaller 2” x 2” hex mesh needs to be used. Smaller tile allows uniform conformity and a slight pitch in grade toward a drain. Also, this size is safer in a slippery environment because the smaller the tile, the more grout lines, and the more grout lines, the more grout for a better grip.

Shower Tile Flooring

Marble is a good option for the shower. Sky Blue marble has cool blue tones that will surround you in peace and tranquility. Given its larger, longer tile lengths, the shower floor won’t be an option for use, but placement on the shower walls will elongate the space. Basketweave is similar: good for shower walls but not flooring. This tile presents a basketweave-look pattern that creates visual texture and combines the simplicity and beauty of various color tones.

Image: Sky Blue Honed 12 x 24 Marble Bathroom Tile Flooring & Beverly Blue Quartzite Bathroom Countertop from Arizona Tile

Marble selections complement one another well: though Sky Blue and Basketweave don’t work for shower flooring, there are many options in the Completa Series, including the CS-Sky Blue (which is the same marble as mentioned above), CS-Bianco Venatino, CS-Calacatta Gris, and more. Here you’ll discover marble mesh mount designs offered in six color collections, each with a dozen or more mesh mount variations. Regardless of which combination you choose, many are recommended for use on shower floors. CS-Bianco Venatino is a white marble with pencil-thin grey detailing. The movement and color variation provide a clean and timeless aesthetic. CS-Calacatta Gris marble is also white but with faint, warm grey detailing dispersed throughout, complimenting both modern and traditional décor preferences.

Image: CS-Calacatta Gris Honed Lotus Mesh Marble Floor Tile & Mont Blanc Satin Quartzite Bathroom Countertop from Arizona Tile

Safety

Planning a design in a wet space creates additional consideration, like safety. Small floor tile is a benefit in a shower because of the grout, but there is another option: R11 Anti-Slip Finish. While this finish isn’t offered on natural stone, only on porcelain tiles, there are many styles to choose from. This Anti-Slip finish adds grip to the surface of the tile without altering its appearance. Available for indoor and outdoor applications, add it to your list of considerations!

There are so many wonderful products here at Arizona Tile. Please stop by a store or slab yard to see our products and learn more about what we offer. Take a look at our Just Imagine – Tile and Slab Visualizer to help gain a better sense of products within specific rooms/areas. If you have questions, please reach out!