KB Home \| Advanced Search \| Ask Question
Ask Your Natural Stone Questions

polished marble in steam shower

Article Number: 460 | Rating: Unrated | Last Updated: Wed, Sep 12, 2007 at 12:00 AM

In a previous thread, you said to forget about using polished marble in a steam shower. What would be the consequences? If you dry the walls after each use, or if the steam is used only once a week, would that make it okay to use polished marble? (I've already bought the material for my shower, and I'd hate to have to change everything at this point!) Thanks.

Dear Gary:

The vast majority of city water supplies (and many well warters, too) contain sulfides. When these chemicals are deprived of oxigen for a certain period of time (like inside a water boiler), they turn into a mild version of Suforic Acid, thus lowering the overall pH of the water.

The accumulation of the vapor droplets on the surface of the stone, will etch it on contact.

If you dry the stall all the time you will only delay the dulling of the surface of your stone, unless your margble is highly dolomitic.

That said, the "honing" that will derive by the action of the steam will be very uniform and never be an eyesore. In other words, instead of starting off with a hone-finished marble, you start off with polished and then let the steam do the honing over time for you.

May I ask you now to please read and e-sign our Statement of Purpose at: http://www.marblecleaning.org/purpose.htm? J

Ciao and good luck,

Maurizio Bertoli

www.marblecleaning.org – The Only Consumers' Portal to the Stone Industry Establishment!