Any Dallas bathroom remodeler will have heard the Tile vs Stone question:

“What do you think will be better, tile or natural stone?”

Here are a few quick tips that can help you in your bathroom remodeling decision. First, let’s define what we’re talking about here in the form of pictures:

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The first couple are a travertine and granite slab shower respectively. The last is a standard tile shower.

When we refer to natural stone, it can be travertine, marble, slate, granite or anything else God makes.

Ok so which do you go for?

Natural Stone Bathroom Pros:

• Unparalleled beauty
• Timeless
• Resale buzzword
• Unique aura/feel

Natural Stone Bathroom Cons:

• Must be sealed periodically otherwise will stain permanently
• More expensive than other options
• Come in different grades – easy to be duped into commercial grade thinking you’re getting premium

Since every piece/slab is a work of nature, it has it’s own distinct beauty. Stone bathrooms really stand out and create a spa-like aura that cannot be replicated with man mad materials. Their timeless beauty however must be maintained with a penetrating stone sealer to keep them in pristine condition, otherwise they can dull and lose their appeal in a short few months.

If your bathroom doesn’t get much traffic/usage (in other words, if you smell), then you can seal them once a year. Standard bathrooms should go for a bi annual application. If you want to invest in a stone bathroom and really get a one of a kind look, nothing will come close to matching it. The sheer amount of colors and materials to combine is virtually limitless.

Just keep in mind it does need to be maintained.

If you’re household is fairly civil and you don’t have a problem with rowdy kids or feral pets that piss everywhere, there’s really no better choice.

One final word on natural stone: It’s VERY easy for unsuspecting folks to get duped into buying cheap, commercial grade materials when they are paying for premium/select grade since an untrained eye really can’t tell the difference. Premium quality has less filler, better clarity and easier to install whereas commercial is well…let’s just say I’ve never put commercial in anyone’s home and don’t have any pressing plans to do so anytime soon.

Porcelain/Ceramic Tile Bathroom Pros:

• Harder than natural stone
• Custom pieces more readily available
• Exceptional durability
• No sealing required
• Come in wide range of shade/color options

Porcelain/Ceramic Tile Cons:

• Can’t quite replicate the beauty of natural stone (but getting there fast!)
• Lines get dropped pretty frequently
• Cheaper lines are actually poor quality ceramics

Porcelain tile has decimated all in it’s path the past few years since it offers unmatched hardness, beauty and everything one would want in a tile at a great price. They now come in product lines that simulate natural stone exceptionally well with advanced printing technology. In fact, most people can’t tell the difference between these newer lines and natural stone. So you get the look of stone, without the added material and installation cost or maintenance. This explains why it’s done so well and is the go to choice for most homeowners.

The only thing to take note of is since there are literally thousands of these products, less popular lines get dropped very quickly and if you want to add to an area or make a repair down the road, then you’re SOTL. The other option is to store extra boxes but that’s not going to be feasible for most people.

Also keep an eye out for the “cheap porcelains” – you know the ones you see advertised for like $2 or $3 installed? LOL – yeah right. Many of these are actually called “dirty porcelains” in the industry because they are not good enough to pass US standards on what a true porcelain is. The Chinese make these things en masse without really putting too much emphasis on quality.

Aside from that, stay on the safe side and visit a reputable tile showroom. Their products are right up to standard.

Hope this helps.

I’m outta breath and need some tea.