The short answer
In bathrooms, use a honed or textured finish on floors so they grip when wet, and keep polished stone for walls. Marble suits walls and dry floors; granite suits vanities and shower floors that take hard water and soap; travertine suits walls and floors in a relaxed style. Seal every stone, and avoid acid cleaners.
Key takeaways
- Honed or textured floors grip when wet; keep polished stone for walls.
- Granite suits vanities and showers; marble suits walls and dry floors; travertine suits a relaxed style.
- Seal everything, and keep acid cleaners away from marble.
Advice for you
Tell us who you are and we will show you what matters most in this guide.
I am building or renovating my home
Pick the cleaner before you pick the stone. If your household uses acid toilet cleaners, choose granite for the floor and keep marble on the walls.
Book a visit to see full slabsI am an architect or interior designer
Specify finish by surface: honed floors, polished walls. Detail falls to the drain so water never stands on the stone.
Request samples for a clientI am a contractor or builder
Let the bed dry before sealing, especially under white marble, and keep acid washes off the stone during handover cleaning.
Work out quantitiesI live outside Bengaluru
Bathroom quantities are small; ask for slab offcuts or a sample to check the finish in your own light.
Choose slabs on a video callWhich stone for which part of the bathroom?
| Surface | Suits | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Floor (dry area) | Marble, granite, travertine | Honed |
| Shower floor | Granite, Kota | Leather, honed or textured |
| Walls | Marble, travertine, onyx | Polished or honed |
| Vanity top | Granite, quartzite; marble with care | Polished or leather |
| Niches and sills | Granite, marble | Polished or honed |
Marble in bathrooms
Marble on bathroom walls looks generous and is easy to wipe. On floors, use a honed finish and seal well. White marbles such as Lasa White and Statuario look crisp but show soap and hard-water marks; beige marbles such as Botticino and Crema Marfil hide them. Keep acidic toilet cleaners away from marble: they etch it.
Granite in bathrooms
Granite is the low-worry choice for vanity tops and shower floors. Black Pearl or Absolute Black in a leather finish grips well and hides water marks. A light granite such as Colonial White keeps a small bathroom bright.
Travertine in bathrooms
Travertine has natural pores, usually filled at the factory, and a soft, matte look that suits relaxed, spa-like bathrooms. Classic Beige Travertine and Silver Travertine are often used honed and filled on walls and floors.
Rules that keep bathroom stone looking new
- Honed or textured floors; polished stone only on walls.
- Seal after fixing, and reseal floors about once a year.
- Use a pH-neutral cleaner. Acid and bleach cleaners etch and discolour marble.
- Squeegee or wipe shower walls after use to stop hard-water build-up.
- Slope floors properly to the drain so water does not stand on the stone.
- Let the bed dry before sealing, especially under white marble.
What about hard water?
Hard water leaves white mineral deposits as it dries. On marble, never scrub them off with vinegar or acid: that etches the surface. Wipe surfaces dry, use a pH-neutral cleaner, and ask a stone care specialist for stubborn build-up. Granite is more tolerant, which is why it suits showers in hard-water areas. Read why white marble turns yellow for damp-area care.
