Marble Mosaic Tile Bathroom Installation Tips

Marble Mosaic Tile Bathroom Installation Tips

I started last weeks post with a “Yay” about finishing those pretty Marble Look Porcelain Floors. This week, I’m saying “Holy Cow”. As in, Holy Cow, guys. This tiling work is taking me forever! But, this Marble Mosaic Tile Bathroom is everything I hoped it would be.

The tile colors are soft, elegant, and pretty. I’m so in love with it. Even after hours and hours and hours of tiling. 😉 I wish I had final pictures for today’s post. I’m about 80% done. The tub backsplash and surround are completely finished.

The shower is nearly there. I still need to finish tiling 1 wall and grouting a few areas. Check back in a few days and I’ll add an update to the bottom of this post with the finished shower. *fingers crossed* 🙂

Marble Mosaic Tile Bathroom – Nearly finished!

SO, let me show you what’s done. First, just look at that pretty drop in soaker tub surround in Jeffrey Court Stargazer Tile. I found that tile at Home Depot. I trimmed the corner with Schluter Edging Trim to give the tile a nice, clean finish where they meet.

A couple weeks ago, I shared a video walk through for framing in a new shower niche. Here’s that niche getting it’s new tile. It’s looking so great already. I used 4×12″ Marble Subway from Floor and Decor here.

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Now, A Few Tile Install Tips

My number one tip for getting a professional install look is to always cut straight lines. If the lines on the outsides of an area aren’t straight, it will always drive you crazy.

This is actually tougher than it sounds. When you’re in the middle of installing tile, your mortar is drying fast and you’re worn out and just want to finish. So, you hurry up and cut end pieces without measuring properly or marking with your grease pencil.

I try to make as many cuts as possible before I even mix my mortar. I marked and cut my tub backsplash beforehand to get nice clean lines. If I tried to do that during the install, I would have had mortar on the wall and a much harder time getting things perfectly straight.

I used both of those mosaic tiles from the tub in the shower too. Along with a 4 x 12 marble tile I found at Floor and Decor. I must have gone to Lowes, Home Depot, and Floor and Decor half a dozen times each when I was trying to decide which tiles to use. So many choices, not enough time. 😉

Floor and Decor also sells those 6″ wide Shower Thresholds. Make sure to get the “curb” style so that both sides have a nice polished edge. Some of them are cut for windows, with only 1 polished side.

If you look closely where the tile meets the corner of the wall, you can see I used Schluter aluminum edging for a cleaner finish on the ends. And, I topped off each wall with marble bullnose tiles from Home Depot.

ALSO, make sure you use a good stone sealer on those marble tiles BEFORE grouting. It’ll help seal out the grout and any moisture. Marble should be sealed every 6 months. But, don’t worry, it’s super easy. Just wipe on with a rag.

And, the last tips are all about that shower drain. Again, I laid the tile out then marked the drain cut out with my grease pencil. Then I cut those tiles off the mosaic mesh backing with a box knife before cutting.

I also had to raise the drain to the correct level before I could start tiling. When the plumbers poured the mud floor they did a great job sloping everything to the drain, but the drain was too low for my tile.

Luckily, this style is easy to adjust, but needs to be done before tiling. That grey piece on top screws into the white pipe you see inside. Once I loosened the grey piece from the mud floor, I could unscrew it enough to raise it to the correct level. You don’t want any water sitting in that grout around the drain. So, set it just a hair below the grout level.

Want to see more of my bathroom makeover? Here’s a quick look at all of the Master Bathroom remodeling projects. Click the links below to see more about each item. And, don’t forget to check out all the bathroom before photos and plans here.

ORC Master Bath Makeover Plan – 5 Week Plan

• Paint the Walls
• Add a Plank Ceiling Feature
• Remove and Replace Bathtub
• Remove and Replace Shower
• Add a new Shower Niche
• Remove and Replace Flooring
• Replace Vanity Mirrors
• Change Vanity Lighting
• Change Shower Light and Fan
• Replace Vanity and Bay Window Counter Tops
• Paint Vanities
• Change Vanity Hardware
• Replace Toilet
• Add Wainscoting to Water Closet
• Build or Buy Main Wall Art

Marble Mosaic Tile Bathroom – Other Products Used

• Mapei Ultraflex LFT Mortar – sold at Lowes and Floor & Decor – LFT stands for Large Format Tile (like my 12×24 tiles)
• Mapei White FlexColor CQ Grout – sold at Lowes and Floor & Decor
• A good wet saw with a high quality diamond blade
• Schluter Aluminum Tile Edging Trim

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You might also like this Quick DIY to Whiten Tile Grout.

Or these beginner tips for using the Dewalt Electric Hand Planer.

And, check out the Easy DIY Steps for How to Restain a Door without stripping or removing it.

If you’re into Home DIY as much as I am, here are a few more tutorials you might like: How to Cut Drywall and Hang Drywall for beginners, this DIY Chalk Paint Recipe from Latex Paint, how to fix damaged wood furniture with bondo, and this guide for when to use caulk or wood filler on wood trim.

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What do you think of our Marble Mosaic Tile Bathroom Makeover? Let me know if you have questions. Don’t forget to sign up for the Abbotts At Home email newsletter to get DIY, Remodeling, and Crafty ideas in your inbox.