Browse Forums Bathrooms and Laundry 1 Dec 10, 2012 7:47 pm I'm toying with the idea on getting a credit for the tiles from my builder and sourcing tiles myself to be installed either just prior to or after handover. I really like the look of glossy polished porcelain tiles as a floor tile and shower base tile but I'm worried about the slip factor. I was speaking to a guy at Beaumont Tiles today who says it shouldn't be a problem and that many people use polished/glossy tiles as their shower base. Can anyone who has these tiles as a shower base provide their feedback? Are they really that slippery that it's an issue? More importantly.... how easy or difficult are they to clean? Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 2Dec 10, 2012 8:10 pm I would imagine the glossy tiles on the floor would end up like the glossy wall tiles if not cleaned regularly, and that is covered in soap scum, maybe even moreso. My matt floor tiles have lost their .... mattness, a bit dull looking and I've tried everything to bring them back. Totally up to you but I can't see gloss in the shower lasting. Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 3Dec 11, 2012 12:28 am We were originally going to go with polished porcelain in the shower bases (as we were having polished porcelain in the actual bathroom and ensuite). I was a bit worried about how slippery they would be in the shower, so we got a sample from Beaumont Tiles and put it in the shower and kept it there for a week (being very cautious that is wasn't glued down!). We found when we stepped on it with the shower water hitting it, it wasn't slippery under foot ie you got a good grip, however the first bit of shampoo or soapy water and it was a bit scary. Anyway, after our 'test', we decided to go the same tile only in glazed (rather than polished). When the shower screen is closed across the glazed tile, I don't expect to see a big difference, as the shower screen glass is shiny, giving the illusion of a shiny shower base. Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 4Dec 11, 2012 7:07 pm Sounds like glazed is a great compromise for you as you have the shower screen to give the illusion of a shiny shower base. We have chosen not to have a shower screen. Our ensuite shower is built at the rear of the basins (hard to explain so you can refer to our plans if you like) so it's a walk in shower. Hmmm.... If it's going to be ultra slippery I may have to consider other options Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 5Dec 11, 2012 7:50 pm Yep I understand what your shower will be like - quite envious as I would have loved one without glass (I hate having to clean shower glass!) but didn't have the room. Should have mentioned - if it were just myself and hubby, I think we would have bitten the bullet and gone with the polished, as we could have just been that bit more careful if we dropped the soap so to speak, however because we have kids, we were more worried if they squeezed too much shampoo out etc etc or got a bit silly in there, there could quite easily be a slip. I honestly reckon grab a tile, put it in the bottom of your shower and carry on as normal and see how you go for a week. I noticed a lot of the display homes we visited had polished in the bottom of the showers however for us personally, we ended up with glazed (by the way, we found the glazed grabbed more dirt than the polished - we practised with that one as well!) Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 6Dec 11, 2012 9:46 pm Thanks belandchris I think grabbing a sample tile is a great idea. Great to hear that the polished grabs less dirt. The easier to clean, the better! Lol! Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 7Dec 13, 2012 11:09 am I agree that all glazed and polished tiles will be slippery when shampoos or soap is on a wet floor. This is why they use to install smaller tiles so you can not slip due to your foot touching the grout specially on those really small tiles like mosaics then they increased to 100x100 then 200x200. You can buy a anti spray that will help but I am unsure on how long it will last. You also have to be careful using anti slip products on darker coloured tiles as all anti slip products are acid etchers. Craig Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 8Dec 13, 2012 11:26 am We put polished porcelain in the shower, i can comment on the slip factor until we get the keys and try the showers next week, but when we there last time we tried to put a bit of water in the base and stand on it but it was just water no shampoo or soap.. i can let you know next week when we actually use it to shower but like GP said, they've cut the tiles a bit more than usual, so there are more grout lines in the shower base which we felt gave some friction when we were standing on it.. ill let you know next weekish.. Building Henley Monaco Nouveau Q1 - Mernda Villages https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=57810 http://razbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 9Dec 13, 2012 5:31 pm boosho We put polished porcelain in the shower, i can comment on the slip factor until we get the keys and try the showers next week, but when we there last time we tried to put a bit of water in the base and stand on it but it was just water no shampoo or soap.. i can let you know next week when we actually use it to shower but like GP said, they've cut the tiles a bit more than usual, so there are more grout lines in the shower base which we felt gave some friction when we were standing on it.. ill let you know next weekish.. That would be fantastic! I look forward to hearing how you go Boosho Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 11Dec 15, 2012 4:18 pm That's great to hear becc as we are having polished in our showers, looking forward to hearing how you go Boosho with yours. Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 12Dec 15, 2012 4:34 pm becc We have had polished porcelain in two homes now with small kids. We have had no problems at all. Even with soap or shampoo the grip is good. Plus they look schmicko! Thanks Becc, that sounds very positive TashnStu77 That's great to hear becc as we are having polished in our showers, looking forward to hearing how you go Boosho with yours. I'm waiting to hear how Boosho goes with her tiles too. Hurry up and have a soapy shower Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 13Dec 15, 2012 5:04 pm Lol. Im trying. Ok not trying. I can't imagine it being this hard. but im waiting for the hot water service to be connected. I dont care how hot it is outside I just can't take a cold shower *brrrr* Building Henley Monaco Nouveau Q1 - Mernda Villages https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=57810 http://razbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 14Dec 16, 2012 3:07 pm boosho Lol. Im trying. Ok not trying. I can't imagine it being this hard. but im waiting for the hot water service to be connected. I dont care how hot it is outside I just can't take a cold shower *brrrr* I don't blame you! No way on earth could I have a cold shower - ever! Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 15Dec 18, 2012 7:52 pm We have polished porcelain on our bathroom floors and in showers. Even with shampoo and soap we have not had an issue at all, in fact I would say the regular ceramic tiles we had in our last house were more slippery. The matt tiles are so much harder to clean than polished as they are more porous Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 16Dec 26, 2012 7:07 am We have put polished in our ensuite and matt in our main bathroom (due to our 4yo). But the tiles for our ensuite we loved and upgraded to them as it's only ours, and as previously said, figured we can be more careful. Until this thread didn't even think about the tile following through to our shower base - just like yours Home Angels but ours sits behind our free standing bath (shower around one side and toilet around the other) - so no doors for us either. Anyway, also look forward to hearing the feedback., although can't change them as our tiles go down end of this week and will get finished off early Jan so will check them out in the new year. Thanks for the thread, if anything it has made me aware once we do get to use the shower.. Blog: http://cbcbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Building Thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=62155 Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 17Dec 29, 2012 1:21 pm So finally took that shower... and the tiles are not slippery at all. I even spilled some shower gel and it didn't even last on the floor coz of the gloss the shampoo and soap washes off straight away in the shower so there is no time for you to slip on them. So I say go for it. Building Henley Monaco Nouveau Q1 - Mernda Villages https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=57810 http://razbuild.blogspot.com.au/ Re: Polished porcelain tiles for shower base? 18Dec 29, 2012 1:28 pm Yay!! Thank you so much. I feel much more confident now Custom downslope build Build thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=61873 Blog http://www.buildingroyalmanor.blogspot.com.au I have seen poly marble shower bases last in excess of 30 years 1 4517 I've filled, levelled and compacted around 100mm of roadbase in preparation to lay some outdoor court tiles. Prior to doing the final compaction, I dusted the top with… 0 3057 I'll look into different shower heads and ask the plumber about some engineering and see what he says. Thanks 2 9578 |