Q: What do you think of the cobblestone shower floor? I have seen these for years and wonder if I like to use it in my new shower room. Are they durable? My feet are sensitive when walking on gravel, and I want to know if it hurts when I take a bath. Are these floors difficult to install? I am also worried that all the grout needs to be cleaned. Have you experienced this yourself? What would you do to make the grout look like new?
A: I can talk about sensitive issues. When I walked over the gravel, it felt like hundreds of needles stuck in my feet. But the gravel I’m talking about is rough and the edges are sharp. The cobblestone shower floor gave me the completely opposite feeling. When I stood on it, I felt a soothing massage on the soles of my feet.
Some shower floors are made of real pebbles or small round stones, and some are artificial. Most rocks are very durable and some can withstand erosion for millions of years. Think about the Grand Canyon!
Tile manufacturers also use the same clay and matte glaze used to make durable tiles to make artificial pebbles shower tiles. If you choose to use porcelain pebbles, you will have an extremely durable shower floor that can be used for several generations.
Cobblestone floors are not too difficult to install. In most cases, the gemstones are flakes with interlaced patterns, creating a random appearance. Cut the pebbles with a dry or wet diamond saw. You can use a pencil to mark and use a 4-inch grinder with a dry diamond blade.
This may be the simplest method of cutting; however, it may be very dirty. Wear a mask to prevent inhalation of dust, and use an old fan to blow dust away from the grinder when cutting. This prevents dust from entering the moving parts of the grinder motor.
I recommend putting the pebbles in a thin cement adhesive instead of an organic adhesive that looks like margarine. Be sure to read all installation instructions provided by the cobblestone manufacturer. They usually recommend the preferred adhesive.
The space between the pebbles is too large, you need to use mortar. Mortar is almost always a mixture of colored Portland cement and fine silica sand. Silica sand is very hard and durable. This is a very uniform color, usually only translucent. The sand makes the grout very strong. It mimics the larger stones we put in the concrete for sidewalks, terraces, and driveways. Stone gives concrete strength.
When mixing the grout and placing it on the cobblestone shower floor, be careful to use as little water as possible. Too much water will cause the grout to shrink and crack when it dries.
Ruth doesn’t have to worry too much about humidity, because she lives in the northeast. If you are grouting floors in western or southwestern areas with low humidity, you may need to spray a mist on the pebbles and the thin layer under them to add a little moisture to make the grouting process easier. If you install the floor where the humidity is low, please cover the floor immediately after 48 hours of grouting with plastic to slow down the evaporation of water in the grouting. This will help make it very strong.
Keeping the cobblestone shower floor clean is a bit easier, but many people don’t want to spend time to do it. You need to scrub the floor at least once a week to remove body oil, soap and shampoo residues, and ordinary old dirt. These things are mold and mildew food.
After showering, make sure that the shower floor is dry as soon as possible. Water encourages the growth of mold and mildew. If you have a shower door, please open it after leaving the bathroom. The same is true for the shower curtain. Shake open the curtains to remove as much water as possible and keep them contracted so that air can enter the shower.
You may need to fight hard water stains. This is easy to do with white vinegar. If you see white spots begin to form, you need to remove them as soon as possible to avoid the formation of layers of hard water deposits. If you let it work for about 30 minutes, then scrub and rinse, the white vinegar sprayed on the tiles will do a good job. Yes, there may be a slight smell, but your cobblestone shower floor can last for many years.
Post time: Aug-30-2021