Why a bathroom in marble, stone and granite is more hygienic than tiles

Today something happened that made me think long and hard about a very important, delicate room found in every home: the bathroom.

A customer of mine, who is renovating her apartment, asked me a few questions that I have probably never thought about before. Now, after a great deal of consideration, and having carefully observed several environments, I think I may have the answers.

There’s a saying in Italian that reads: “il bagno è lo specchio della cucina“, or, “the bathroom is the mirror of the kitchen”. It means that those who have a spotless bathroom are likely to also be just as careful about how clean they keep their kitchen.

Most women, myself included, are especially fussy about keeping the bathroom clean, and most people believe that the floors, coverings and countertop must be made of materials resistant to our face and bodycare products and, above all, to the chemical agents contained in the products we use to clean them.

Now that you have some background, let me tell you that my customer rightly asked me to define the differences between marble, ceramic and gres porcelain stoneware and, above all, wanted to know why she should favour marble, granite or stone over the two remaining options when renovating her bathroom.

And that was when the memory of the bathroom in my grandfather’s house, in his apartment in the town centre, came to mind.

I still remember the ceramic tiles that covered the whole wall: they had a white background and sported a black floral design.

Some of them were chipped, because when my grandmother washed the floor, she often ended up knocking the brush against the wall. I also remember the grouting between the tiles, which she had to scrub with tons of elbow grease to keep them clean.

The floor too was covered in ceramic tiling, unlike the other rooms in their house.

This memory gave me the answer I needed for my customer, regarding the differences between the materials.

Firstly, marble is a natural product that gives the environment a touch of elegance. It is also easy to clean and extremely durable.

When marble floors and coverings are installed, there is no grouting between one tile and the other, because their cut is regular and not modelled, a characteristic that leads to a continuous, homogeneous end result. 

The lack of grouting between tiles prevents the proliferation of germs and bacteria, making the environment hygienic.

And in fact, grouting is the place that harbours the most dirt, perhaps because bacteria are easily deposited there when you wash it with a cloth or mop, or maybe because when the room is humid, especially after a lovely warm bath or even just a hot shower, the steam runs along the tiles, and gets into the grouting where it is harder to dry. Or maybe because grouting is a haven for dust particles.

As a woman, I know, as you probably do too, just how much effort it takes to remove the dust from the fancy details on our wooden furniture, never mind cleaning the grouting between the tiles in our bathroom.

A marble covering, or floor, has no grouting.

So, this is the first very important, if not crucial, point to make about the difference between marble coverings and floors and coverings in gres porcelain stoneware or ceramic tiles.

When it comes to cleanliness, many customers would seem to fear ruining marble by using unsuitable products. Instead, there is no point worrying about this, because when cleaning marble, granite or stone, the only thing you need to know is that you shouldn’t use descalers or steel wool sponges.

Another doubt concerns the cost: many people think that marble is expensive compared to other materials, without considering that marble, due to its natural characteristics, is easy to “restore”.

Over time, like all materials, it can become stained or lose its shine, but the difference lies in the fact that with marble, all you have to do is polish it, which costs next to nothing compared to the cost and time needed to replace a damaged tile,

Think also, for example, about how difficult it would be to find an identical ceramic tile, with the same design, considering that even if you could, the new tile would be brighter than those already installed in your bathroom, which would have lost their shine over time.

And so we’ve busted another myth, the belief that marble is more expensive than other materials.  Now you know that it’s not true.

Marble can be used to decorate your bathroom just as effectively as in any other room of your house. Its natural touch conveys elegance and functionality to the environment, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

For any doubts or questions you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

I truly hope that I have passed on my passion for marble and its elegance to you and dispelled any doubts you may have had about choosing this material, or the others in our range.