The Work
Statuary porcelain, Calacatta Premata, Arctic White. Slab walls and tub decks, all installed.
See all the work →A shower clad in large slabs has almost no grout lines, which means less to clean and a wall that reads as one surface. The question is which material can live with constant water.
Porcelain is made at very high heat and absorbs almost no water, so it needs no sealing and does not etch from soap or cleaners. In a Barrington shower, Statuary porcelain was chosen over real Statuary marble for exactly that reason. The slabs were cut to the shower dimensions with the seams placed at the corners, and the niche was cut into the back panel before install.
Quartz is non-porous and never sealed. MSI Calacatta Premata in a Chicago bath and MSI Arctic White on a New Berlin tub surround, cut from a single slab so the deck reads as one continuous piece.
Marble can be used in a shower, but it is softer and will etch from many cleaners, so it asks for more care than porcelain or quartz. If you want the look of marble on a shower wall, porcelain is usually the easier choice.
Planning tip: decide where the niches, benches and valves go before the slabs are cut, so the seams and cutouts land in the right places.
