River Rock/Slate Shower

This is a slate shower where one wall is tiled with river rocks coming out into the main bathroom. Slate is always an amazing challenge because it varies in shape, size and color. I like to seal all the slate once before installing. This makes it easier to remove thinset or grout that touches the surface. It also protects against water stains that may occur while using a wet-saw or grouting. Slate is very soft and porous and soap scum can easily be absorbed into the tile. I recommend using a penetrating sealer before installation and a sealer that stays on the surface after grouting. I did a total of three sealer coats on this job. Slate is a great natural stone that comes in so many colors and textures. Sometime you can find fossils in it too.

This is the view when you first walk into the shower.

It was kind of hard capturing this room with my camera. This is the wall that will have the sink & mirror on the outside of the shower. The insert boxes are opposite of this wall. The faucet and shower head are opposite of the rock wall.

Here I got to blend the rock wall into the base tile that frames the main bathroom floor.

Bathroom w/ Porcelain Floor Tile

This is a simple diamond or 45 degree pattern based off the position of the shower. I started at the front door of the shower and centered the grout joint with the center of the door. I used a 1/8 inch grout joint throughout. The tile is made of porcelain with a high gloss finish. Simple but came out really dramatic.

The first picture is grouted and caulked around the tub. The next couple of pics are before I grouted.

Glass Mosaic Kitchen Backsplash

Below is a super clean and dramatic glass backsplash. Looks really striking against the dark cabinets. I had a lot of fun doing this one.

Photos by Amado Avecilla