Re: Steam Unit in a Cultured Marble Shower?

Posted by pw on February 03, 2004 at 15:43:46:
In response to Re: Steam Unit in a Cultured Marble Shower?
From your experience they are not very compatible. Cultured Marble is resin based, with a very thin top coat. There are many manufacturers out there and they all may not create an equal product. I know of a company "The Marble Works" in Greenwood Delaware. You may want to give them a call, nice folks and would probably not mind giving you some advice even though your product probably did not come from there. Folks in lower slower Delaware are usually a very friendly lot. : I have searched the net and found just about nothing on this subject. I did a gut n' re-build of two bathrooms in my house a few months ago. Everything was permitted and inspected. I did plumbing & wiring. Anyway, I told both the main contractor and cultured marble guy (and the inspector) that I was installing the steam head in the shower and wanted to know if there was anything special about the cultured marble. They all told me no problem, people do this all the time. The steam unit mfr. (Sussman/Mr. Steam) recommends the use of cultured marble (but not Corian) with their steam units. I followed the steam unit mfrs. instructions and asked the plumbing supply shop (local shop, NOT Home Desperate) that I bought it from for tips/pointers. Installation was fine, no leaks or problems. Passed first and final inspections with no hits or required fixes. : But now - After less than a dozen uses, I think the high temperature has damaged the cultured marble. The marble is dished in where the head is mounted (like it shrank) and a crack has formed below it. I noticed the crack (almost 1/16" wide) while using the steam unit in the shower. After I shut it off and everything cooled back down the crack was a barely visible hairline. Later, a BIG crack spread completely across the wall, through the steam head area. : How heat resistant is cultured marble? Anyone else ever put a steam head in cultured marble? The steam head obviously gets up to about 212 F. Thanks,

Posted by pw on February 03, 2004 at 15:43:46:

In response to Re: Steam Unit in a Cultured Marble Shower?

From your experience they are not very compatible. Cultured Marble is resin based, with a very thin top coat. There are many manufacturers out there and they all may not create an equal product. I know of a company "The Marble Works" in Greenwood Delaware. You may want to give them a call, nice folks and would probably not mind giving you some advice even though your product probably did not come from there. Folks in lower slower Delaware are usually a very friendly lot.

: I have searched the net and found just about nothing on this subject. I did a gut n' re-build of two bathrooms in my house a few months ago. Everything was permitted and inspected. I did plumbing & wiring. Anyway, I told both the main contractor and cultured marble guy (and the inspector) that I was installing the steam head in the shower and wanted to know if there was anything special about the cultured marble. They all told me no problem, people do this all the time. The steam unit mfr. (Sussman/Mr. Steam) recommends the use of cultured marble (but not Corian) with their steam units. I followed the steam unit mfrs. instructions and asked the plumbing supply shop (local shop, NOT Home Desperate) that I bought it from for tips/pointers. Installation was fine, no leaks or problems. Passed first and final inspections with no hits or required fixes.

: But now - After less than a dozen uses, I think the high temperature has damaged the cultured marble. The marble is dished in where the head is mounted (like it shrank) and a crack has formed below it. I noticed the crack (almost 1/16" wide) while using the steam unit in the shower. After I shut it off and everything cooled back down the crack was a barely visible hairline. Later, a BIG crack spread completely across the wall, through the steam head area.

: How heat resistant is cultured marble? Anyone else ever put a steam head in cultured marble? The steam head obviously gets up to about 212 F. Thanks,

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