Bathrooms · Showers · Tile & Stone
Book-matched marble guest bath
Guest bathroom renovation with a book-matched marble shower wall and mosaic floor
- Location
- Ashburn, VA
- Completed
- June 2025
- Duration
- 3 days + 1 day + 5 days + 3 days
- Category
- Bathrooms
Representative concept image — not a customer project photograph
Representative project.This record describes the scope, materials, and construction method of work we carry out. It is not a specific customer’s completed job, and the photography has not been shot yet. Ask to see finished work in person.
Overview
A small guest bathroom given one deliberate moment: a book-matched marble wall behind the shower, with everything else kept quiet so the stone does the talking.
Book-matching only works if the layout is planned from the crate. The slabs were selected and sequenced before anything was cut, and the centre joint was set out to land exactly on the room's axis.
What the owners wanted
- One memorable material moment in a small room
- Keep the rest of the palette restrained
- A floor that is comfortable underfoot and not slippery when wet
Services performed
- Guest bathroom renovation
- Natural stone installation
- Book-matched slab layout
- Marble mosaic flooring
- Waterproofing
Materials used
- Shower wall
- Honed Carrara marble, book-matched
Existing conditions
What we found
- Fibreglass tub-shower surround at the end of its life
- Vinyl floor over an uneven plywood subfloor
- No exhaust ventilation
Design direction
The decisions that shaped it
- Book-matched marble on the shower wall only
- Honed hexagonal marble mosaic on the floor for grip and scale
- Matt black fittings against the pale stone
Before and after
The same room, twice
Guest bathroom, Ashburn
A fibreglass surround replaced by book-matched marble on the same wall.
Drag the handle, or use the arrow keys once it has focus. Comparisons are shot from the same position with the same lens so the change you see is the room, not the photograph.
Problem solving
What had to be worked out
Challenges
- Marble is soft and stains readily, so the sequence of sealing and grouting had to be right the first time.
- The room is 1.6 m wide, which leaves no room for a layout error on the feature wall.
How they were solved
- The stone was sealed before grouting so grout pigment could not enter the surface, then sealed again after curing.
- The wall was fully dry-laid on the floor of the room, photographed, and approved before a single piece went up.
How it was built
Construction sequence
- 01
Selection
Slabs chosen in person and sequenced for the book-match.
- 02
Preparation
New substrate, corrected plane, ventilation added.
- 03
Waterproofing
Bonded membrane across the wet area.
- 04
Stone
Dry layout, seal, set, seal again.
Timeline on site
- Demolition and preparation
- 3 days
- Waterproofing
- 1 day
- Stone installation
- 5 days
- Finishing
- 3 days
Working days on site, excluding material lead times and the days between trades.
Finished
The completed room
