Pebble Tile Shower Floor (Popular Design Types)

Have you ever considered installing pebble tiles in your bathroom? Remember those walks on the beach or riverbanks and collecting those beautiful pebbles you found? In time, you just might have collected enough pebbles to use for your shower floor.

The problem is it’s quite demanding and meticulous to install these pebbles on your shower floor and requires a lot of patience if you do it yourself. While the results of creating your own timeless piece of art can be very satisfying, there are much easier ways to achieve similar results.

There are pebble mesh tiles available, which are made from natural pebble stones and formed into tiles. These are easier to install and offer the same beautiful natural look for your bathroom floors.

Pebbles are made available either round or flat, which have been cut and polished for a smoother surface. These pebbled tiling for shower floors are ideal for wet spaces because of their slip-resistant qualities brought about by the many grout lines it create when installing them, and pebbles are naturally comfortable on feet.

What Is Pebble Floor Tile?

Some homeowners prefer a pebble foot massage every time they step in the shower. And so, they opt to use pebble tile flooring for their bathroom. When choosing river rock tiles for your bathroom shower, make sure that water doesn’t build up on the floor, and the room should be well-ventilated to dry out water quickly.

With its different colors and sizes, pebbled tile flooring makes a beautiful finish for your bathroom merely for its rustic beauty, and with water running over it gives off a feeling of tranquility.

River rock tiles are significantly applicable when used in water features, ideally in bathrooms and kitchens, and can be a focal point or accent in feature walls. It ensures a solid footing on your shower floor due to its naturally uneven shape. Installing mosaic-like tile flooring is inexpensive compared to that of a tiled shower floor.

Types of Pebble Tile

This beautiful walk in shower features tan pebble flooring with a tub inside and dual rainfall shower heads.

Flat Pebble Stone Tile

The smoothness of the flat surface, as its name suggests, makes it possible to achieve a clean line since the grouts are finer when installed for maximum coverage than other pebble tiles. It gives an impression of natural pebbles in a flat format.

Glass Pebble

Glass pebble tile usually comes in round-shaped glass chips in a mosaic pattern. It combines the dazzling and delicate look of glass tile in the shape of rounded pebbles, creating an elegant, striking, and sophisticated glass mosaic tile design.

Glass pebble tiles are resistant to stains, mold, and mildew and are very easy to clean. Since glass tends to reflect light, the glass mosaic tiles seem to have a luminous effect that glows.

Interlocking Pebble

Interlocking river rock tile design has invisible joins and a consistent height-level surface, which provides an element of a patterned design. It has a delightful therapeutic feel beneath your foot.

Most types of pebbled mosaic floor tile feature an interlocking design for easy installation. If your tile sheets come with straight edges, it’s a good idea to alter the sheets so they do not create a straight line when laid. Straight lines are often noticeable after installation is complete. By creating variations in each sheet you can create a more natural-looking and feeling bathroom flooring.

Pebble Mosaic Tile

The river rock mosaic tiling is a type of mosaic work that uses pebbles that are arranged in decorative patterns. This was the earliest type of mosaic, dating back to the 8th and 7th centuries BC, and used for pavements in the eastern Mediterranean. Very classic and timeless. Each stone has its own unique tone and texture, creating an array of exceptional designs.

Java Pebble Aggregate Tile

The java pebble tiles are aggregates and are commonly called beach pebbles since they are naturally found by the sea. They are often found in tan, light brown, and cream colors.

Black Pebbles

Black river rock floor tiles for the shower are often made from random-sized quartz stones. They are often used for shower floors or kitchen backsplashes. When these xotic blacks tones are used in a walk-in enclosure it creates a luxurious spa-like experience.

How to Install Pebble Shower Floors

Step 1: Preparation

In preparing to install river rock shower floor tiling, make sure the area is clean and the surface is flat. There should be a minimum of 2 inches of slating when pitching the shower floor to the drain. Make sure that water is not seeping through the floor by sealing the subfloor and walls with silicon sealers.

Step 2: Application of Thinset Mortar

Starting from the far corner of the shower area, apply about 1/8 inches of thin-set mortar, no more than 3 square feet at a time to avoid hardening. Use a high-quality white thin-set to avoid discoloring the river rock tiles. Use a ¼ inch notched trowel to spread the thin-set mortar. Make sure that you create ridges while spreading the mortar to help the tiles stick on.

Step 3: Installing Pebble Materials on the Thinset

After applying the thin-set, gently place the river rocks on the mortar in an interlocking pattern. Be careful not to press the tiles so hard that it touches the concrete beneath. Should there be gaps in between tiles or sheets, gently fill them in with loose pebbles by pressing them firmly into the thinset.

Do this process until you have covered and completed all areas of your shower floor.

Step 4: Applying Tile Enhancer to Pebble Mosaic Tile Flooring

It is highly recommended that you apply a tile enhancer or seal the river rock tiles to help prevent damage when removing excess grout later in the process. Applying an enhancer will preserve its color and will give a natural shine to the river rock tiles. Allow the tile enhancer or sealer enough time to dry before proceeding to the next step.

Step 5: Grout Application

For the grout, you can either choose a standard cement grout or use a high-performance cement grout. By using a grout float, work in small areas in applying a uniform level of grout in all the tile joints and sections of tiles. Allow the grout to dry as per instructions. Once the grout sets in, use a damp sponge to remove excess and uneven grout, thus exposing the stones. When the grout has dried, use a damp sponge to remove the fine film that the grout has left behind. Make sure to rinse the sponge often.

Step 6: It’s Time to Apply Sealer Again

Once the grout has completely dried off and the river rocks are free of the fine film, it’s time to apply another sealant layer. Another coat of sealant will ensure that the river rock tiles are protected and seal it and the grout completely. Allow the final sealant to dry fully before stepping on your river rock shower floor and taking that much-anticipated shower bath.

Do Pebble Shower Floors Need Sealing?

It is required that river rock mosaic shower floors be sealed with high-quality stone sealer before and after applying grout. Applying sealers or tiling enhancers to these shower floors will help keep your river rock tiling durable and waterproof and will help preserve their natural look and timeless elegance. To maintain the natural outlook of your shower floor, it is important to apply sealants every 2 years.

How Do You Clean a Pebble Tiled Shower Floor?

Cleaning the shower floor is relatively easy to clean if installed correctly, and both pebbles and grout have been properly sealed using a quality sealant.

• Make sure your bathroom is well-ventilated, especially when mixing hydrochloric acid.

• Wear rubber gloves and safety glasses.

• Wipe any loose build-up and grime on the river rock tiles.

• Avoid using acid solutions when cleaning a river rock shower floor; use pH-neutral mild cleaners or a weak vinegar solution instead.

• For the vinegar solution, mix 1 part vinegar to 16 parts water in a clean spray bottle, then shake to mix everything.

• Spray the vinegar mixture thoroughly over the pebbled surface of your shower floor and then leave it for several minutes. In doing so, this will lift soap residue and hard-water deposits caught in between pebbles and grout and those that adhere onto the pebbles themselves.

• Using a circular motion, gently scour the pebbles and grout with a stiff-bristled or nylon brush. This method will really help clean around the stones and their corners.

• Rinse the floor with warm water until your river rock mosaic bathroom flooring washes clean.

• For unrelenting stains, mix 1 part hydrochloric acid – hydrogen chloride with 10 parts water.

Maintenence for your river rock tiling is an easy process, especially when you combine proper cleaning tools and the right method of scouring.

Common Issues with Natural Stone Mosaic Type Tiles In Showers

Installation of river rock mosaic tiles is relatively easy, although it is much better to have someone with expert skills to assess the bathroom area and do the installation of the stone mosaic tiling. If not done correctly, you may encounter problems along the way.

• Water seepage can be a major issue if bathroom tiles are not installed properly. This can lead to the rotting of the bathroom floor area.

• Water not draining properly and pooling up is due to not having the correct pitch or slope of the floor to the bathroom floor drainage; this can also pose a major problem. All horizontal surfaces, such as shower seats, sills, and curbs, must also slope towards the drain.

• Pebbles coming off and grout pieces falling out are the results of poor installation methods and low-quality adhesive, sealant, and grout.

• Stone mosaic tiling is to be sealed but may become very slippery when wet – caution should always be observed, especially when used by children or elderly people.
• Since natural stone is porous, it is easily discolored by moisture.

Pebbles help create a natural ambiance and a relaxing space. River rock tiling can be used almost everywhere, and you are only limited by your imagination.