This shower is heavily etched from beauty products (shampoos and soaps contain citric acid which etches stone) or from the use of a wrong type of cleaner, which is usually the case. You need to check your cleaning products to be sure that they are safe for use on your type of stone.
The glass, fixtures, tile, grout, and drain were covered in mineral spots from hard water. There is also mildew growing in the grout lines.
Proper maintenance for stone showers
This shower hadn’t had professional maintenance for a long period of time. Sealer only lasts for 1 to 2 years in a shower, especially waist down due to water erosion. Even a quality petroleum-based sealer may last up to 5 years on a floor but not in a shower.
Bar soaps are a stone shower’s nemesis! Most bar soaps have had all the glycerin removed. The lack of glycerin makes the soap “sticky” and it glues to your stone. I recommend switching to a liquid soap for use in showers. Or you can find a good handmade soap which is full of glycerin.
Full restoration required!
The etching was wet-sanded with hand machinery and multiple grits of diamond abrasive pads after the soap scum, mildew, and minerals were removed. The shower walls were wet-polished and a honed finish was applied to the floor for safety. A quality impregnator sealer was applied.
Whenever I restore a shower, I try to clean out and replace the shower drain. It makes a difference against the clean stone, works better for the homeowner, and it’s nice to do a little something extra.
This restoration took me 4 days to complete. No more marble shower with soap scum and mineral build-up!
