The iron inclusions in the stone are rusting. It will only get worse. The only cure is wholesale replacement with a different batch.

Do you know what causes this? I'd like to avoid it with the next batch

Meaning is there something that could have been done on installation to prevent this or does it just look like a bad batch?

Iron inclusions aren't always visible until the tile has been wetted and the rust appears. If there were rust patches in the tile when you opened the box, they should have been rejected at that point, though.

However, if there is no rust out of the box, there is no way to tell with tile if it has iron in it or not other than purchasing it from a reputable supplier who will stand behind their merchandise if it shows up. That type of customer service won't come from the $2.98 discounters.

Thanks hollysprings. We did get the tiles at a higher end store and paid the higher price for them so this is pretty upsetting. There were some rust spots on them but nothing as bad as when installed. The tiles we are using for the floor of that bathroom look perfect and spotless so if we keep these rusted tiles in the shower it won't match the floor

I added one more photo. Would anyone actually leave it like this or would most people swap the tiles out?

Frankly, it would always look wrong to me, so I'd swap them out. (We have Carrara tile on both bathroom floors without the same problem, and it's beautiful).

I would take it out, sorry. :(

Here's my concern, you stated you saw "random streaks of orange" in the samples, yet you still ordered it, and now you're concerned about seeing orange??? Right or wrong, it sounds like the company sold you exactly what you saw and picked out....

I certainly wouldn't go to the company you bought it from and say "that orange I saw in the sample is all over my bathroom now too..." I assume they'd reply back with "and...?"

Rather, I would play it off like the orange never existed (or wasn't noticed in the sample) because it sounds like its not normal anyway and then let them know your unhappy with the orange showing.

Personally I think your shower looks great but I can understand your concern. My cornern is, the company selling it will say "it's the character of the stone."

Good luck...

Oh gosh! I think we need a FAQ page for using real stone in the bathroom and/or kitchen. Maybe one just dedicated to marble!

Hcf, I would have had no idea about the possibility/significance of rust in marble, as I'm guessing you didn't either. Where does responsibility lie? Is it the tile supplier who should have told you about the rust? Is it the installer who perhaps should have mentioned that rust is not supposed to be in the tile? Or at least should have asked if you were aware of it BEFORE he started putting it up? Did you have a general contractor? For heaven's sakes, I would think someone in the chain should have spoken up and let you know!

I feel really bad for you, and I am really really price conscious and have basically renoed a whole house DIY primarily to save money, and unfortunately I have to say I would replace that tile. I hope your supplier will step up and cover the costs!

I've had this issue twice. The Home Depot sample that I liked was black marble with minimum veining. I purchased a box, left it for the installer and left for the day. When I came home my subtle veins looked broken safety glass. I had the installer tear out the tile and replaced it at my own expense.

Another time I special ordered marble subway and opened up the boxes at the store. i wasn't crazy about the veining but was nicely told "Tough luck, it's natural. We don't guarantee that it will look exactly like the sample."

If you're using natural stone and are worried about pattern or colors the only solution is to purchase extra boxes and hand pick the tiles. I would bring it up to your tile company but I don't think the tiles would be considered defective, especially it the samples had orange.

Sadly, it's one of those situations where you don't know what you don't know. Good luck.

Rather, I would play it off like the orange never existed

I can't say I agree with this tactic.

Actually the samples had no orange. I saw a few of the tiles before installation and noticed a few orange dots but the samples in store were beautiful. I have a builder that is overseeing the house but neither him or the installer told me more orange was appearing when installed until after a lot was done. I have a pic of the tiles right before they were installed. Do you guys see big red flags in these tiles?

This post was edited by hcf10003 on Sun, Feb 2, 14 at 18:02

I'm considering just getting the replacement marble at floor and decor and hand picking tiles. I totally understand that natural stone has variation but I don't think anyone doing their bath in carrara marble would anticipate it to be this orange

Do you guys see big red flags in these tiles?

Yeah, I'm afraid so, in the middle tile.

Thanks writers block. I feel pretty stupid for not realizing they would look worse on install. Oh well Iive and learn

This post was edited by hcf10003 on Mon, Feb 3, 14 at 8:08

I would not have installed the center tile pictured. And the fact that it existed would have been enough for me to question the rest of the shipment. I'd have soaked several pieces in the sink for a couple of hours until they were saturated. Then let them dry out and see what they looked like. If more pieces developed staining, then I would have rejected the whole batch. If only the one or two that already had the rust on them showed further rust development, then I'd hand pick them, and probably order additional quantities to be able to do that.

thanks livewire! i'm so bummed i didn't read up on this first and did not know what to look for!! i just kept seeing beautiful pictures of carrara bathrooms and thought mine would look the same :(

What sjhockyfan, writersblock, & LWO said.

Honestly? You wrote that you bought the tiles at a "higher end tile store". The possibility of iron inclusions, rust, and orange stains are things the sales person should have warned you about.

Unless the sale person tells me differently, I expect the the tile they sell me to pretty much look like the show room display. Sure, veining can be different, and we all expect some variations in natural stone tiles. But I've never seen a show room marble display with rust stains. Hmmmmm...why not?

Secondly, the installer. I'm surprised nothing was said prior to the tile being set, or that a phone call wasn't made to you if you weren't there when the tile was being set.