River Rock Shower Floor: Overview, Pros, Cons & Maintenance

River Rock shower floor is one of the most popular pebble shower flooring options in the USA for its naturalistic finish. 

The galvanizing earthy aesthetic floor will rejuvenate every time you go to take a shower. River rock shower floor installation process is so easy that you hardly need any professionals to do the task. 

Make your shower room aesthetic, beautiful, and naturalistic in a zippy, all by installing a river rock shower floor. The best part is, you can have tons of variations and custom designs. 

The rock surface is also slip proof, so you don’t have to worry about bagging your head on the sink.

River Rock Shower Floor

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Features of the River Rock Shower floor

The River Rock shower is a wonderful choice for home decorations. Here are some features worth mentioning: 

The rocks come with different options

You will get sliced sea green and white pebbles, speckled pebble tile, sliced cobblestone pebble tile, etc. There are custom variations for river rocks as well.

Manifest any design

You will get endless design ideas for river rock shower floors. Starting from swirling design, black pebbles for the border and white pebbles inside, color-coordinate design, etc. Design the shower with whatever thought comes to your mind and make it beautiful.

Resistant to slipping

The stones of the floor increase the traction under your feet, and your floor gets resistant to slipping. You will control the river rock floor even if the floor is wet.

Gives an aesthetic look

The river rock shower floor gives your shower room aesthetic, naturalistic, and beautiful every time you hop into the shower. It feels relaxing and rejuvenating whenever you step into your shower room.

Pros 

  • They are affordable
  • Less time consuming and easy installation 
  • Has variety options of stones
  • The rocks are waterproof and scratch proof
  • Do not easily get damaged or wear out

Cons

  • Need lots of grouts to install
  • The rocks retain water in between them

River rock shower floor problems

Although river rock shower floors are exceptionally easy to install, yet you will face some problems in maintenance. Here are the issues you will experience after installing a river rock shower.

They are not comfortable stepping on

Pebble floors are uneven for the irregular shapes of the rocks. That’s why whenever you step on the floor barefoot, you will feel uncomfortable.

The rocks can not drain water properly

River rocks can not drain water properly and that’s why you might face problems draining the water. The water retention by pebbles might cause mold growth on the wet grouts.

They do not last long

Without proper maintenance, the river rock floors do not last long. You have to be very careful if you install river rock floors because it has higher chances of getting mold and wearing out.

River rock shower floor cleaning and maintenance 

Your river rock shower floor will not clean itself, so you have to clean them and take good care of them. River rock shower floor cleaning and maintenance is challenging for its insane amount of grout used while installing. Here are the methods to clean and maintain the river rock shower floor:

Using a DIY Cleaner

You can easily use a DIY cleaner to clean the river rock shower floor. 

  • First, mix 1 part of vinegar and 16 parts of the water in a spray bottle and spray them on the floor. 
  • Wait for a few minutes to settle the cleaner on the pebbles. 
  • Then take a nylon bristle brush and rub each stone thoroughly to get out of the dirt. 
  • With some warm water, wash the floor to get rid of all the dirt. 
  • Do it twice or more to wash out the cleaner properly. 
  • You can also use mild detergent instead of DIY cleaner to clean the river rock floors.

Steam cleaning

Another excellent method of cleaning river rock floors is the steam cleaning method. If you have a handheld steamer,

  1. Apply the steamer 3-6 inches above the floor. 
  2. Then steam the floor for three to four minutes to get the best result. 
  3. Ensure to rinse the floor with warm water to get rid of all the dirt from the floor.

Stone cleaner

You will find many types of stone cleaner on the market to clean pebbles. 

  • Make sure you know what kind of stones you have on the floor because many brands create stone cleaners for specific stones. 
  • It is best to use a general stone cleaner so that you can use the cleaner for every type of stone.

Let’s see how we can maintain river rock shower floors:

Staying away from harsh chemicals

Harsh chemicals will discolor the rocks and make them rough and uneven texture. That’s why it is crucial to avoid using harsh chemicals, detergent, and cleaner to clean the river rock floors.

Know your floor

Knowing your floor means knowing what types of rocks they used for the base, by knowing that, you will know what to use and what not to use on the floor. For example, find out if your river rock floor has natural rocks or porcelain rocks.

FAQs

Do I need to seal River rock shower floors?

Stealing the river rock shower floors is an excellent option if you want them to go in the long run. We recommend you seal the floors before you grout the stones. By doing that, the rocks will stay good for years.

How do you keep river rocks clean?

Washing the river rocks often will keep them clean. After stepping out from the shower, make sure that the water has drained properly. Always keep the floor dry to ensure that the floor is clean.

How much grout do I need for the river rock shower floor?

If the floor is 16-by-16 inches square, you need 30 pounds of grouts. Usually, you need more grout to install a river rock shower floor than other floors.

Endnote

Everyone loves to take a shower in a naturalistic and beautiful environment. However, placing a bathtub in the garden isn’t a thing to go with, right?

This is where River rock shower floors kick in. It gives you a fresh aesthetic vibe, all without spending a fortune on decorations.

Turns out, they are easy to install, maintain, and will cost you pretty much the same as regular tiles.

This is all for today. Let’s hit the sack. May god bless you.

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