We did a matte tile in a house we built - a dark color. I loved how it looked and felt, but it was indeed a nightmare to maintain. Every little bit of soap scum, hard water, shampoo, etc. showed. It was a total nightmare and i will NEVER do it again. we knew we were going to have to sell the house shortly after moving in, so we were trying to keep everything looking “like new”. I’m kind of a domestic disaster, but I ended up making my own cleaning spray to keep the shower looking good. It is absolutely not ever the type of thing I would do, but it was the only way to keep the Matte tile looking OK. I’m talking every shower spritzing it with some sort of lemon juice, tea tree oil spray.

NP - Bumping this in hopes of hearing some additional experiences. We are redoing our primary bath and the tile I fell in love with for the shower walls is... matte.

Love matte tile and from a design perspective strongly prefer mattes or honed stone for our kitchen and bathrooms. We have Heath Ceramics matte tile in the guest bath and always get compliments on it from our guests. We have no issues with cleaning but we do have a cleaning service.

I'm so sorry to say it, but the house we moved into has the type of tile you are describing, and it is a disaster to clean. I wish I had better news for you. It always looks dirty and covered with soap scum. Even after I scrub it.

I just put matte in our hall shower.
I like the look - a reminder - it will not reflect light so if it is a smaller space or less natural light it might not be the best option.

Anyone do this for a more "spa-like" feel to their shower? How is it holding up? Do you wish you had an easier to clean surface?

The experienced folks at the tile store are recommending the matte, they say it will look good, more sophisticated. It's rated for showers. And the ceramic tile I've chosen is very smooth, so no annoying ridges where soap will collect. I'm using the same tile on the floor, so it will be continuing it into the shower, giving the bathroom an overall modern, clean look.

I just want to hear from folks who are living with matte tile in the shower -- I don't want to regret not choosing the "shiny" version of this same tile.

Thanks!