Hey,
so I see a lot of cool shower floor design with pebbles on the Information Super Highway, is that as good as tiles? If so, what if I have access to that in quantity for nothing, is the little mesh really important or can I just set them in the thin-set?
We bought some small tiles to cover our shower floor but the color that was shipped to us is really sad and we'd like to maybe change it. I doubt we can color them so I'm looking for original alternatives..
Thanks for your advise!

I have done a couple of both, mosaic pebble and loose river rock. Using the river rocks is definitely more challenging. The mosaic pebbles are made from 3/8 thick stock tumbled to make them into pebbles, this gives a uniform thickness that you won't find with river rock. In my experience, for river rock you need a steeper slope in the shower pan. 3/8"/foot, or even a little more. You need to pack the pebbles as close as humanly possible to avoid large grout lines. Set them in modified thinset, and when you grout make the mix fairly stiff to avoid shrinkage cracks.