I am building a custom shower/tub enclosure and am looking for options to tiling the walls. Have seen some of the Corian and Swanstone products and am interested in them but from what I have seen they are only made for certain size enclosures, and the cost is more than I want to spend. Have also seen some cheaper PVC wall panels which are sold at Home Depot ,but am concerned if the quality is there. Have also found a number of companies in the UK producing waterproof wall paneling but not many in the USA. I wonder why that is?
Can anyone recommend any alternatives to tile for shower/tub enclosure walls?
Replies
Tony: Have you tried pricing out cultured marble?In my area its about $13.00 sq ft.I think I'm going that route for my master bath.In my area I can get it to fit a 42X60 shower stall.I like the idea of not having a lot of seams.
Stay Safe Greg
Get tempered glass and paint the back side any color you want. I'm not sure if the can cout holes for the valve, and then temper it.
I am certain you cannot successfully cut tempered glass. It is under great stress and any attempt to breach its surface will lead to fracture. A glass shop can make such a piece for you though just as they can make shower doors.
I had price out a tempered glass surround with tub valve holes cut before tempering...i think it was going to be around $400 or so.
I was also going to get some small holes put in in the corners so I could fasten the glass to the wall with some rubber washered ss screws at the top and silicone it in on the bottom.
I never ended up doing it because i went with lasco tub/shower. I do intend to do in in a new master bath though. Unless you have a maid or are really addicted to taking showers in toxic chemicals I am a strong believer of no tiles in shower surrounds.
I've used FRP panels for shower surrounds for years and years. They're cheap, easy to install, totally waterproof and look okay to me. I use them mostly in rentals but have replaced tile surrounds in nice homes with them. HD has white but a good supplier will have many different colors and some have designs on them. And yes, I know they're not supposed to be used as surrounds but I've done it for over 15 years with no problems.
what is FRP -- what sizes does it come in, cost? tks
Fiberglass reinforced plastic. What HD stocks is white with a pebbled surface. Lots of convenience stores use it on their bathroom walls because it's corrosion and graffiti proof.
Yeah, I really want my master bath to look like a toilet in a service station. Graffitti proof? Hardi Har Har.
Come on guys, this is FINE HOMEBUILDING, not cheap and c r a p p y bathrooms!
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
I once lived in a 75 year old house that had been built on inadquate footing. As a result it still shifted around a bit. I remodeled one bath and put nice tile everywhere. A year later the tile was cracking everywhere from stress due to the house moving. Not having learned anything I demoed it all and re-tiled. 2 years later I had to give in and demo it all again. This time it had leaked enough that I had lots of carpentry work replacing all the rotted wood. This time I took th elesson to heart and installed FRP panels instead of tile. 5 years later when we moved the FRP was still doing its job. I thought it was pretty fine. As I said before, I've installed most of it in rentals where looks didn't really matter but under the right circumstances I would put it in my own house again.
I had a fabricator do a three wall tub surround and a 36 inch square shower surround in Avonite bisque that matched my Kohler shower base and tub. It was almost half the price of Corian, and the fabricator can make it any size you want.
Some hotels use the HD style prefab panels, and they must be cost effective and stand up to abuse.
Some of the solid surface web sites show enclosure kits that I was tempted to buy, but after watching my installation with the scribing and onsite modifications they had to make I am glad I paid the pros. You may have seen the same kits and assumed they were the only sizes available.
Ever tried plastic laminate? You can get a 1 piece surround bent(heat bending) by some distributors. They (Wilsonart I think) even sell a edging kit for it. Never have understood why they aren't more popular.
I did a seamless shower surround for less than $10.00 . I used a vinyl floor covering remnant . It holds up well without foot traffic and is waterproof. Comes in many colors and designs.
Try this.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
What was used for a shower pan? And what is used to keep these things from looking kinda dingy with soap scum, etc. With regular glass, you can squeegee the glass and cut down on the frequency of actually cleaning the shower.
I built that shower as part of finishing the basement of a 4-year-old vacation home, spec built by a small developer who lived in it full time until he finally sold it. First thing the new owners wanted was to finish the basement, including a full bathroom.
The shower pan was made directly on the floor slab; sloped mud bed, thinset, Kerdi membrane, thinset, then tile. The framed walls are ½" cement panel with tile laid on with Kerr tile adhesive. The glass block wall was built on top of a 6" high, framed stub-wall, sheathed in ½" Durock and tiled, using PPG's 'Mortar II' system: glass block mortar, mini-rebar ladders, panel anchors, and finally tile grout for the joints.
The cleaning of the glass block was never a question in deciding to use it. I would think one of those new 'daily' anti-soap-scum spray-and-rinse products might be worth a try. If that doesn't work, use a strong ammonia window cleaning solution, scrub with an automotive-type windsheild brush, and hose it down.
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Who gets to keep those nice glass blocks so clean?
Have a friend who use to run a housecleaning business. Was telling her about maybe using some safetyglass panels in a shower during an email.
She shouted back... "NO! NO! NO!" Roar!
I suppose that it should be a consideration.
She said glassblocks have enough variables in the surface to mask watermarks.
Edited 1/30/2004 2:48:33 PM ET by rez
Mrs. HO was present and part of the decision to use glass block; I can only assume she had somebody in mind.
I have provided maid and housecleaning service for regular construction customers for several years, but my one-and-only Jewel-beyond-price chambermaid is leaving in a couple of weeks to take a full-time job in a community about three hours from here. I don't know how I'm going to replace her; chambermaids are the hardest employees for any company up here to find.Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
If cost is not an issue, the nicest I've seen was slab granite with frameless glass.
Ditto what Rick said about the FRP panels.
I have this in my house...installed ( glued) over moisture proof drywall...does not leak. It's not the greatest look but cleans up well and is functional. I also put one of these in a basement shower for a guy during a remodel. Small shower stall...lots of steam...original masonite type surround fell apart and framing all had to be removed due to mold/mildew decay. The FRP that I installed has so far held up great...been 3 years with everyday showers. My own home installed surround is approx 5 years old...no problems so far.
This is not a glamorous thing just a very functional, no nonsense surround. The only style I'm familar with in FRP is a "pebble" look. The colors are white, grey, and tan.
Rick, what other styles are there? I currently have a client who does not want ceramic tile in her new shower...was thinking of using FRP for this one too, but thought it would look kind of plain.
Don't want to steal this thread, but on the subject of alternative shower surrounds...what about alternative shower floors? This stall I'm constructing will have a mud floated bed overtop the PVC shower pan....but my client does not want tile. Thought about possibly glueing down rubber tiles? Anyone have any luck with this. I need a non-skid surface...it's for an elderly person. A pre-bought, plastic shower floor pan will not work in this particular layout. Floor is currently concrete. Again, I want to shape floor with mud and then install a non-skid finish flooring overtop...floor must look good and not leak.
Any suggestions?
Davo
Colored and or stained concrete ,could be stamped or textured in some way.
Got no suggestions, only a comment. I like your idea of rubber tiles as it is softer than concrete. With the elderly, you have to anticipate that there might be an accident, and hard concrete (with friction additive) can be murder to old bones and skin. Rubber, however, can provide anti-skid surface, be more comforting to the feet, and more forgiving in the event of a fall.
For what it's worth...
I never met a tool I didn't like!
What do you use to seal the corners when you use FRP?
Davo,
My distributer has FRP in 4 or 5 colors, thicknesses up to about 3/8" and quite a few with flower or other designs. All these choices come in smooth or pebbled.
Jeez Tony, if you are going to the time and trouble to make a "custom" enclosure like you describe, why not add value to your home with a tile or stone surface?
I'm a tile guy, and just don't understand. Solid surface enclosure look cheap, andadd less value than a tile or stone application.
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Being a "tile guy" do you have an opinion about tiling floor to ceiling, or tiling floor to, say 10 inches short of the ceiling?
Thanks.
Debbie
I have no strong opinion, as long as the tile is above the shower head. If one has a design that works better with the tile being short of the ceiling, then by all means that is fine.My preference is to tile the whole wall, and ceiling. Less maintenance.Regards,
Boris"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Borisyeltsin,
thanks for your opinion!
Debbie
Tony
Had to redo a bathroom because my eyeballs were reeling from the Mustard colored tile tub surround and orange counter top, along with yellow trim work. Found a great color and pattern of Solarian no wax floor covering at about $175. Put 45 degree fillets in the corners and used contact cement and dowels vertically to install. No seams, easy care, It was hairy to install because of contact cement but got it done. Didn't have to touch it for five years.
Cheers
Mac
Didn't have to touch it for five years.
Okay, you baited, I'll bite: what happened after 5 years?
I never met a tool I didn't like!
Hi Nick
Got real lazy!! Sold the house and moved!! Seriously with the "no wax" surface and no cracks corners or voids it was an easy care surround. The choices are endless and it looks like tile-sort of. I did some wood trim around the top and around the tub. Not High end but very effective.
Mac
I can say that it lasts at least 17 years. I bought a vinyl flooring remnant and glue it into my shower over green board. The only reason I can't say it later longer than 17 years is because last week i finally tore it out. The wall behind it was clean and dry. I initially decided to try the vinyl flooring because I wanted something that would shift with my house. I have a pier and beam that was built with 9 separate add ons. The first room was built in 1908 so my house shifts and creeks alot! The pre fab surrounds pulled away from the wall and buckled letting water behind it. I just figured rule would crack easily. The vinyl floor remnant was $20! So worth the risk. Took me 3 hours to put it in. I put the corner pieces and edges in that are used for FRP with a little caulk for good measure. Super easy to clean and endless color choices. It made a bunch of folks scratch their head but lasted and worked!