48 Inch Shower Walls
|48 Inch Shower Walls – Choosing the best shower or bathtub wall surround can be difficult. Should you install acrylic, a good surface material like Swanstone, or use decorative tiles? Will the standard of these items stand test of your time? Which one is the better match to your budget and tastes? Learn 7 practical steps to determine which wall strategy is good for you.
Step 1 – Determine if you want to check out your existing walls – To lower your expenses it’s nice to put a bathtub or shower wall surround over a pre-existing surface. It is possible to use specialized glue or butyl tape to adhere acrylic or Swanstone solid surface materials over existing tile as long as the current walls are not spongy or bowed. If you have a plastic or fiberglass system it’s not at all possible to place new walls over your existing materials. In these cases the current system will have to removed, new backerboard installed after which new walls put up.
Step 2 – Think through your budget- If you’re similar to you want to get the most value to your money – a superior quality material which doesn’t break your budget. If you are looking for a simple to clean affordable material acrylic is a superb choice. It is warm to the touch, installs quickly and has a lifetime warranty.
For a far more elegant appearance (which can be available in more decorative patterns and designs) think about a Swanstone solid surface wall. Swanstone is simple to keep up, doesn’t have joints to grout or seal and is available in numerous choices. Usually the costliest strategy is tile (if you do not be capable of do the installation yourself and save the labor hours- tile is the most frustrating to install vs. sheet products like acrylic & Swanstone). There are limitless choices and price ranges of tile plus it creates an elegant look too.
Step 3 – Select your material, designs, colors and accents you want – After you’ve selected between acrylic, Swanstone and tile it is time to choose your design and color(s). Acrylic wall surrounds appear in a variety of colors, patterns and finishes. There are solid, granite, metallic and also marble finishes. In addition the walls you end up picking could be smooth, 4″ x 4″ simulated tiles, 8″ x 10″ simulated tiles or perhaps a stone look. Acrylic is not simply a white smooth faced wall.
Swanstone, as it continues to be famous for it’s strength, color and texture consistent, grout-free quality, and also the fact it certainly can’t crack or craze – features a very broad range of decorative options too. There are over 45 standard, high shine, and granite colors. In addition there are decorative panels to create unique architectural designs named Pebble, Geometric, Beadboard, Tangier and Barcelona. There are also designer trim pieces and rosettes to create a finished look. Tile offers the widest product options regarding color, accents, borders, sizes and thicknesses. Make sure to look for a high density waterproof tile to your bath or shower.
Step 4 -Choose your backerboard. Select material to adhere the wall material as well as in the case of tile finish the face area from the wall- What you don’t see in a bathtub or shower wall panel project can be as essential as that which you do see. Use the right material(s) behind the wall. Here are some recommendations: Acrylic – If the tile walls are in good condition install over them by adhering the acrylic with butyl tape and color match sealant. This will save the landfill costs, reduce the project installation serious amounts of lower your expenses. If the existing wall can’t be installed over put up moisture resistant green board or perhaps a cement backer board. Swanstone – Like acrylic if your tile is in good structural shape install within the existing. If not, Swanstone could be installed over greenboard or perhaps a cement board using special glue.
Tile – Poorly done tile installations have caused plenty of wasted money historically (cheap backer board could have been used, poor grouting jobs, poor are employed in the corners are simply a few from the problems). For tile installations never use green board – use whether waterproof cement board or perhaps a waterproof extruded polystyrene board that way produced from Wedi Corporation. These boards needs to be glued and screwed in your framing. In addition to while using right backer board consider investing in a urethane grout. This type of grout doesn’t must be resealed which is waterproof. Although it will cost you more up front it is going to lower your expenses in the future inside the must regrout, or worse yet the must redo the shower if you have any water damage.
Step 5 – Fix what’s behind the wall – The best time to correct a poor performing shower valve, a shower head which can be too low, as well as to add backer material to boost installing your accessories happens when you have got the wall opened.
Step 6 – Identify the bathtub tub and shower accessories you want to add function and type in your project – Have you always wanted a leg ledge for shaving, most seat, a curved shower rod to hold the water in, a hand held shower, most caddy, a frameless shower door, shampoo or soap niche or perhaps a grab bar? When you’re installing new wall surrounds is the perfect time to accessorize your bath or shower to make it be right for you and your loved ones.
Step 7 – If the process sounds too difficult call a professional contractor that isn’t a “one size fits all” – Let’s face it, there are plenty of choices and installation details that must be done properly to be sure an excellent project. Calling a professional could possibly be costlier inside the growing process but help you save long-term costs. Make sure to choose a contractor which doesn’t make an effort to push you in the one kind of shower or bath wall surround system you can choose from (for example a company selling acrylic systems pushes that one solution you). Look for a company skilled and competent in multiple systems that will aim to understand your requirements, budgets and tastes and still provide different alternatives.
Know you’re built with 7 steps which will be the good outline to plan your acrylic, Swanstone or tile bathtub or shower wall surround installation.