Laying Shower Wall Tile
|Laying Shower Wall Tile – Choosing the best shower or bathtub wall surround can be hard. Should you install acrylic, a good surface material like Swanstone, or use decorative tiles? Will the standard of the products stand test of your time? Which one is the better match on your budget and tastes? Learn 7 practical steps to determine which wall system is good for you.
Step 1 – Determine if you’d like to review your existing walls – To cut costs it’s nice to position 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 providing the existing walls aren’t 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 existing system will need to removed, new backerboard installed then new walls placed.
Step 2 – Think through your budget- If you’re like the majority of you want to get the most value on your money – a high quality material which won’t hurt you wallet. If you are looking for a fairly easy to clean cost-effective material acrylic is a wonderful choice. It is warm to the touch, installs quickly and features a lifetime warranty.
For an even more elegant appearance (which is for sale in more decorative patterns and fashions) think about a Swanstone solid surface wall. Swanstone is not hard to keep up, doesn’t have any joints to grout or seal and is available in a wide variety of choices. Usually the more costly product is tile (until you have the ability to set it up yourself and save the labor hours- tile is regarded as the time intensive to put in vs. sheet products like acrylic & Swanstone). There are limitless choices and price ranges of tile and yes it creates a classy look too.
Step 3 – Select your material, designs, colors and accents you desire – After you’ve selected between acrylic, Swanstone and tile it is time to choose your design and color(s). Acrylic wall surrounds come in numerous colors, patterns and finishes. There are solid, granite, metallic as well as marble finishes. In addition the walls you select can be smooth, 4″ x 4″ simulated tiles, 8″ x 10″ simulated tiles or even a stone look. Acrylic is not really simply a white smooth faced wall.
Swanstone, although it continues to be known for it’s strength, color and texture consistent, grout-free quality, along with the fact it’s not going to crack or craze – carries a very broad range of decorative options too. There are over 45 standard, shiny, and granite colors. In addition there are decorative panels to develop unique architectural designs named Pebble, Geometric, Beadboard, Tangier and Barcelona. There are also designer trim pieces and rosettes to generate a finished look. Tile supplies the widest product options regarding color, accents, borders, sizes and thicknesses. Make sure to choose a high density water repellent tile on your bath or shower.
Step 4 -Choose your backerboard. Select material to adhere the wall material along with the case of tile finish the face area from the wall- What you aren’t seeing in a bathtub or shower wall panel project is as essential as whatever you do see. Use the right material(s) behind the wall. Here are some recommendations: Acrylic – If the tile walls come in good condition install over them by adhering the acrylic with butyl tape and color match sealant. This will save money on landfill costs, reduce the project installation some time to cut costs. If the existing wall can not be installed over placed moisture resistant green board or perhaps a cement backer board. Swanstone – Like acrylic if your tile is within good structural shape install in the existing. If not, Swanstone can 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 may have been used, poor grouting jobs, poor be employed in the corners are simply a few from the problems). For tile installations never use green board – use sometimes a water repellent cement board or perhaps a waterproof extruded polystyrene board like this created from Wedi Corporation. These boards ought to be glued and screwed to your framing. In addition to while using right backer board consider investing in a urethane grout. This type of grout won’t have to be resealed and is also waterproof. Although it can cost you more up front it is going to cut costs later on inside the have to regrout, or worse yet the have to redo the shower if you have any water damage.
Step 5 – Fix what’s behind the wall – The best time to correct an unhealthy performing shower valve, a shower head which is too low, as well as to add backer material to boost installing your accessories happens when you may have the wall opened.
Step 6 – Identify the bath tub and shower accessories you want to add function and magnificence to your project – Have you always wanted a leg ledge for shaving, a corner seat, a curved shower rod to keep the river in, a hand held shower, a corner 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 and energy to accessorize your bath or shower to really make it be right for you and your family.
Step 7 – If the process sounds too difficult call a professional contractor that’s not a “one size fits all” – Let’s face it, there are tons of choices and installation details that have to be done efficiently to ensure a successful project. Calling a specialist might be more expensive inside the short term but save you long lasting costs. Make sure to pick a contractor which doesn’t attempt to push you in to the one sort of shower or bath wall surround system you can choose from (such as a company selling acrylic systems pushes that one solution you). Look for a company skilled and competent in multiple systems that will attempt to understand your preferences, budgets and tastes and supply alternative ideas.
Know you’re built with 7 steps that may serve as a good outline to plan your acrylic, Swanstone or tile bathtub or shower wall surround installation.