Waterproof Panel For Shower Wall
|Waterproof Panel For Shower Wall – Choosing the best shower or bathtub wall surround can be hard. Should you install acrylic, a great surface material like Swanstone, or use decorative tiles? Will the grade of these items stand test of time? Which one is the greatest match on your budget and tastes? Learn 7 practical steps to determine which wall product is good for you.
Step 1 – Determine if you would like to check out your existing walls – To lower your expenses it’s nice to position a bathtub or shower wall surround over a current surface. It is possible to use specialized glue or butyl tape to adhere acrylic or Swanstone solid surface materials over existing tile so long as the actual walls aren’t spongy or bowed. If you have a plastic or fiberglass system it’s not at all possible to put new walls over your existing materials. In these cases the actual system should removed, new backerboard installed and then new walls set up.
Step 2 – Think through your budget- If you’re like the majority of you would like to get the most value on your money – a high quality material which will not hurt your wallet. If you are looking for a fairly easy to scrub cost-effective material acrylic is a wonderful choice. It is warm to the touch, installs quickly and comes with a lifetime warranty.
For a far more elegant appearance (which can be for sale in more decorative patterns and fashions) think about Swanstone solid surface wall. Swanstone is easy to take care of, doesn’t have any joints to grout or seal and comes in numerous choices. Usually the costliest method is tile (until you are able to install it yourself and save the labor hours- tile is among the most time intensive to set up vs. sheet items like acrylic & Swanstone). There are limitless choices and price ranges of tile plus it creates an elegant look also.
Step 3 – Select your material, designs, colors and accents you need – After you’ve selected between acrylic, Swanstone and tile it is time to choose your design and color(s). Acrylic wall surrounds come in a multitude of colors, patterns and finishes. There are solid, granite, metallic and in addition marble finishes. In addition the walls you select can be smooth, 4″ x 4″ simulated tiles, 8″ x 10″ simulated tiles or perhaps a stone look. Acrylic is not only a white smooth faced wall.
Swanstone, while it has been famous 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 also. There are over 45 standard, shiny, 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 produce a finished look. Tile offers the widest product options regarding color, accents, borders, sizes and thicknesses. Make sure to get 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 true of tile finish the face of the wall- What you aren’t seeing in a very bathtub or shower wall panel project is really as significant as everything you do see. Use the right material(s) behind the wall. Here are some recommendations: Acrylic – If the tile walls are in good shape install over them by adhering the acrylic with butyl tape and color match sealant. This will reduce landfill costs, decrease the project installation time and lower your expenses. If the existing wall can not be installed over set up moisture resistant green board or possibly a cement backer board. Swanstone – Like acrylic in the event the tile is in good structural shape install in the existing. If not, Swanstone can be installed over greenboard or possibly a cement board using special glue.
Tile – Poorly done tile installations have caused a lot of wasted money historically (cheap backer board could have been used, poor grouting jobs, poor be employed in the corners are only a few of the problems). For tile installations never use green board – use sometimes a water repellent cement board or possibly a waterproof extruded polystyrene board prefer that made out of Wedi Corporation. These boards ought to be glued and screwed to your framing. In addition to using the right backer board consider investing in a very urethane grout. This type of grout will not need to be resealed and is waterproof. Although it will set you back more up front it will lower your expenses down the road within the need to regrout, or worse yet the need to redo the shower for those who have any water damage.
Step 5 – Fix what’s behind the wall – The best time to solve an unhealthy performing shower valve, a shower head which can be too low, or to add backer material to bolster setting up your accessories is when you’ve got the wall exposed.
Step 6 – Identify the tub tub and shower accessories you would like to add function and type to your project – Have you always wanted a leg ledge for shaving, a corner seat, a curved shower rod to hold the water in, a hand held shower, a corner caddy, a frameless shower door, shampoo or soap niche or possibly a grab bar? When you’re installing new wall surrounds is the perfect time and energy to accessorize your bath or shower to make it work for you and your loved ones.
Step 7 – If the process sounds too difficult call a good contractor that is not a “one size fits all” – Let’s face it, there are a lot of choices and installation details that need to be done efficiently to ensure a successful project. Calling a professional could possibly be more expensive within the short run but save you long lasting costs. Make sure to select a contractor which doesn’t try to push you in to the one sort of shower or bath wall surround system you can purchase (like a company selling acrylic systems pushes this solution giving you). Look for a company skilled and competent in multiple systems that can aim to understand your needs, budgets and tastes and still provide different choices.
Know you’re designed with 7 steps that can be the good outline to plan your acrylic, Swanstone or tile bathtub or shower wall surround installation.