Bathroom Shower Wall Tile Designs
|Bathroom Shower Wall Tile Designs – Choosing the best shower or bathtub wall surround can often be difficult. Should you install acrylic, a great surface material like Swanstone, or use decorative tiles? Will the quality of they stand test of time? Which one is the best match to your budget and tastes? Learn 7 practical steps to determine which wall system is good for you.
Step 1 – Determine if you want to check out your existing walls – To spend less it’s nice to put 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 provided that the existing walls are not spongy or bowed. If you have a plastic or fiberglass system it’s not at all possible to set new walls over your existing materials. In these cases the existing system will likely need to removed, new backerboard installed and after that new walls set up.
Step 2 – Think through your budget- If you’re similar to you need to get the most value to your money – a top quality material which won’t hurt you wallet. If you’re looking for a straightforward to scrub cost-effective material acrylic is a great choice. It is warm to the touch, installs quickly and includes a lifetime warranty.
For a far more elegant appearance (which is for sale in more decorative patterns and designs) consider a Swanstone solid surface wall. Swanstone is not hard to keep up, has no joints to grout or seal and will come in numerous choices. Usually the priciest product is tile (unless you manage to set it up yourself and save the labor hours- tile is the most time-consuming to put in vs. sheet items like acrylic & Swanstone). There are limitless choices and price ranges of tile also it creates an elegant look also.
Step 3 – Select your material, designs, colors and accents you desire – After you’ve selected between acrylic, Swanstone and tile you’re ready to choose your design and color(s). Acrylic wall surrounds can be found in many colors, patterns and finishes. There are solid, granite, metallic plus marble finishes. In addition the walls you decide on might be smooth, 4″ x 4″ simulated tiles, 8″ x 10″ simulated tiles or possibly a stone look. Acrylic is not really just a white smooth faced wall.
Swanstone, whilst it may be noted for it’s strength, color and texture consistent, grout-free quality, along with the fact it will not crack or craze – has a very broad range of decorative options also. There are over 45 standard, shiny, and granite colors. In addition there are decorative panels to construct unique architectural designs named Pebble, Geometric, Beadboard, Tangier and Barcelona. There are also designer trim pieces and rosettes to make a finished look. Tile provides the widest product options in terms of color, accents, borders, sizes and thicknesses. Make sure to get a high density water-resistant tile to your bath or shower.
Step 4 -Choose your backerboard. Select material to adhere the wall material and in true of tile finish the eye with the wall- What you aren’t seeing inside a bathtub or shower wall panel project will be as important as what you do see. Use the right material(s) behind the wall. Here are some recommendations: Acrylic – If the tile walls come in sound condition install over them by adhering the acrylic with butyl tape and color match sealant. This will save the landfill costs, decrease the project installation some time and spend less. If the existing wall is not installed over set up moisture resistant green board or perhaps a cement backer board. Swanstone – Like acrylic if the tile is in good structural shape install in the existing. If not, Swanstone might be installed over greenboard or perhaps a cement board using special glue.
Tile – Poorly done tile installations have caused a great deal of wasted money historically (cheap backer board may have been used, poor grouting jobs, poor are employed in the corners are just a few with the problems). For tile installations never use green board – use whether water-resistant cement board or perhaps a waterproof extruded polystyrene board like this created from Wedi Corporation. These boards needs to be glued and screwed for a framing. In addition to using the right backer board consider investing inside a urethane grout. This type of grout won’t should be resealed which is waterproof. Although it can cost you more beforehand it is going to spend less down the road inside the should regrout, or worse yet the should redo the shower if you have any water damage.
Step 5 – Fix what’s behind the wall – The best time to repair an undesirable performing shower valve, a shower head which is too low, in order to add backer material to bolster installing your accessories happens when you have the wall showed.
Step 6 – Identify the tub tub and shower accessories you need to add function and elegance for a project – Have you always wanted a leg ledge for shaving, a corner seat, a curved shower rod to hold water 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 making it be right for you and your family.
Step 7 – If the process sounds too difficult call a reputable contractor that’s not a “one size fits all” – Let’s face it, there are tons of choices and installation details that should be done correctly to make certain an effective project. Calling an experienced could possibly be more costly inside the short term but save you lasting costs. Make sure to go with a contractor it doesn’t try to push you into the one type of shower or bath wall surround system you can purchase (for instance a company selling acrylic systems pushes this solution you). Look for a company skilled and competent in multiple systems that can seek to understand the needs you have, budgets and tastes and still provide different choices.
Know you’re furnished with 7 steps that will function as good outline to plan your acrylic, Swanstone or tile bathtub or shower wall surround installation.