Tile Shower Walls
|Tile Shower Walls – Choosing the best shower or bathtub wall surround can be hard. Should you install acrylic, an excellent surface material like Swanstone, or use decorative tiles? Will the caliber of these products stand the exam of energy? Which one is the foremost match on your budget and tastes? Learn 7 practical steps to determine which wall product is best for you.
Step 1 – Determine if you’d like to look at your existing walls – To spend less it’s nice to place a bathtub or shower wall surround over a preexisting 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 usually are not spongy or bowed. If you have a plastic or fiberglass system it isn’t possible to put new walls over your existing materials. In these cases the actual system should removed, new backerboard installed and then new walls placed.
Step 2 – Think through your budget- If you’re similar to you would like to obtain the most value on your money – an exceptional material which won’t break the bank. If you’re looking for a simple to completely clean 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 (that is for sale in more decorative patterns and designs) look at a Swanstone solid surface wall. Swanstone is straightforward to keep up, doesn’t have joints to grout or seal and comes in numerous choices. Usually the more costly method is tile (if you don’t be capable of install it yourself and save the labor hours- tile is among the most time consuming to install vs. sheet items like acrylic & Swanstone). There are limitless choices and price ranges of tile and yes it creates a sophisticated look as well.
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 many colors, patterns and finishes. There are solid, granite, metallic plus marble finishes. In addition the walls you choose might be smooth, 4″ x 4″ simulated tiles, 8″ x 10″ simulated tiles or maybe a stone look. Acrylic is not just a white smooth faced wall.
Swanstone, although it has become noted for it’s strength, color and texture consistent, grout-free quality, and the fact it’s not going to crack or craze – carries a very broad range of decorative options as well. There are over 45 standard, glossy, 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 produce a finished look. Tile offers the widest product options regarding color, accents, borders, sizes and thicknesses. Make sure to get a high density waterproof 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 facial skin of the wall- What you aren’t seeing in the bathtub or shower wall panel project will 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 have been in good condition install over them by adhering the acrylic with butyl tape and color match sealant. This will save on landfill costs, lessen the project installation some time and spend less. If the existing wall cannot be installed over placed moisture resistant green board or perhaps a cement backer board. Swanstone – Like acrylic in the event the tile is in good structural shape install on 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 lot of wasted money historically (cheap backer board may have been used, poor grouting jobs, poor are employed in the corners are just a few of the problems). For tile installations never use green board – use either a waterproof cement board or perhaps a waterproof extruded polystyrene board like this made from Wedi Corporation. These boards needs to be glued and screwed for a framing. In addition to using the right backer board consider investing in the urethane grout. This type of grout won’t must be resealed and is also waterproof. Although it costs more in advance it’ll spend less in the future inside the must regrout, or worse yet the must redo the shower in case you have any water damage.
Step 5 – Fix what’s behind the wall – The best time to solve an undesirable performing shower valve, a shower head that is too low, or to add backer material to strengthen investing in your accessories is the place you have the wall exposed.
Step 6 – Identify the bath tub and shower accessories you would like to add function and elegance for a project – Have you always wanted a leg ledge for shaving, a large part seat, a curved shower rod to hold water in, a hand held shower, a large part 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 for you to accessorize your bath or shower to restore work for you and your loved ones.
Step 7 – If the process sounds too difficult call a reputable contractor that is not a “one size fits all” – Let’s face it, there are a lot of choices and installation details that must be done efficiently to make sure a prosperous project. Calling a specialist could possibly be more expensive inside the short run but save you long lasting costs. Make sure to go with a contractor that doesn’t try to push you in the one type of shower or bath wall surround system you can choose from (like a company selling acrylic systems pushes this solution you). Look for a company skilled and competent in multiple systems that can attempt to understand the needs you have, budgets and tastes and offer different choices.
Know you’re equipped with 7 steps that may function as a good outline to plan your acrylic, Swanstone or tile bathtub or shower wall surround installation.