Swan Shower Wall Kit
|Swan Shower Wall Kit – Choosing the best shower or bathtub wall surround can be difficult. Should you install acrylic, an excellent surface material like Swanstone, or use decorative tiles? Will the caliber of the products stand test of energy? Which one is the best match for the budget and tastes? Learn 7 practical steps to determine which wall method is right for you.
Step 1 – Determine if you would like to review your existing walls – To spend less 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 as long as the actual walls aren’t spongy or bowed. If you have a plastic or fiberglass system it is not possible to place new walls over your existing materials. In these cases the actual system will have to removed, new backerboard installed then new walls put up.
Step 2 – Think through your budget- If you’re similar to you want to get the most value for the money – an exceptional material which won’t hurt your wallet. If you’re looking for a fairly easy to clean cost effective material acrylic is a superb choice. It is warm to the touch, installs quickly and features a lifetime warranty.
For an even more elegant appearance (which is accessible in more decorative patterns and designs) look at a Swanstone solid surface wall. Swanstone is straightforward to take care of, doesn’t have any joints to grout or seal and is available in numerous choices. Usually the more costly method is tile (if you don’t have the ability to do the installation yourself and save the labor hours- tile is easily the most time intensive to setup vs. sheet items like acrylic & Swanstone). There are limitless choices and price ranges of tile and it creates an elegant look also.
Step 3 – Select your material, designs, colors and accents you want – After you’ve selected between acrylic, Swanstone and tile you’re ready choose your design and color(s). Acrylic wall surrounds come in a multitude of colors, patterns and finishes. There are solid, granite, metallic plus 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 really simply a white smooth faced wall.
Swanstone, although it has become famous for it’s strength, color and texture consistent, grout-free quality, and the fact it will not crack or craze – carries a very broad range of decorative options also. There are over 45 standard, high gloss, and granite colors. In addition there are decorative panels to make unique architectural designs named Pebble, Geometric, Beadboard, Tangier and Barcelona. There are also designer trim pieces and rosettes to produce a finished look. Tile provides widest product options in terms of color, accents, borders, sizes and thicknesses. Make sure to get a high density water repellent tile for the bath or shower.
Step 4 -Choose your backerboard. Select material to adhere the wall material plus the situation of tile finish the face area with the wall- What you can’t locate in the bathtub or shower wall panel project can be as essential as everything you do see. Use the right material(s) behind the wall. Here are some recommendations: Acrylic – If the tile walls will be in good condition install over them by adhering the acrylic with butyl tape and color match sealant. This will save the landfill costs, lessen the project installation some time to spend less. If the existing wall is not installed over put up moisture resistant green board or possibly a cement backer board. Swanstone – Like acrylic in the event the tile is good structural shape install over 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 work in the corners are simply a few with the problems). For tile installations never use green board – use either a water repellent cement board or possibly a waterproof extruded polystyrene board that way produced from Wedi Corporation. These boards should be glued and screwed to your framing. In addition to using the right backer board consider investing in the urethane grout. This type of grout won’t have to be resealed and is waterproof. Although it will cost you more beforehand it’ll spend less in the future within 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 fix a poor performing shower valve, a shower head which is too low, or add backer material to boost setting up your accessories happens when you have the wall opened up.
Step 6 – Identify the bath tub and shower accessories you want to add function and elegance to your project – Have you always wanted a leg ledge for shaving, most seat, a curved shower rod to hold water in, a hand held shower, most caddy, a frameless shower door, shampoo or soap niche or possibly a grab bar? When you’re installing new wall surrounds is the ideal time for you 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 professional contractor that isn’t a “one size fits all” – Let’s face it, there are many of choices and installation details that have to be done efficiently to make certain a successful project. Calling an experienced could be costlier within the short run but save you long-term costs. Make sure to select a contractor that doesn’t attempt to push you into the wedding party shower or bath wall surround system you can choose from (for instance a company selling acrylic systems pushes that one solution giving you). Look for a company skilled and competent in multiple systems which will attempt to understand your preferences, budgets and tastes and provide different options.
Know you’re built with 7 steps that can serve as a good outline to plan your acrylic, Swanstone or tile bathtub or shower wall surround installation.