We used the Kohler shower pan in our guest bathroom. It looks very nice IMO. We liked that it has the non-slip strips. My DH can tell you more about the install, if you'd like. We used a plumber, but my DH would remember more about what was involved. Email me through GW or post any specific questions you need answered here, and I'll ask him to respond.

Here are a couple of pictures of it installed:

The shower doesn't see much use (it'll see more during the renovations of our two upstairs bathrooms), but it seems pretty sturdy to us.

Either one will work - but are you sure that Swanstone showerpan is only 50 lbs?!? They make a cheaper model line that is NOT true Swanstone solid surface and I don't think you want that. The website is a little confusing and it's easy to think you are getting Swanstone solid surface instead of the cheaper Veritek.

I bring this up because we wanted Swanstone but they didn't have a bigger 42" neo-angle in the size we wanted, so we went with a local cultured granite vendor. That puppy took three men to lift off the truck and put in place! So the weight you're listing for the Swanstone makes me wonder, that's all.

jkom51, do you have a pic that you can share? I would really like an alternative to the tile shower base and our shower is not a standard size either. I would really love to have more details on exactly what material your local vendor used and approximate pricing? Also, what about the slope? Is that built into your cultured base?

Thanks!

We've installed two Swanstone shower bases and one solid surface from Onyx. They're easy to install and sturdy. Do they look like plastic? Well, not like acrylic or fiberglass variety, but they are, in essence, plastic, and they don't look like tile or stone. I think SS looks nicer than cultured marble.

The Swanstone base is lighter in weight but is heavily ribbed on the underneath for ridgidity and strength. The Swanstone base is set into mortar which further solidifies the base to the floor. If in the unlikely event something were to fall and damage the surface the Swanstone color is consistent throughout and is more repairable versus the enamel coating on the cast iron.

The cultured granite shower base that I saw looked like plastic and had an odd looking texture for non-skid protection where the Swanstone has an embossed pebbled floor surface and looks a little more attractive in my opinion. I don't think you will have any cracking problems with either base or the potential for leaks because you made the wrong choice.

FYI, the seal and drain cover come with the Swanstone base. The multi-ribbed donut seal included gets lubricated with dish soap and is pressed over the pipe and between the base without a need to have access underneath.

docket, I received your email, but apparently cannot reply to it because you have not enabled the email option.

Here's what you wrote: I am seriously considering going with cast iron. I like the fact that it strong, I do not want to worry about leaks. It seems that w/ acrylic it is prone to get damgaged. Tile you have to worry about the grout getting black.
The picture looks great how is the feel. Is is slippery? You still happy with your decsion to go w/ cast iron. Why did you go cast iron did you look at other options?

We've been using the guest bathroom for some months now while work is being done on our MB and hall bath, so can tell you first-hand about the Kohler shower pan. It's very nice! Feels nice and solid underfoot, and not slippery at all. We recently installed two Toto cast iron tubs (one in each of the other two bathrooms); one bathroom is functional. I've been showering in there daily and the tub is very, very nice also. I really like it. Also, not slippery.

We chose the cast iron because we liked how it looks, we liked the sturdiness and durability, and we liked the heat retention for which cast iron is known (and it was cheaper than a tile shower floor, which for a guest bathroom, was a good place to save a few $). We originally ordered a Kohler acrylic pan, thinking it was fiberglass. When it arrived though, we discovered not only was it acrylic, but it had no non-slip grips, which was a deal-breaker for us. We returned it for the cast iron pan. I really wasn't interested in a solid surface material (e.g. Corian, Swanstone), so never looked into those.

Two things to note. One, cast iron can be a bit colder than other materials initially, but once you runs some warm-hot water, it warms up right away. Our guest bathroom is on the ground floor, on a slab, so it was a little chilly to the touch back in March (when we started using it daily). But, like I said, it warmed up quickly.

The second thing, is that the non-slip grips can and do discolor. Regular cleaning with Lysol Basin, Tub, and Tile cleaner doesn't seem to remove the discoloration (at least not too well), however, the Magic Eraser (I use Mr. Clean original Magic Erasers) cleans them with little to no effort. They clean up so well, the first time I used it to clean mine, I thought I had scrubbed away the non-slip grips they were so clean and white!

If I can help with any other questions, let me know.

@cat_mom how is your cast iron Kohler pan holding up? any rusting / pits / chips? Can you pls post pic of non-slip grips? thanks