Corian can have any number of designs created in it by a talented fabricator. Mixing tile and solid surface is like nails on a blackboard.

chiflipper, thank you for the information! Just trying to make sure I am understanding you correctly...if the fabricator routed the solid surface walls, would we there still be solid surface left that we would adhere the tile to or would it cut the piece in half so the accent tile would be laid in between?

Talk to your fabricator. It ain’t cheap at all.

K Fitz-

"Routing" means putting a channel in some material, not cutting it into two pieces. The groove is flat bottomed and can be any width or any depth. The idea is to use thin-ish accent tile so the sheet stays intact. Using this approach means you are not introducing new seams where leakage could occur.

I would not mix tile and solid surface. Tile the FLOOR.

kudzu9, thank you so much for the clarification! I am looking at a few different fabricators so I will talk to them to see if this is something they can offer. I like the idea of the wall panels staying intact so as to avoid any moisture creeping in.

Cutting a dado into a 1/2" thick solid surface panel to allow the installation of decorative tile isn't a big deal. I'd probably fit the panels first.

Jan, some people want a measure of "bling" as opposed to "plain" walls, especially when using a solid color. The solid color panels appear to many as an "institutional look". Routing the panels for a decorative inset allows for security (watertight) AND pretty.

Joseph is quite right about fitting the panels first, absolutely necessary when a horizontal insert of multiple walls is wanted. Unfortunately, most of the installers don't have his level of expertise, unlike the fabricators who usually don't do "field work". So take care, IF the routing is to be done "on site" they send a fabricator to perform this part.

@kudzu9 thank you- had to google that. Found out you can’t delete comments from the Houzz app so I logged in online.

Thank you for the information and suggestions about fitting the walls first before doing any other work. chiflipper, you absolutely summarized our desire...we are love the durability of solid surface, but want just a little design factor. I do think our top runner right now is wall panels with a subway-tile look from US Marble. So far, that brand seems to look the most realistic to a real subway tile look. While the grout lines closely match the color of the solid surface, they have a bit of a texture difference that closely resembles the feel of grout...without the maintenance! Has anyone used US Marble products?

Attached is a photo of the sample of the subway tile panel (shown in gloss, but also comes in matte plus too many colors to yet choose from!)

What did you end up doing? Why are you talking like Solid Surface comes only in solid colors? Here is my Solid Surface Transolid ADA wheelchair accessible shower.

nancyinmich - Your shower is very pretty. That said, I would find the plethora of "trim" pieces unacceptable.

Chiflipper, most people would. I am disabled, and becoming more so as I age. I needed two shower heads (hand held and rain) to use if I shower in a stationary seated position. DH needed his his wall-mounted head. It meets our needs.

nancyinmic, your shower looks fabulous! The Koreograph line was an option for us. We decided upon Swanstone and got the subway tile pattern. We actually just finished the wall installation last week. It has a matte finish which we really liked. We are going to add some mosaic tile above the wall panels (photo below). I'll post final pictures when we wrap up!

Katie F, Swanstone was my original choice. Your shower walls will give you a lifetime of easy care, congratulations! I am looking forward to your reveal.

Wondering if KatieF finished her project and would upload a pix. I am also thinking of a solid surface for the walls with some extra detail. Thanks.

sheepdog55, our bathroom remodel is not yet finished (the DIY-er struggle!), but I do have some pics to upload of our shower that is MOSTLY done. The final plumbing is not all put together and we still have to order a door, but hopefully this gives you an idea. We had such a hard time finding images of others who have done this so I know that frustration!

Our fabricator could only get the Swanstone subway pattern in the height shown. As a result, we ended up going higher with the accent tile than we had initially planned, but we are very pleased with the end result. We used pencil tile to transition from the Swanstone to the tile as well as finish off the sides of the Swanstone. Good luck with your project!

It looks really nice! Thanks for posting! Wonder why the walls can only come in that height? One would think companies would be rolling with the trends of installing shower walls to the ceiling. I was thinking of doing a picture frame using tile in the center of each wall or one wall so, I'd have pieces of the solid surface. Which I am sure people are gasping at why one would do that. It's about minimizing the grout lines vs eliminating them.

sheepdog55, I think they do make them now at a 96 inch height. I think at the time we ordered, there was a major delay in manufacturing or something. We looked at a few different Swanstone vendors and could only get the 72 inch height in the specified color and size. You might have luck finding the taller height now. I absolutely understand what you are saying about minimizing vs. eliminating grout lines. As you can see, we have quite a few grout lines in our accent tile. However, our old shower was the same height as where the Swanstone hits so we figure the accent tile isn't really a big gamble in water damage, especially considering the waterproofing measures we took. It sounds like your idea would be lovely!

Hi KF i love the look of the gray mosaic above the swanstone i want to do same think do you remember the mfr and name of the mosaic tile you chose? where you bought? it woild be perfect in my bathroom with swanstone