I was gonna say, didnt KSWL have a neat product... bummer

My brother had Swanstone installed in one of their baths about 15 years ago. It’s like Corian. I thought it looked nice and would consider it or similar. My current builder grade shower has white corian-like panels on the walls which are easy to clean, but I loathe the plastic floor pan. I plan to rip it all out and redo.

We used a solid surface pan with tiled walls for my DS bathroom. Super easy to clean!

Pan is 60x36.

Great idea Rory—it looks nice.

There's a really long thread on Choreograph / swanstone ... we have one of each. I had zero faith we could find someone to do a competent tile install, and grotty grout just gives me the skeeves. One has a tub, other has a Kohler cast iron shower pan.

Certain materials go in and out of style, and some are more common, but I personally think the gold standard is something that suits your home, your taste/style (and hopefully looks great).

In our first home, we remodeled the main level MBath when we added a partial second story (new MBR suite). I did a shower in cultured marble with very very very little color. It appeared white, but up close you could see a faded secondary color. It was not swirls that often come to mind when one hears "cultured marble." The matte finish shower base was also cultured marble but textured to avoid slipping. These items can be made to any size and are SO easy to clean. Ours was a corner shower, so only two walls of the material, shower door and glass on the other two.

I don't have any photos, but it was a similar look to this. I did not do a niche because I wanted uninterrupted walls (and I thought the one piece niches they had made it look like a hotel or prefab one piece shower).

Allison, we did that exact same thing in a orevious home (not our last one) . There was a fabricator near us that made complete showers, baths, and even whole bathrooms out of any kind of solid surface material including cultured marble— which is basically a resin product like the others with crushed marble dust as a component. It was the only material they made on site and could customize it for color and pattern (or no pattern). We used it for kids’ baths and if i was ever to do another master bath from the studs up i would absolutely use solid surface and cultured marble would be a strong contender. its not the yellowed swirly product of our youth any more 😎

Exacty, @User ! This was our first house and in 1994. Super easy to keep clean and not the multicolor swirl.

We have white on white cultured marble in all our bathrooms for the shower/tub walls. Easy to clean and will be using solid surface in our new build for the shower surrounds again. I'm not a fan of cleaning grout lines and my old house had this already installed when I bought it and although it had the old swirly stuff I quickly came to like it a lot even though the esthetics weren't there. With this house we elected to do the same thing, but to avoid the swirls we got the solid white which is called white on white.

Just saw this-

Is Kohler discontinuing choreograph?

The letter from Kohler Company announced they were stopping manufacturing Choreograph shower and tub wall panels effective immediately. The reason cited was COVID 19 and unexpectedly higher demand for another of their wall panel products called Vikrell.

Sep 1, 2020

When I searched Vikrell with Kohler, I find it under Sterling

Sterling came into the Kohler fold in 1984, providing a mid-priced, full-line plumbing brand that was tough as it was beautiful. Since then, Sterling has been a brand of Kohler, a company with a world-class reputation of its own as the recognized leader in kitchen and bath design.

"The only seams are the corners and they are not just glued but fused together if you find the correct installer."

All hard seams in Corian are adhesive in nature, unlike pure acrylic which is solvent welded. Corian is acrylic (Plexiglas) with ATH filler. As a Certified Corian Fabricator and Installer, I wouldn't recommend hard seams in corners unless they were coved and the wall panels hung on French cleats to allow them to move independntly of the wall framing.. A nice color matched silicone makes for a flexible and waterproof corner joint.

I’ve seen some bathroom remodels that have panels that look like subway tile if you like that look. I need to contact our contractor, who is an excellent tiler. But I think DH is finally interested in pursuing ripping out the shallow tub and putting in a shower pan.

another vote for solid slab! honestly, even the ones with silicone seams are not that hard to keep up compared to a shower full of grout lines. I had one in a rental and loved it. one major advantage is that I could use abrasive cleaners on it and not worry about scratching. (not sure what the brand was, but I'm sure it was not fancy, it was a cheap apartment.)

gsciencechick - I'm also interested in those subway panels. I've seen some on display at Home Depot (or maybe it was Lowes). They looked pretty, but the grout lines were dark, and the "tiles" had a hard edge to them. they seem like they'd be harder to clean and show soap scum really badly. I've seen some online with rounded edges, but they were a uniform material, with glossy grout lines - a dead giveaway. maybe a premium version of this product would look good, but IDK what brands those would be.

i appreciate all the feedback and suggestions! Trying to find a showroom where I can see some of these but difficult where I live. May need a road trip since I do not want a re-do before it's needed. One problem I have is that I have a partially finished shower and bathroom (long story involved). Some of these panels need to be attached to studs which my contractor said means dismantling what is there (Wedi board). A lot to think about but I do want low maintenance (if that is not an oxymoron!)

When we built, I wanted low maintenance. The MBR shower is a cultured marble type product with a subway tile pattern. Looks like white subway tile with white grout. The shower pan is solid with a non-slip texture. DD ripped out a tile shower and had it replaced with the same product I used. The panels she used were matte and appeared to be square tiles. The picture below shows the shower with cultured marble and the tub with an actual tile surround. I wondered how it would impact resale. Her house sold in 2019 in a matter of hours for more than asking.

I did a full Cambria quartz shower - the pan, the walls, shelf, curb. I posted pics here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6014923/quartz-shower-cambria#n=1

We did a seamless corian with a tiled shower pan over kerdi.

@Arapaho-Rd, how's your research going on this? When are you doing your shower? I'm planning for next year. ETA: What about large porcelain slabs? Are those being done in showers?

Thx for checking, tartanmeup. It's going very slow unfortunately. Our local stores have very little on display. In Home Depot yesterday, walking through kitchen design and looking at all the options for countertops, thinking why can't someone order the correct size wall panels from here? Only thought is maybe they are too thick and heavy for shower application. Of course there was no one to talk to. Between caregiving, an ill family member needing help both of which take priority and my fear of making another wrong decision, I'm in limbo right now.

Many stone yards get thinner stones for wall use. Porcelain sheets at tile stores. Cultured marble is another option.

I was at a bath showroom yesterday and they pointed me to Samuel Mueller. This company has upped their game . It used to be called Durastone but they have rebranded and come up with some new products. It is 1/4 solid surface with several good looking products. Their niches are very good looking and really elevate the look to something high end. Seriously considering this for our shower redo.

Totally understand your limbo situation, @Arapaho-Rd. Wishing you the best with everything. FWIW, I'm not sure I'd trust much technical info from HD staff. At least, not my local HD staff. I'm planning on going to a dedicated tile store for materials and installation info. (I don't trust my HD's subcontractors either. Got a quote from one fifteen years ago for the main bathroom and he had no qualms about cutting into a joist to move the toilet. "It's done all the time!")

Agree, I have a horror story about HD that was a big mistake 17 years ago, so never again. Only thought of asking questions but you're right, the answers may not be correct! Thank you tartan, Allison and RNmom for your input! I so appreciate the help!

I did white venetian plaster in my daughters shower with mosaic marble floor and kholer french gold fixtures. Beautiful....... at first.

As luck (?) would have it, our old house just hit the market. So I grabbed photo of the cultured marble shower I mentioned above.

This shower area was originally a linen closet (by entrance) and we also stole a tiny bit of the "hard to reach" area of one master closet so the shower was larger. The closet space was not missed. This was the original MBR/MB, but we added a second story, so we divided this bathroom and made a secondary master bath area and a powder room from the space. This original MBR became DD1's.

Allison that shower is beautiful. Millwork around it looks so much better—or perhaps I should say so much more traditional and substantial— than frameless glass panels alone. I‘m saving this picture, thanks for posting it,

I used 24x24" tiles in my shower with tiny grout lines, and so it is easier to clean than smaller format tiles.

Bathtub to walk-in shower conversion · More Info

Sochi’s shower remains one of my all-time favorites. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Sorry if someone already posted the link, I didn’t see it:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5276572/sochi-bathroom-reveal-shower-wallpaper-silestone-shower-pan#n=30

ETA: Hcbm, you did post it. Sorry! I missed your link before. :)

Has anyone used Samuel Mueller shower/tub wall panels and likes or does’t like them? There is a faux subway tile in their Monterey line in Carrara which is mostly white with some grey that I saw in a show room. I am looking for good alternatives to ceramic tile and liked this and also Syn-Mar solid surface in white, but only the faux subway tile look. Not interested in pre-formed acrylic or fiberglass units. We are renovating a full bath and getting rid of a dead fiberglass tub/shower unit. Our contractor will handle installation. Thanks!

I have done Samuel Mueller ”subway” butterscotch (carrera look with some beige) in a guest bath and am in the process of using the smooth, matte surface from their Luxura line in palladium white (carrera look) in my master bath. I am using one of their custom shower pans, too. i have been very pleased with the product. Looks like marble and cleans easily. i have used onyx products for the guest bath sink and i like SM much better. We are using quartz countertops in the MB.

Thanks for your comments. However I have decided on white ceramic tile after talking with my contractor because it makes sense for my particular project including cost wise. It’s a tub/shower surround and I used ceramic tile in a walk in shower on our main level which I love. I have a granite countertop on order for the vanity and have one in the other bath as well.

HU 3070, would you mind posting pics of your showers, please? Still gathering idea and would love to see them.

Diane Kleber, do you have any trouble with the grout? Which color did you use? TU

It’s only been a year. Grout on the walk in shower floor has been a little bit of a problem. More in warm humid weather. No air conditioning (New England). Have a great Panasonic vent fan and a window. But I need to clean porcelain tile grouted floor more often except in the winter when air is dry. No problems at all with wall tile grout. I squeegee walls and shower doors after each shower. Have sliding doors so I leave them open on each side when now showering for more ventilation.

@Kswl just saw your comment. Thank you. All of the trim around the shower is cultered marble. (Just noticed the buyers never painted that bathroom the entire time they lived there.)

Side note: Kswl, you were able to save Allison's shower? I can't seem to save photos from here. Anyone else have that problem?

screen shot it?

I am usually on my laptop, so I just enlarge and drag to desktop. If on cell, no idea other than to take a screenshot.

Nonporous shower walls with black laser etching. Very easy to clean and laser looks like grout without the maintenance.

One day install and lifetime warranty.

Onyx shower base. Lifetime warranty

Barbara, what product is this?

Are you asking about the Onyx? Onyx is the brand name of a midwestern U.S. made product for kitchens and baths. The previous owners of our home remodeled two of its bathrooms using Onyx extensively.

Polymer shower walls with laser etching. Shower base is custom from Onyx. All non-porous, no grout, and a lifetime warranty.

@Senior Design Consultant, Bath Busters Just to clarify, when you say "Polymer shower walls with laser etching. Shower base is custom from Onyx" are you saying the polymer shower walls are from a different brand than Onyx? If so, can you share which brand?

Our dealer for shower walls is BCI. You cant buy them retail

@Diane Kleber - did you end up installing Samuel Mueller walls? Considering this product but so little info online. Thanks!