Never do laminate. Solid surface only. Either solid acrylic, fancy FRP, Corian, quartz, or stone.

I have had corian shower walls for 3 years, they are on a kerdi tiled shower pan. So far cleaning is a breeze. The only water intrusion situation you may encounter would be with sub par installers. My walls are seamless, and require almost zero maintenance.

Just don't put anything on top of existing tile. That's where you get into trouble. Everything old needs to be removed first. You could have small leaks in the existing tile and not know unless you remove it. Nothing lasts forever. I have a Kohler acrylic tub and surround in my secondary bath that is 27 years old that still looks like new. It's used daily and I think the previous owners of the house used it daily also. It's easy to clean. I would use something similar to what @G showed in a master bath as I think you want to do something nicer there.

DeWayne, what is fancy FRP?

Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic.

"Just don't put anything on top of existing tile. That's where you get into trouble. Everything old needs to be removed first."

You can tile over tile according to the TCNA. Properly installed tile is an excellent substrate for Corian walls and other solid surfaces. You've just got to get the details right. There is too much "tear it all out" philosophy here on Houzz.

I've written magazine articles on this subject and installed solid surface showers commercially and residentially as a Certified Corian Fabricator and Installer.

My bathroom had acrylic panels that had been installed by ReBath just before I got my condo. They were ugly and looked cheap. My sister pays almost zero attention to interior design and has gotten half of her furniture free from FB marketplace. She told me they were ugly and looked cheap.

They weren't as low maintenance as claimed. The special cleaner was ineffective, so there was lot of hard water/soap scum build up. I started using a stronger cleaner, but it might have eventually damaged the panel surface.

The bathroom was gutted because of a water leak from upstairs and no one is going to miss those panels.

I think the faux stone or marble designs all look fake. But I've seen decent looking panels in hotels that have very slightly textured surfaces that look like large format tiles. Or very modern designs.

My parents have a Corian tub and surround. It's 40 years old and is in great condition. The design, color and pattern dates it. The panels are thick and the whole thing must weight a ton. Like any other material, it needs occasional maintenance on the caulking where the panels meet in the corners and where they meet the tub.

I'm doing tile in my bathroom rebuild because I like the aesthetics better and it will have a better re-sale value than acrylic or nice FRP. Corian, quartz or marble are not a good investment for my place, but could be if you're more upmarket than me. If re-sale isn't on your horizon, then it doesn't matter.

My parents put in a plain white Corian shower surround in the early 80s. It was great for many years and may still be (sold the house a while ago). Great material for showers and I wish I had one instead of tile due to the low maintenance aspect.

Two showers in my house have solid surface walls. Maybe Cultured marble???? They are squeegied down after each use and 23 years later look good. The caulk at the bottom isn't holding up as well as the walls.

@blazegirl Was the Corian expensive? I have had people reply to my post on here as well as others tell me it is very expensive yet I see many people comment on here that they have it and love it so very curious about this.

Hi HH -

I'm Karen from your other post. For some reason Houzz put my full name on that post. Go figure.... (I just signed out then back in so now 'blazegirl' appears as it always has in the past).

Anyway, my total shower cost as indicated on your post was very reasonable. Plus no waterproofing - no grout - easy to clean - will look just as good in 30 years. Definitely the best of all worlds to me.

Perhaps contact Corian for names of authorized dealers in your area & get some quotes. I only had two options but was very pleased with my selection.

@blazegirl Thank you!

Corian is a great product for showers! As is other solid surface like Swanstone, Hanex, Formica Solid Surface, and all of the rest of the solid surface manufacturers. Although it starts at about $50 a square foot, it goes up to over $100. The custom shower pan is usually 2-4K. It depends on the brand, size, and details. Most solid surface showers that we have done have been 8-16K, which is about the same as tile would be.

The real advantage over tile is the calm seamless look. It can be slipperier than tile, but that is easily addressed by sandpaper.

It is a common misconception though that these are ”easier” maintenance than tile. The maintenance is exactly the same. If you have hard water, treat it. Squeegee them after use, and clean weekly with a neutral cleaner and microfiber cloth or mop. If any soap or skin cells remain, they will provide a medium for growth for yucky stuff. If they do not dry out, that fosters mold. Clean them, dry them, and either solid surface, or tile, is fine.

Has anyone used Waterproof Laminate Wall Panels? (Made by Innovate Building Solutions) Thanks for any info!!

I wouldn't have any problem using those.

I had Kohler Choreograph installed in our shower in CT five years ago and we love it. Used white and it's such a lovely matte surface, easy to clean, very nice with the composition of crushed stone and fiber composite (vs being a plastic polymer). They call it Luxstone now and unfortunately, you have to use a Luxstone certified installer which can be very limiting if there isn't one in your area. I recently tried to have one installed in our new apartment and was told by Kohler there are no installers - who would think that would be the case in a huge city like New York?

My mother in law installed a new shower using cultured marble almost 20 years ago. It seems to have held up well, although I don't personally care for the look of it. Interestingly, she used the same material for her bathroom vanity and integrated sink. In recent years I've noticed a dark line (crack?) in the sink leading to the drain.