Lenore, who is installing the granite slab shower? Start there and make your priority be hiring a VERY experienced tile professional - one you have vetted carefully to insure that their qualifications meet your design requirements and product selections. Stone slab installations are not for the B team, and especially in a wet area. Can it be done? Yes, depending upon the structure over which a solid surface stone is installed and the methods used. We install solid surface shower walls regularly, but from an empty cavity which we build to meet all specific design and installation specifications, including the pan. A solid stone slab cannot be supported by the pan (it is not meant to support a slab wall). A slab wall is pinned and tied so it is self supported, not supported by a pan. This is a very complex installation. A LOT to consider. As one example, the thickness of your slab? 2cm. 3cm? (effects the weight load on the space). And I could go on. After you have carefully vetted the qualified tile contractor, have this conversation with them. If you question or want to clarify their recommendations, check back or seek professional advice from other qualified sources. Please consult with a professional onsite. Good luck with your project.

Cultured marble/granites are softer than true solid surface. It's one reason I prefer the cultured granite in a stone-look pattern; it hides the scratches. Just as using the beige/tan or darker colors better hides the plastic anti-slip film they put on the floors of the showerpans, BTW. Not only are the resins better in the current mixes, but most people know by now not to use harsh abrasives, which detroy the gel coating. We used to have an acrylic tub and surround. I would absolutely NEVER have another one. The stuff is brittle, and I used the wrong cleaner on it which pretty much destroyed it. I'd clean it and a week later it would look like I hadn't touched it in a year. When the surround cracked (after 8 years), we suffered with it for a while, then in 2003 replaced it with the cultured granite custom shower. My DH agrees it was the smartest thing we did. Doing Swanstone would have cost us $800 PLUS install costs. The cultured granite price included all labor and install. Very interesting process, too. They installed the showerpan first. Then they measured for the walls. Only after they were in could we bring in the showerglass folks. So it took actually quite a bit longer than we thought it would, over a month!

My countertops are solid surface that isn't as thick as Corian, but is the same kind of material. It may be a local name because when I google it, the fabricator I used is the only one that comes up under that name. I used this material because they had a blue that I liked . . . I didn't really like the Corian blues, and in my color scheme -- cream cabinets, yellow walls, blue counters -- it was important to me to get the blue color right. My integrated sink is a lighter blue, speckled. The integrated sink is one of the things I like best . . . absolutely NO place for yucch to collect. It almost never looks dirty, but when it gets stained, a quick swish with soft scrub does the job. To solve the problem of not being able to set hot pans on the countertop, I had the area next to the stove inset with tile the same color as the cabinets. I also have one long serving counter done in the same tile so the area by the stove doesn't look out of place. It has worked perfectly . . . I'm thinking my next kitchen will have the same thing. I've liked my solid surface counters a lot. My make-up table is the same product in matte white. I get lipstick and other makeup on it regularly, and just soft-scrub and it comes off. You know the pitfalls -- you may be cleaning more often -- but if you love the look, it will be worth it.

Hi, anyone from Vancouver Canada? I have been trying to find a source for a Corian solid surface shower pan but am having a difficult time finding one. I've called a few bathroom supply stores and went to a few Home Depot and they only have the ugly acrylic ones and only in white, Corian.com does not even mention this type of product so why is that? If it's such a great product why wouldn't they advertise it?