shower wall tile
Looking for advice on what to do for the shower wall. I think it's too late to take it out and put in glass. I'm planning on tiling the wall but is there anything I can do to make it pop and not look so closed in? Contractor said we had to take the wall to the ceiling and we lost a lot of the natural light. Any tile recommendations?
Comments (10)
pkgallagher61
5 years agoRelated Discussions
DIY shower wall tile and shower door install
Comments (0)I've been reading last few weeks on proper shower wall install since mine leaked bad enough that I'm tearing it down to the studs. House is only about 15 years old but, IMO, improperly built like so many other tract homes. I'm discovering It's greenboard with no vapor barrier or waterproofing of any kind. At first I thought leak was from cracking grout, then running around the prefab shower pan and exiting the front where the shower door and curb are since there is no flange. I siliconed the wall-pan interface 3 years ago when I discovered a small leak, also tried to seal various shower door channels. Now, 3 years later and wiser, I think the combination of wall and all those channels/panels of the shower door was the bigger problem. Silicone on the wall bottom only helped trap some of the water running behind the wall from coming out while any water on the shower curb went straight out the side to the floor. So I'm pretty much set on cement board and few coats of paint on waterproofing, reusing the plastic pan, but one thing I haven't seen addressed much is the shower door. I believe that is a big problem because any water that gets on the "threshold" channel may run straight into the wall and out the front, no matter how much waterproofing I have on the walls. And the only line of defense is silicone at the time of installation. I'm the kind of person that likes a physical barrier or redirection, not rely on cualk to keep water out. I feel no matter how well caulked, it's only a matter of time when water works its way to open up a gap since daily use by 2-3 people is a lot of use. It's not like I can check daily if there's water outside the shower. Everything is nicely hidden so I don't know failure until it's bad enough and there's evidence of damage. I think with the cement back/waterproofing paint I'm comfortable with the wall install, but how is a guy supposed to properly install a shower door and never worry about it? Sorry for the long read, but I wanted to give some rationale on why I'm concerned about the shower door instead when there's so much discussion on the wall/tile itself....See Moreshower wall tile selection
Comments (3)I'm not a tile expert, just a homeowner. We used to have terrible water spotting, but have a water softener now so it's not as bad. My first and only thought about a shower re-do would be:: What can I install that I will not have to wipe off every shower? What is going to be the easiest, most cleanable surface? Therefore, I dream of having a solid surface shower stall, probably in white. But you need to decide for YOU what you are willing to deal with. I hope you bought a box of the tile and put it in your shower so you can live with it for a couple weeks and see how it looks. If not, I wouldn't rush into a shower remodel until you do that....See MoreShower Wall Tile: Which one is best? Constructive Criticism Welcome!
Comments (17)Fyi, those are hexagons! I'm not loving any of the wall tiles with your bathroom floor. Too similar and looks like you couldn't find enough of each to complete the job. If you want to keep the floor tile, then I would do a white tile on the shower walls. If you like the shower wall tiles more, then just do a plain gray on the floor....See MoreShower wall tile
Comments (2)If you have softened water, watermarks (actually mineral deposits left over when the water evaporates) are not a problem. If you don't have treated water, then you should look into it IF you local plumbing code allows water softeners. If you don't have treated water, then matte finish tiles will not show spots as readily as a polished finish - not to mention fingerprints, etc. Be careful with the word "porcelain" when buying tile. You don't need what American tile companies call porcelain - another name for tile graded impervious. Impervious tile is only needed outdoors where there is a hard winter freeze. For your bathroom walls, semi-vitreous tile is all you need, and it is usually much less expensive. For more information on the difference between porcelain and all other tile, and a simple guide to buying the right ceramic tile for how you intend to use it, see Porcelain vs. Ceramic Tile: Is There a Difference....See More
TJW
5 years ago
PROKlein Kitchen and Bath
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago- PRO
Klein Kitchen and Bath
5 years ago TJW
5 years agochiflipper
5 years agoMongoCT
5 years agoHopefully I have the right idea of what you want, but that partition wall can easily be reframed for a glass panel insert. I do understand the contractor's reluctance to have just a stand-alone pony wall (no end post to the ceiling), the ability to properly anchor the end of the wall depends on the floor structure beneath the wall. There are, however, ways to do it.
However, simply opening up the wall itself for a glass panel? Pretty easy. You can open it up for a simple window as shown in the drawing below, or the upper header, cripples, and top plate can be omitted so the glass can go all the way to the ceiling.
They can reframe without having to tear down what is there. Add the new framing from the shower side, then go to the drywall side and run drywall screws to fasten the drywall to the new framing. Then cut out the opening. About 30 minutes of work and a couple of 2x4s to frame the top and bottom of the window opening.
MongoCT
5 years agoFWIW, to make the shower a little more cozy, and to allow a bit more separation between the shower and bathroom finish surfaces, I would have considered headering off the shower entry opening as well. Along the lines of this:
pkgallagher61
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
chiflipper