Solid surface material (corian type) is the single best material for "wet walls". Easy to clean, no grout, comes in different "colors", wont support mold, mildew. To clean it you use a scotch brite pad and cleaner. I had it in my old house for almost 25 years, raised 5 kids, and it still looked like new.

I'm not sure why your grout should need attention after 3 years. Mildew? One of the various anti mildew sprays should take care of that. Falling out? Possibly a problem with the grout used or the backing?. We've had shower tile for years that had daily use without a real grout problem. Maybe posting a detailed account of the problem on the new bathroom site would get Bill Vincent's attention.

We used Swanstone in our girls bathroom. Extremely easy to keep clean.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swanstone website

We have the manufactured marble tub and surround. It looks great even after about 10 years. I have had tile and grout in previous homes, and I would NEVER go back to that.
Frog

Thanks for the input. How much should I expect to pay for Swanstone or a cultured marble tub surround?

Cultured marble and swanstone do have some maintenance issues. Solid surface you use a scotch brite. I would go for the solid surface, over the lifetime of the product its the least expensive. It will cost more upfront, but only because its worth it.

Tom -

Is Corian in the same price range as granite/marble?

Typically less expensive. But there are other brands besides Corian, all of which are good products. Stone in a shower is not a good application. Water stains, soap scum, all work against stone. If you go stone, SEAL SEAL SEAL SEAL. Plus you can install Solid surface, while you can't install Stone yourself. Or at least not well.

I love my Swanstone tub surround -- in Bermunda Sand. I paid @ $750 for a kit, which included color-coordinated caulk, adhesive & cove molding for corners, plus a separately ordered corner shelf -- special order from Lowe's (price at HD was significantly higher -- closer to $1K). Mine was installed over a concrete backer board.

Here's a pic of my tub surround after the Swanstone walls were installed but before it was caulked & before the corners & shelf were installed:

Here's another partial shot:

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How heavy are those Swanstone tub surround walls? Can one person manage? Is it practical to DIY?

They're not that heavy, but I'd recommend that two people do it, at least with the larger wall, because the piece is unwieldy. It's not a difficult DIY job so long as you're reasonably handy & have a circular saw to make the main cuts & a hole saw for your plumbing. You'll need to use 2 X 4s to brace the installation while the adhesive sets. Once it's in, it's so easy to care for.

I said concrete backer board above -- I meant cement board (duh) -- I used Durock.

Altho' you can't tell from my pix, the Bermuda Sand & other similar styles aren't one solid color. Up close, mine looks like a sandy beach.

I was wrong about the installation kit -- it's sold separately (but the price I quoted above included it -- that was in fall of 2004). Also, there's a recessed soap dish available & an even bigger recess for shampoo, etc -- www.swanstone.com/products/accessories/rs2215/index.php -- too big for the space between my odd studs (the bath part of the house was an addition -- my tub wall has all sorts of weird framing), but it may work for you.

The link below has the shelf that I installed -- you can see from the pic what I mean about the variegated color (looks like it's the Bermuda Sand).

Here is a link that might be useful: Swanstone in variegated color

dcdame - did you somehow "wrap" the corner where the bathroom gets wider? It looks like that corner is covered in the material too? Our bathroom is like that and I don't know how to handle the corner.

It looks really nice. I'm practically on my way out the door to Lowes!

Warning re the white Swanstone...ugly as a roach on a restaurant ceiling. I too was attracted by the no-grout feature for a bathroom that would see heavy dog-washing use (and kid washing if I had any). I have a thread lower down on the forum whether to keep it or yank it off the walls, and niknak had the same opinion. Anyone considering Swanstone know this...the 'granite' colors are indeed very nice, have a low-lustre surface and good visual interest without screaming at you (I have seen a showroom install). The matte colors (white, bisque, and one other color) are straight-out Holiday Inn. Also, the panels are heavy (the weights are on the boxes to advise you, several hundred pounds), it is not a 1-person job. If you do go with a color Swanstone product, I would also say to AVOID the kit with the integrated trim. It seems like a money saver over walls plus a trim kit, but if you don't get the walls perfectly level in the corners the mis-match shows terribly. Whereas a little slippage with flat wall panels would be concealed by the trim strip. I would be interested to hear other stories/see photos of anyone who has made a Swanstone tub surround 'work'...maybe I can save $$ and get mine looking decent. It hasn't been caulked yet, I was so disgusted with the appearance after the glue-on I told the plumber to stop working on it.

Our costs were similar to dcdames. We originally ordered with Home Depot but had problems so we went with a local plumbing company. Our color is Tahiti Desert, which is very similar to the Bermuda Sand. My husband & I DIY'd the whole job, you definitely need 2 people. All I do for maintenance is wipe it down with a sponge every once in a while.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our swanstone walls

Wow! Thanks for the great input. I've tried talking to friends and family about this and nobody has an opinion. I love this forum! Thanks for sharing.

One more thing...Is Lowe's the best place to go for a good price?

Patrice607 - I would compare Lowe's, Home Depot & local plumbing stores. Swanstone has a list of dealers on their website. We found the plumbing store was $200-$300 less than Home Depot.

For plumbing stores, watch out for shipping charges if they don't have it in stock. The materials cost may be lower but the total cost higher. I took a local plumbing supplier's order sheet to Lowe's and they added up their materials cost, added the guy's materials cost which was lower (ie not including his shipping charges) and refunded me the difference.

The Swanstone showers are indeed beautiful, but if the look of tile is something you desire, you can get it without any grout issues by using kerdi over sheetrock and grouting with spectralock expoxy grout. We have it in our master and it is great stuff. The cost would be about the same, and it is DIY friendly.

I am looking at the Swanstone beadboard vs. tile. I was thinking of getting white, so I was interested to see rileysmom17 comment on the white looking cheap. I wonder if the Tahiti white would look better.

My wife and I have 2 bathrooms with Swanstone. 1 is a tub surround and the second in a 4' standup shower. We are extremely happy with both of them. 1 tip though, install the soap dishes upside down and water will not lay in them and they remain functional.

Is there caulking that needs to be done with the Swanstone panels? I am looking to replace a fiberglass tub surround unit with a tub and tiles or solid surface. I really hate the way caulking gets when it ages.
I forgot that GW had this forum. What a resource.

dcdame, why did you install over backer board? Isn't that Swanstone a direct-to-stud application?

Thanks.

If you check the instructions on the Swanstone website, the panels are installed over sheetrock, greenboard or wood.

Can anyone here post an update. I am considering Swanstone and am curious if you that have it are still happy and how long you have had it. Thanks.

All good points. One thing I would add about how unwieldy the walls can be: if I had it to do over again, I would try putting up the back wall first, then come back the next day and do the end walls. It was a beast getting them all braced at once, even with two people. Love the product, though. It's gotten lots of compliments from guests.

I have a 100+ year old house. The bathroom downstairs has a tub width of 51" and side panels of 29". I would like to put in a tub surround. Can I cut the piece or pieces of the tub surround to fit these measurements?

What would you suggest?

Hi,

We bought a thin wall surround for our bathroom. We had an indoor construction worker install it. He already had installed 20 tub surrounds without any problem. In our bathroom, the overlap does not want to stick on the side walls of the shower. It seems it could stick on the back wall. We are at odds as to what to do. Tub surround is made of polystyrene.

"I love the look of tile but resealing/regrouting isn't my idea of a fun way to spend the week-end."

Tile and grout that need major repair in three years was not installed correctly.

This thread has been going on a long time and I was wondering how well the Swanstone surrounds are holding up. I am about to purchase the Beadboard walls for my shower (I am disappointed to hear that the white looks industrial, since that is what I was going to choose!!)
I am curious if the vertical the ridges in the beadboard are prone to getting dirty since the rest of the unit seems so easy to care for.
Thanks for any input you might have!

A solid surface or engineered stone is the way to go in a shower surround. With tile you are always going to have the maintenance issues associated with grout and having to seal the tile. Any of the engineered stone products such as cultured marble or solid surface (with a permanent sealant) that are custom made will provide a seamless surface that won't leak and is easy to clean. You asked about a slab granite look. Look for an area dealer for TruStone, it's an engineered stone that goes through a photofusion process that gives the look of slab stone but more affordable and practical than natural stone