Durable Materials For Your Shower Remodel
As an independent Houston bathroom remodeling contractor, we can fully customize your new bathroom or shower with the exact materials you want:
- Tile is not your only choice (although it is a popular one!).
- If you are tired of grout and tile and want to consider quality, non-tile shower materials, our grout-free Onyx Collection solid surface is an excellent option.
- Alternately, there are various ways we can make tile easier to clean and maintain for the long term, without the problems you are currently experiencing.
- We are NOT a “one day bath” / plastic bathroom company and do not offer plastic shower walls. It takes longer than a day to properly demo, plumb, waterproof, and rebuild a shower, especially with sturdier products.
- We aren’t bound by any franchise agreements, so we don’t have to push particular products or use aggressive sales tactics to “limit your options.” Our goal is to help you get the best fit for your situation, period.
Regardless of the materials you select for your shower remodel, we guarantee our workmanship against leaks and other problems.
Custom Tile
Far and away, the most customizable and varied option for your bathroom is tile.
We work with porcelain, ceramic, stone, glass, metal, and concrete tile. Anything you can dream up, or anything you’ve seen in a magazine or online, can be built in your space. When properly designed and installed, custom tile work should last as long as the home.
The limitations of tile shower materials are that they require greater effort and planning in the design phase, additional time and expense to install correctly, and more frequent maintenance than slab or panel systems.
With tile, it is very important that the installer follow TCNA (Tile Council of North America) guidelines. The TCNA provides industry-best practices and standards for waterproofing, layout, thinset coverage, grouting, and sealing.
Unfortunately, most tile installers do not educate themselves in this regard. As a result, there is wide variability in the quality of tile installations, and many horror stories about leaky tile showers. The fact is, properly-installed tile should not leak. Period! Since tile and grout are not waterproof, these issues ultimately boil down to the type and quality of waterproofing. At Simplicity, we use Schluter KERDI products to achieve our watertight, leak-free shower systems, and we have been an Authorized Schluter Dealer since 2014. See more at schlutersystems.com.
Our TCNA-compliant tile shower and bath installations vary in price from basic to extravagant, and usually require additional time to build versus panel systems such as Onyx Collection (see below). View our Pricing Guide for more information on pricing.
Onyx Collection
Onyx is an American-made, versatile solid-surface material that is ideal for a variety of bathrooms and showers.
This material is especially popular with homeowners who want to cut down on the maintenance associated with tile and grout. It is suitable for single family homes and condominiums, as well as upscale hotels and senior facilities.
Onyx Collection offers custom-made shower bases, wall surrounds, vanity tops, and tub decks that are known for their attractive appearance, durability, and ease of cleaning. There are over 60 total colors available. Onyx guarantees its products from the factory for the life of your home, and all Onyx products are 100% Made in the USA.
This unique, proprietary material is NOT a cultured marble product. Instead, the density of Onyx is consistent throughout the product, a feature which eliminates the warpage and curling common with cultured marble. It shares the same base ingredient as DuPont’s Corian® – alumina trihydrate.
We have worked with this manufacturer since our founding in 2014. They’ve been very reliable, and our clients have required very few service calls on this product.
We install complete and partial Onyx systems for tub-to-shower conversions, custom showers, and tub surrounds. We also offer coordinating Onyx countertops for bathroom vanities.
Onyx shower bases can be combined with tile, stone slab, or Onyx walls, and they coordinate well with all of these options. We can even install a tile inlay within an Onyx wall system.
See our Gallery section for many examples of what can be done with Onyx Collection products.
Learn more at OnyxCollection.com.
Natural Stone & Porcelain Slabs
For a truly upscale look that combines the unmatched beauty of real natural stone with an easy-to-clean, waterproof panel, you can select “thin stone” slabs, 2cm quartz slabs, or porcelain slabs for your shower walls.
We can install slabs, soap dishes, and accessories in a variety of natural stone types. Stone can be integrated with almost any style or color scheme.
Thin stone and 2cm slabs are ideal for high-end shower and tub surrounds, accent panels, and feature walls, and can be coordinated with matching shower bases, vanity tops, floor tiles, mosaics, and pencil trim. We can also install translucent versions of thin stone slabs, which can be LED-backlit for a stunning look.
Natural stone shower walls are a groutless solution that will last forever, without requiring frequent maintenance. Periodic re-sealing may be needed, but this is easy, and we’ll even show you how to do it.
Very few Houston bathroom remodelers have the expertise to properly handle and install thin stone and porcelain slabs.
These slabs are heavy, relatively thin, and brittle, which increases the chances of unintended breakage until they are installed.
Additional Products For Your Bathroom Remodel
In addition to the shower materials above, we also offer a full range of products to remodel and update the rest of your bathroom, including:
- Acrylic, cast stone, and cast iron tubs
- A full selection of shower flooring products and tiles
- 4 different lines of cabinetry, plus cabinet hardware
- Stone and solid surface countertop options
- A full range of fixtures, faucets, and bath accessories
- Bathroom flooring and accent walls
- Interior doors, door hardware, and trim
- Lighting, mirrors, LED mirrors, and exhaust fans
- Window replacement, and blind/shade replacement for bathroom windows.
Some Materials We DON’T Recommend
For durability, performance, and warranty reasons, we do not build shower or bathroom remodels with these types of materials:
Fiberglass
This porous material has been installed in new homes since the 1970s, as one-piece tubs, shower surrounds, or all-in-one shower-tub combo units.
Fiberglass bath units are built from thin, molded shells that are attached directly to studs, before drywall is added to your stud framing. The surface of this product has a gelcoat that must be maintained carefully to keep up the appearance of this type of product. It doesn’t typically wear well over time, resulting in stains and discoloration that cannot be cleaned.
According to manufacturer instructions, fiberglass tubs and shower bases should be set in sand (bare minimum) or mortar (better) for proper support. In practice, they rarely are. The units are molded with thin plastic support fins under the bottoms, and these fins are usually all the support they ever get. Over time, this insufficient support leads to cracks in the bases of the units, simply from standing in them.
We’ve torn out many, many builder-grade fiberglass units whose days had long since passed. Most were in awful condition. Unless budget is your ONLY consideration, and resale value is NOT important, you will want to avoid fiberglass bath products.
Cultured Marble
Similarly to fiberglass, cultured marble has been around a long time. It’s made from crushed limestone powder (hence the “marble” moniker) with added resins. It also has a gelcoat applied when molded.
Cultured marble is a porous product that is found in homes of all shapes, sizes, and values. It’s most common applications are countertops, shower bases, tubs, and shower surrounds. It is relatively inexpensive and feels heavy and solid, which is why builders use it everywhere in Houston.
Over the years, we’ve seen cultured marble crack, warp, yellow, stain, scratch, and delaminate. The materials comprising it have different densities, which can lead to expansion and contraction issues over time. It also can become brittle and tends to not wear very well, unless kept out of direct sunlight and “babied” with constant gentle cleaning.
Your bathroom remodel deserves better.
Tile, solid surface, stone, and even other composites are going to be better choices than replacing old cultured marble with new cultured marble in your bathroom.
Box-Store Shower Doors
Standard-size, store-bought shower doors are generally a bad idea. Although they are often between one-third and one-quarter the cost of a custom door, they typically don’t function as intended, and can be a real pain over the long haul.
There are a number of reasons for this:
- These “doors in a box” are not sized for your unique application. Since most Houston showers aren’t standard sizes, these doors require substantial adjustment to fit your space.
- Due to safety regulations, shower glass is tempered and cannot be cut or modified like mirror glass.
- Most shower glass professionals will not install a store-bought door, due to the potential fit issues. This means you may have to install it yourself.
- If you DIY the install (do it yourself), and parts are missing, or you break something and need a replacement, some manufacturers are difficult and there are lead times involved.
Net takeaway: Shower doors are best left to custom shower door specialists. Shower glass specialists offer a warranty and can service your product when the time comes.
If you’d like a recommendation to a custom shower glass specialist, reach out to us. We work with a local Houston vendor who offers a lifetime warranty, and we’re happy to recommend them.
…And The List Goes On
In general, you should think twice before installing porous, mass-produced, or made-in-China materials in your bathroom.
If your contractor is planning to use any of these types of products, STOP them right there! Inexpensive finish materials can cause massive hassle and frustration down the road, when their service life abruptly ends. Better options at reasonable price points ARE available.
If you live in Greater Houston and have a bathroom or shower remodel you’d like to tackle, call us at 832-371-6575.