News from the Block, Innovate Building Solutions Blog
News from the Block, Innovate Building Solutions Blog
Bathroom, Kitchen, Basement Design & Remodeling Ideas for the Nicest Home or Business on the Block
Bathroom, Kitchen, Basement Design & Remodeling Ideas for the Nicest Home or Business on the Block

A Brutally Honest Guide to Choose the Right Shower Wall Panels

Brutally Honest Guide to choose the right shower wall panel | Innovate Building Solutions | #BathroomRemodeling #ShowerWallPanels #BathroomWallPanels

You’ve told your spouse either this old nasty shower goes, or they’re sleeping in the garage. You’re burning up your keyboard searching the Internet for the perfect shower wall panel system for your master bathroom. You’re SOOOO done with tile grout joints!

Every manufacturer, supplier and installer claim their system is the greatest thing since the invention of the Blackberry (oops – maybe a bad example there). Yes, their pictures are pretty. However, there’s so much sales hype on their web pages it’s hard to know what to believe.

You need to cut through the B.S. You need the straight scoop. You don’t want to buy a system only to find out later you paid too much, or it was a pain in the rear to install. You want to get going but not make a choice you’ll regret. This is (hopefully) the last time you’re remodeling this bathroom.

If this describes your situation, you’re exactly who this article is for.

Below, I’ll dish out 7 brutally honest shower wall panel tips to help you figure out the best decision for your job. You may ask why I’m writing this?

Well – you see I’ve been around the shower wall panel block before (not that there is such an actual block – otherwise, it would look kind of funny). My business has bought, used and sold 6 shower wall panel systems over the years. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the (mostly) ugly of systems we’ve pulled off to install better wall surrounds.

To tell you the truth, there’s even some wall panel systems my company has sold and installed my wife of 34 years (Rose) would never have allowed me to put in our house (yes – you can see who would be the driver of the remodeling bus in our house!). Not that these systems were bad or non-functional. It’s that systems like acrylic (which we used to sell back in our early wall panel days) look cheap and plasticky. You see, Rose ain’t goin’ for that!

So, my goal in this article is to, as Randy Jackson used to say, ‘Keep it real dog.’ I’ll give you 7 brutally honest tips (from my POV) to help you choose the right shower wall panels for your project. I want to save you time, money and aggravation with time-sucking Internet research.

Brutally honest tip #1 – Don’t buy a shower wall panel system which is a pain in the rear to install (unless you can afford to hire a contractor to do it for you)  

How would you like to install a 130 lb. 5’ x 8’ cultured granite or marble back wall panel in a tiny bathroom? How about if it was on the second floor and you’ve got to beg a friend to help you haul up your small stairs and install it with you?

Or, how would you like to put up wafer-thin 1/8” thick acrylic panels which noodle around like a cheap rubber-band and install with messy black butyl tape?

If it’s sounds like these products are a hard DIY installation, it’s because they are. Now, on the other hand, if you can get a contractor to install your acrylic or cultured granite wall panels, then go for it.

If you need to DIY your job to keep the lid on construction costs you can barely afford then I have two better alternatives for you.

The first are laminated shower wall panels. These 2’ x 8’ x 3/8” thick panels (which weigh 26 lbs./ piece) simply click, lock and seal together. They can be installed by one person (it will be nice not to have to beg a friend or relative to help you).

Installing laminate wall panels | Innovate Building Solutions | #LaminateWallPanels #InstallationTips #RemodelingBathroom

The second easy installation option is decorative PVC panels. These units are 2x thicker than acrylic or fiberglass and can be cut with a carpenter’s knife. In addition, with their 3” wide edge trim pieces – even if you screw up a cut it’s buried behind the trim so you’re still good to go.

Installing decorative PVC wall panels | Innovate Building Solutions | #InstallationVideos #InstallingTips #RemodelingTips #PVCWallPanels

Brutally honest tip #2 – Some shower wall panel systems will cost you an arm and a leg (and you may not have either to spare)  

As Mom and Dad used to tell you when as a kid you begged for the coolest thing on your ‘desperately want’ list, “Money doesn’t grow on trees!”

So trite, yet so true. It’s been interesting for me to see how my 23 and 20-year-old son’s now value money waaaay different than they did before Mommy and Daddy were footing all the bills. They’re not completely ‘off the payroll’ yet, but Rose and I are hopeful.

Request Free Samples Today!

When it comes to shower wall panels prices can range big-time. Some systems (while cool) can blow your budget even though they’re as slick as all get-out. One of my favorite budget-busting alternative systems are contemporary high gloss wall panels.

contemporary high gloss shower wall bath and shower wall system in fire engine red | Innovate Building Solutions | #Highglosspanels #RedBathroom #RedRoom #bathroomremodeling

If you want to get your arms around shower wall panel system costs I’d recommend reading How Much Will My Shower Wall Panel System Cost? In this article, you’ll learn the ins and outs of pricing before you get your heart set on a system you can’t afford.

Brutally honest tip #3 – You don’t have to settle for fake looking products

I hate fake-looking shower and bathtub wall panels.

And beyond the bathroom wall panels if you’re looking for the ultimate fake-looking product (which I’ve never been ‘man-enough’ to try) it would be the “McRib’ by McDonalds!

Who wouldn’t want a ‘molded’ rib product (sarcasm intended)? Now, doesn’t that sound fun and delicious. I thought it was the grossest looking thing out there. McDonalds even calls it a ‘restructured boneless pork patty.’ Yum!

One of the reasons I think shower wall panels are (today at least) a vastly undersold product in the United States is because many systems are (literally) made out of a mold. Now, hopefully it’s not the same mold as the McRib (but I guess you never know).

How realistic are fiberglass ‘faux tile’ walls or acrylic walls or solid surface walls for that matter? When you see real tile walls isn’t the grout joint a different color than the tile?

This lack of realism causes owners to say, ‘that product looks cheap.’ It’s not real and it doesn’t take a crack (no grout joint pun intended) detective to figure it out.

The cool thing today is you don’t have to settle for fake-looking any more.

My favorite – ultra-realistic – wall panels are the laminate units. You’ll feel the (faux) grout joint indented into the wall surface. It will be a different color than the tile or stone pattern.

Decorative accent black vertical - White contemporary high gloss with joints | Innovate Building Solutions | #DecorativeAccent #BathroomRemodeling #BlackVertical #ShowerDesign

Don’t put up with fake walls or fake ribs (McChomp) anymore!

Brutally honest tip #4 – Some contractors will tell you, “Go pound salt” if they’ve never installed the wall panel system you’d like to use. You’ll have to reduce their risk to get what you want.  

In retail you’ve heard ‘the customer is always right.’ Burger King tells you ‘have it your way.’

Well these nice, warm, fuzzy customer-friendly saying are all a bunch of ‘whoopty-hell’ (as the coach of the Cleveland Browns Freddie Kitchens would say) when it comes to shower wall panels.

Since our company wholesales wall panels across the country I’ve heard countless homeowners say, “Mike, our contractor told us they won’t install the wall panels I LOVE on your site because they’ve never installed them before. What can I do?”

Reduce contractor risk in remodeling | Innovate Building Solutions | #TakeRisk #RemodelingTips #InstallationTips

When you ask a contractor to ‘take a risk’ installing shower wall panels they’ve never worked with before, they flat out aren’t lovin’ this ‘new-fangled’ idea. They’re thinking about the following.

– Who’s going to pay for new panels if I screw up the cuts?

– How much should I charge for this? How long will it take?

– Will my field team mess this up or will I have to come in to do this job (and my time is in crazy-short supply to begin with)?

You see a new wall panel concept is often an unwanted ‘new path’ most contractors don’t want to travel down. So how you can you get what you want? I’d say take the risk out of the job for them.

You can do the following:

  • Offer to buy (once they approve the sizes) the panels yourself.
  • Find on-line videos showing how the product is installed.
  • Tell them if they make a cutting mistake, you’ll buy another panel for them.

The reality is, when you’re asking a contractor to do something new most won’t embrace your idea. They’ll only see RISK and a loss of RETURN. Make it as easy as possible. Don’t listen to the words of the Who song, “You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need.” You should get what you want, but in today’s tight construction availability market, you’ll have to make it easy for your contractor and take risk out.

Brutally honest tip #5 – Bath in a day makeover systems are junk (IMHO)    

I’m not a fan of the ‘One Day Bathroom Makeover.’ There you have it.

You’ve seen the ads EVERYWHERE. You’ll have a luxurious bathroom in a day. Well, I for one I don’t believe the hype and I’d call out the ‘Gimmick Police’ (if there is such a thing) on them. Here’s why.

First,  the bath in a day showers are made of 1/8” thin, cheap glossy acrylic systems. They not only look behind the times, they don’t scream luxury to me.

Second, the systems are often installed over old tile to save time and money. Since you don’t know (with 100% certainty) if there’s mold trapped behind the walls, you’re taking a risk with your family’s health. This is not a risk I’d recommend taking.

Laminate panels installed over OSB in a bath remodel | Innovate Building Solutions | #InstallationTips #BathroomRemodeling #LaminateWallPanels

No matter what wall panel system you use DO NOT go over old tile and say it will be fine. It doesn’t take long to get the tile down and know there’s no mold behind the wall.

As my Dad would say to me (if he was alive), “Don’t be penny-wise and pound foolish.”

Brutally honest tip #6 – Some wall panel systems are ‘old school.’ Don’t settle

You actually thought the powder blue leisure suit your Mom bought you in Junior High looked cool.

Your big hair and mullet WAS (emphasis on the ‘was’) stylish. Today, you wouldn’t be caught dead ‘sporting’ this ‘look,’ unless its for a retro-Halloween costume.

However, while you know trends come and go, I’ll bet you know someone who still thinks their ‘blast-from-the-past’ fashions look hot (in my case I’ve got my wife who gives me an ever-so-gentle-nudge letting me know when I’m looking a little long-in-the-tooth).

There are waaaay too many wall panel systems on the market which look out of style. Some use rounded recessed niches built from molds developed 30 years ago. Some panels (like acrylic) only come in glossy finishes (when the market today prefers matte).

Don’t remodel yourself in a bathroom time-warp which reminds others of a re-run of The Brady Bunch.

There are cool fashion-forward wall panels. However, I’ll tell you many of them are imported. I just love these sleek contemporary high gloss wall panels (made in Australia).

High gloss acrylic bathroom wall panels light blue color | Innovate Building Solutions | #HighGlossPanels #BathroomRemodeling #BlueBathroom

Or, what do you think about these modern minimalist cracked cement wall panels? These ‘bad-boys’ are flying off the shelf. They’re imported from Norway.

Cracked cement laminate wall panels with contemporary corner shelves | Innovate Building Solutions | #CornerCaddy #SoupHolder #BathroomRemodeling

Don’t settle for ‘old school’ wall panels. If you’re updating your bathroom do it right with panels which aren’t the equivalent of the ‘leisure-suit’ of yesteryear.

Brutally honest tip #7 – The more ‘behind-the-times’ the system is, the easier it will be to find an installer

I wish I could tell you it’ll be easy to find a shower wall panel contractor whose familiar with the hottest new systems. However, I’d be lying. Here’s the reality.

The more old-school the system is (acrylic, fiberglass and cultured marble wall panels please stand up), the simpler it will be to find an installer. And when you think about this it makes perfect sense. Since the products have been around it’s easier to find people to put them in.

Request Free Samples Today!

However, if you’re looking for fashion-forward shower wall panels (IMHO – the ones which fit this category are laminate wall panels, PVC composites and high gloss acrylics) you’ll need to be smarter to find qualified, installation-ready contractors. I would suggest asking your supplier the following:

  • Do you have installation videos I can get to my contractor (or look at myself) to get this project moving?
  • Do you know of trained installers or local shower wall panel dealers who can get this job done for me?
  • Can I call you for assistance before and during the project?

I’ll be flat-out honest with you. Cooler, newer products will be tougher. When you’re on the leading edge you’ll have more homework to get your project off the ground.

It’ll be worth it in the end, but you’ll need to be willing to put your research and learning elbow grease to work.

PVC shower wall panels with digital printing | Innovate Building Solutions | #PVCWallPanels #BathroomRemodeling #ShowerWallPanels

Conclusion

I hope being brutally honest hasn’t made you chuck the idea of using shower wall panels.

The reality is, like all remodeling projects, there are hurdles to work through. It’s always good to go into a job knowing reality vs. getting slapped in the face mid-stream with problems you didn’t anticipate.

I know shower wall panel selections can be daunting (after all our company has used 6 of them – to date) and not all systems are alike.

If you need help ‘sifting through the choices’ me and my team (including Georgia, Michelle, Ryan, Jeff, Kerry and Terry) would love to help. Call us on the numbers below or click the links.

‘Here’s one thing I’m going to promise you. I’ve got some very nice people who will help you, and here’s the big bonus. IMHO none of them are as wacky as me. How’s that for a selling point – ha! ha!

Seriously, we’d love to help.

Mike

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For Nationwide supply of tub and shower wall panels, shower enclosures and shower bases call Innovate Building Solutions at 877-668-5888. For a remodeling project in Cleveland contact Cleveland Design and Remodeling at 216-658-1270 or The Bath Doctor at 614-252-7294 in Columbus Ohio.

If you’re a remodeler or builder and want practical advice on remodeling products, industry trends, marketing and sales tips to grow your business (and cut day to day hassles), start reading my newest blog – Innovate Builders Blog. It’s packed with ideas you can use now. Click here to Sign Up for the Innovate Builders Blog.

If you’re in the building business, click here if you’d like to learn how to become a shower wall panel dealer or call and ask for Mike at 877-668-5888.

If you want more advice (or like wacky humor) follow me on LinkedIn @MikeFotiLinkedIn or on Twitter @Mike_Foti or my companies @InnovateBuild or @InnovateHomeOrg.


Mike Foti

President of Innovate Building Solutions a nationwide supplier and regional (Cleveland and Columbus) remodeling contractors. Some of our product lines include glass counters, floors, backsplashes, glass blocks and grout free shower and tub wall panels

Comments (16)

  • Hello, I live in the UK, do you have any links for installers using the same panels as you?
    So if I go into the dealer I would ask for laminate panels Yes?

  • Darlene – at this time we’re not shipping into Canada – but actually we’re looking into it. If you could get the product from us across the border we could price you – but we’d want to talk about what products you like and then give you a cost. Feel free to call us at 877-668-5888.

  • Hi
    I am researching for a complete bathroom reno and am looking for cost effective and durable shower panels back and 1 side, glass shower enclosure ( brushed nickel) and the base. My shower measurements could be 32-34” wide by 42-48”long. Can you please give me an approximate cost for everything I will need to complete my shower? I guess I should asked, do you ship to Ontario Canada?

  • Stacey – since there’s a ‘base profile’ at the bottom of the panels – you can use the panels without any tile at the bottom of the walls. For a wet room system, it’s recommend to waterproof behind the wall panel for about 12″ from the shower floor. Feel free to call us for more insights – Mike (887-668-5888)

  • We are putting a bathroom in a basement we are remodeling and we would like it to be a wet room. Seems like covering the walls with a good quality shower panel would be a great idea but I’m wondering how would you integrate with a tile floor? You could potentially tile up the wall a few inches? Thoughts?

  • Homer – I’ll plan to contact you – we do have some installing dealers who may be able to help, unless you’re looking to DIY the job and then we can supply products to you. If we miss connections feel free to call our office at 877-668-5888 (and thanks for reading the articles!). Mike

  • Mike. Homer Jones, again. I’m rebuilding a 1928 farm house, and needing wall panels for a small 6’6″ square (mostly) bath. I want to panel the two walls of a 36″ , two threshold corner shower. I know we want the groutless tile look, but, my Bride needs to see whats available. Is there a distributor between Dallas and Austin, TX, or, will i need to have it shipped? Enjoy your articles.h

  • Coleen – I’m going to send you an email and if you can give me an idea of what product(s) you like and the size of your shower, bathroom or tub I will be glad to get you pricing. Thanks for reading! Mike

  • Hi, I like what I am seeing and reading but like most people I do my own upgrades when I can. I have not seen any prices on your sight so I can’t begin to get a picture of cost. Please send me something I can work with on an order..
    Thanks
    Coleen. Majchrowicz

  • Anna – I guess you can tell what era I grew up in as well! When I’m writing I can never tell what’s going to cross my mind. Hey – what do I need to do though to get my ‘baby boomers license back?” Mike

  • Tsk, tsk, tsk. How could you?

    “You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need”

    That is the Stones.
    We’re taking away your baby boomer license.
    Anna

  • Karen – yes the laminate panels can be cut (with standard woodworking equipment) to go around a window. We usually recommend to use a solid surface material to trim the window out. Feel free to call us if we can answer any further questions – Mike

  • Question about laminate panel install. We have window in shower/tub area. Planning on shower only. Can laminate be cut to go around window?

  • Where can you purchase the shampoo/soap dish in the picture of the cracked cement wall panel?
    If you want the ceiling to be covered too (like the walls) – how would you do that?

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