I’m supposed to be in the bathroom remodeling business. However, here’s the weird thing. I might have the smoothest hands in the remodeling business – although the ladies in my offices might disagree. How exactly does that happen? The reason is I’m motivated to learn about, write about, promote and sell DIY and professionally installed shower remodeling projects. When it comes to swinging a hammer or sweating in a shower valve (see I sound like a pro contractor now), installing shower surround panels etc., I’ll leave that to our team of (thankfully for our company) professional contractors. Ask my wife Rose about my ‘high level’ of home improvement motivation. She has to beg me for a few hours of time on the weekend to do stuff around the house.

DIY shower remodeling is not for me (although my wife will tell you I can blog and do laundry at the same time. She’s thankful for that).

However, I am fortunate to work with lots of people around the country designing shower systems. These people either need to get a project done themselves (but can’t find a qualified contractor in their town if their life depended on it), or just want to save the money (OK – I won’t call you a cheapskate here – oops – sorry I just did).

The problem becomes how do you motivate your spouse to take the plunge and get ‘er done. Let’s face it they would rather be golfing, playing cards, fishing or even take ballroom dancing lessons or yoga classes with you (OK – they’re not willing to go THAT far).

In this article my goal is to take a tongue and groove (‘er I mean tongue and cheek) look ….and a serious look also, at how to motivate your spouse, family member or friend to DIY your shower (or at least portions of it).

The reality today is it’s getting harder to find a contractor. Taking a hold of a project yourself may be the only way it’s going to get done. Let’s look at 5 ways to motivate someone (your spouse, significant ‘utter, friend, family member etc.) else to pull you through your shower remodeling project.

(note – these are not tile walls – they are grout free laminate wall panels!).

I love attending the International Builders Show and Kitchen and Bath Show for 3 reasons:

• I see the coolest and hottest building material products from around the world and get an inside look at innovative products being rolled out this year. Some of these products my companies – Innovate Building Solutions and Innovate Home Org – will launch in 2018.

• I get to see new inventions and meet passionate entrepreneurs launching the next wild and wacky construction products. Some of these ideas will fly – some will flame out – but I love thinkers, inventors and doers. It’s one thing which makes business fun (and shouldn’t business be more than just work – a little fun thrown in is a good idea in my book).

• I get to dump my winter coat for shorts. I HATE my huge winter coat I call “Big Red.” Traveling to Orlando Florida and feeling sunshine on my face and breaking out my shorts for a few days is a big-time blessing.

I’ll take you on a journey to explore 3 trends (and 7 wild and wacky products) to renovate, rethink or reimagine your home I saw at these two shows.  These ideas will help revive a tired home out of a fashion time-warp, will simplify your maintenance, ease your daily routine, and keep mess out of sight (in some fun and inventive ways). Some of these ideas you might think are a bit wacky – others you may love. Let’s dig in and see which are which.

Susan goes to neighborhood big-box store in search of shower wall panels to replace the tile shower she’s sick of cleaning. What she finds is NOT impressive. Plastic-looking, boring, wafer-thin white piles of junk she wouldn’t be caught dead with in her home. The guy in the orange smock was clueless on how to install these panels – once she was able to track him down. When she left – dejected and without a solution – she thought, “I guess this wouldn’t have worked anyway. The size of my shower is not a standard 36″, 48″ or 60″. I suppose I’ll settle for another high-maintenance tile shower.”

Can you relate to Susan’s story?

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation, misconceptions and just bad input about shower wall surround panels in the market. Sometimes this bad information comes from contractors who want to do what they “always” do – give you a tile shower (of course they don’t have to maintain it). Employees at big-box stores are well meaning. However, it’s impossible for them to be an expert on the options and installation details of the 35,000 SKU’s (stock keeping units) in their store. When you look at the shower wall panels the big-box stores carry they are mass-produced and of low quality.

How do you sift through what’s fact and fiction about shower wall panels and get a system which will work for you and is nice enough you’d want them in your home?

I’m here to blow up the misconceptions in the marketplace. I’ve seen too many homeowners get “coerced” by contractors (or received bad advice from part-time retail employees) and make bad shower remodeling (tiles and panels) choices they are stuck with for years.

In this article my goal is to help inform you about “fake news” when it comes to shower wall panels. At the end feel free to add misconceptions #11,12, 13 and 14 you’ve learned during your research. As Joe Friday on the old TV shower Dragnet might say, my goal is to provide you with, “Just the facts, ma’am.” Let’s check out the top 10 misconceptions (they are in no specific order) about shower wall panels.

Shower walls which are spongy, mold infested, cracking, have dirty tile joints or out of style are a real bummer to look at. What’s even worse is bad shower walls may be messing up your families’ health. For many people the options in shower walls are largely unknown, and in many cases their contractors and builders just want to install the “same old same old.” The common materials your contractors will often want to use are one-piece fiberglass shower surrounds (which are usually flat-out ugly – especially as your home ages) and/or tile (and you know the contractor who installed your tile IS NOT the guy who has to worry about cleaning it – that would be YOU!).

Whether you’re looking to do a DIY remodel on your bathroom or hire a contractor it will pay you (especially in lower maintenance bills) to know how to make sure your shower walls are built to last (whether you’ve decided on a tile surround, fiberglass unit or one of many grout free shower wall panel systems). In this article I’ll give you 4 sure-fire strategies to make sure your shower walls will stand the test of time. Let’s dig in!

If you’re like me…. a big fan of contemporary design…. you know finding a modern bathroom and kitchen wall panel system – instead of having to use tile – can be a difficult process. That’s why I was blown away to find an optical grade high gloss acrylic wall panel system a couple of years ago at the International Builders Show. This sleek, contemporary and Euro-inspired look was a magnet for my eyes. It was the type of innovative building product I felt homeowners in the United States would just love.

That’s how my journey with high gloss wall panels (which are used predominately for luxury showers, bath surrounds and modern kitchen backsplashes) began. While I knew taking on a new (and largely unknown in the U.S. market) line would be fun, I understood there was going to be a lot of explaining to do so people would know where and how to use this product. In the article below let’s dig a bit deeper into the frequently asked questions about high gloss bath, kitchen and feature wall panels to unlock the mystery for you.

High gloss acrylic wall panels in a red color

If you’re an architect, designer, custom builder or homeowner you may be familiar with the concept of coloring the reverse side of a piece of glass to achieve a clean, contemporary and easy to clean wall surface, but you may not have heard about an alternative product – high gloss acrylic walls. While both of these materials can make a dramatic impact for a backsplash or shower in a home (or feature wall or boardroom application in an office) they each have distinct advantages which can impact which material is best for a specific project.

Kitchen backsplash in blue atoll color

If you’re tired of the look and maintenance hassle of ceramic tile and grout joints you’re not alone! While tile is still very popular, for those wanting low maintenance, contemporary kitchen and bath designs are steering towards new choices like high gloss acrylic walls. Learn more below about this product and its top 5 benefits.

Grout free high gloss acrylic shower wall panels in a modern bathroom

OK – you’re looking for the perfect grout free tub or shower wall panel system and I have to start this article out by telling you there is no perfect system – bummer! What I can explain to you is there are a lot of options (a good thing) with different strengths and weaknesses inherent for each system.

Using frequently asked questions we’ll explore below the advantages and disadvantages of grout free shower and tub wall options.