Selecting the best tiles for your bathroom walls is a big deal. You would love to opt for tiles that are not slippery yet easy to clean and maintain. So the question is, what is the best material for bathroom shower tiles?
Glass and ceramic tiles are the most common materials suitable for shower walls. Nonetheless, natural stones, Fiberglass, and acrylic can be perfect substitutes.
If you’re still undecided about which material to settle for, you should keep reading. This post sheds more light on each material option, listing its pros and cons. With this, you can easily settle for suitable materials for your bathroom walls.
What Material Should I Use for Shower Walls?
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There are several excellent options for shower walls. Once you have their ups and downs, you can decide which is the best tiling material for shower spaces.
Below are tiling options you can find for your shower walls.
Glass Tiles
Glass tiles are every homeowner’s pick for a bathroom tiling job. These tiles are excellent for showers walls because of their protective surfaces. Additionally, these tiles are made to be waterproof; therefore, moisture doesn’t affect them.
Aside from this, they’re easy to clean. It only takes suitable cleaning agents and water to get the job done. Despite this, they’re durable and can last for a very long time without needing replacement.
Glass tiles are produced from recycled materials; thus, they’re eco-friendly. In other words, when they start to deteriorate, they don’t release any harmful substances into the earth.
On the other hand, these tiles are costly compared to other options. It’s also not advisable to try installing these tiles yourselves. The installment needs precision, meaning that it’s a job best left for a professional to handle.
Glass tiles also come in various sizes, shades, and patterns. This makes it easy to find one that blends with your bathroom.
Ceramic tiles are another fantastic option for your bathroom walls. They come in various colors, designs, and textures like glass tiles. Therefore, it’s easy to find an option suitable for your bathroom’s overall design.
These styling options are also very durable and can add a unique touch to your bathing space. Maintaining these tiles is a straightforward task. All you’ll need is a piece of cloth and the proper cleaning agent to keep your ceramic tiles in the best shape.
Unlike glass tiles, they’re quite affordable, making them one of the best options for homeowners. Ceramic tiles are also easy to install, so you might not need a professional to handle the job for you.
The best part of using ceramic tiles is their water-resistant quality. These styles do an excellent job of keeping moisture away, making them last longer than their counterparts.
Natural Stones
Natural stones are materials that you can’t help but love. Combining different-looking stones to form a wall of its own produces one of the best effects homeowners have ever seen.
Natural stones are best if you’re looking to achieve a more comfortable and natural setting in your bath space. They’re also one of the strongest options for bathroom walls. Aside from this, the stones’ surfaces are absorbent, meaning they can handle excess moisture.
These stones are also available in a wide range of designs, allowing you to choose any style you want for your bathroom. Plus, they are timeless, so you’ll never have to change them once installed properly.
The downside to this option is its cost. These stones come at a heavy price, making them less affordable for homeowners.
They are also very selective of the walls they can fit onto. This is because natural stones are quite heavy. If your wall is not strong enough, the stones might cause it to collapse.
Fiberglass
If you’re looking for a simple, cost-effective do-it-yourself option, Fiberglass is the best material for you. This is a factory-based element, manufactured as one sheet that you can install in a few easy steps.
Fiberglass sheets are also thick, making them good noise insulators. Even better, these sheets eliminate the use of grout to finish your tiling jobs, unlike other material options.
Fiberglass is a very durable option for bathroom walls. This material can last a long time if kept in good shape. The only problem is that you have to recoat them at least every five years to keep them looking new.
Acrylic
Acrylic materials are a very affordable option for homeowners. They are strong enough for use and are light options that don’t put weight on your brick walls.
Its sheets are made to stand wear and tear, meaning they’ll be around for a while once you install them correctly. They’re also quite easy to install, though it’s a job best left for a professional.
Using this option limits you to specific designs and patterns. This is because you can’t find this material in many colors and styles.
Which Natural Stone Is Best for Shower Walls?
Once you decide that natural stones are the most suitable option for your walls, your next question will be, “which stone?” There are several natural stones for you to choose from, which might be difficult as they all look great.
Notwithstanding, there are only a few options that’ll do well in bathrooms. The first is marble stones.
Marble is a very common natural stone known for its class and unique appearance. With this, it makes your bathroom looks simply amazing.
Though expensive, it’s easy to maintain in the long run. Marble requires no special cleaning agent to shine. You only need to get good quality cleaning products for cleaning walls.
Travertine is another natural stone that will make your bathroom look different. It’s a type of limestone formed by mineral deposits in springs. The stone mainly consists of calcite but mixes other minerals that give it a distinct character.
As a result, it’s good for damp places. Still, you have to make sure that your grout lines are tiny to avoid water from seeping into the stone.
Aside from these two options, you can use granite for your bathroom walls. Granite, strong and resistant to wear, comes in several colors. They’re also easy to wash and keep in good shape.
Which Bathroom Surface Material Is Easiest to Keep Clean?
From the list of options you can choose for your bathroom walls, Fiberglass is the easiest to clean. This material is fitted as one large sheet. In other words, they don’t have grout lines that need filling.
Plus, its form makes it easier for you to get the dirt off it. Since it’s a plane surface, you only need one wipe to remove dirt and grime.
To clean Fiberglass, you’ll need white vinegar, baking soda, a sponge, and a spray bottle.
Pour your white vinegar into the bottle and spray on the wall surface. Let the vinegar sit for an hour before you continue with the cleaning. Next, sprinkle your baking soda on the surface.
Wipe the fiberglass surface with the sponge, mixing the vinegar and baking soda. As you clean, the mixture will begin to foam slightly. When you’re done, rinse the walls with hot water and allow them to dry.
Though the easiest to clean, Fiberglass might not be your favorite option. However, you can settle for other bathroom wall materials, provided they’re suitable for your bathroom structure. Plus, other materials only need a little more effort than Fiberglass to keep them clean.
