What's the Best Material for Tiling a Shower?
Tiled showers are attractive, practical and a relatively inexpensive way to update your bathroom - but with so many options on today's market, it can be difficult to figure out which surface type to choose. To help you out, we've had a look at the major pros and cons of three of the most common shower tile materials.
Ceramic: Most shower tiles are ceramic, and there are some great reasons for that: it's light, it's affordable, it's easy to lay, and it comes in many shape or color options. If you'd like to play with shape and color in your shower tiles, ceramic is probably the right choice for you! They can sometimes break if anything heavy is dropped on them, but the good news is they're so easy to find and lay that a replacement won't be too difficult.
Glass: There's no denying that glass tiles are amongst the most beautiful choices you can make for any tiled surface, and using them to tile a shower is no exception. There's a shimmer and a sparkle to glass sets it apart, and it comes in a truly enormous range of shapes, styles and colours. Done well, a shower tiled in a glass mosaic pattern can be the focal point of your bathroom and one of the most attractive features in your home. This doesn't come without a price tag, however; glass tiles are probably the most expensive option on this list. They can be tricky to lay, too, and difficult to repair or replace once they're down. They also attract smudges and marks easily, and tend to need a lot of cleaning to stay looking their best.
Porcelain: While technically a subset of ceramic tile, porcelain tile is generally considered separately as it comes at a higher price point and has some different considerations. It's much more durable than ceramic tile, and tends to stay warmer underfoot. It's in general a much better choice for floor tiles (including tiled shower floors) than other ceramics as it's so much stronger, but in general you'll find that there's often not a compelling reason to choose porcelain over ceramic for a shower wall. Porcelain tiles tend to be extremely heavy, which can make laying them tricky. The lustre of their finish is second to none, though, and the effect they have on a room as a whole is often gorgeous.
To learn more about these or other tile options, contact companies like The Shower Doctor.
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