BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host 路 Longmont, CO 路 Member since 2014 路 7k+ posts 路 10k+ votes
I see so many comments that tile showers are better than shower inserts.
For ease of installation as well as cleaning and mold/mildew resistance, I like a shower insert better. While I'm taking a shower, I don't look around and think, "oh, it's just an insert, that's bad."
Why do people like tiled showers better, and does anyone have any recommendations for a tile-look shower insert?
You want something that's easy to clean and beautiful? Check out Tadelakt. We even made our own out of a Portland cement and sand mixture. It wasn't harder than skimming the walls and will last 500 years.
Is this product for floors, too or just for walls? This looks too good to be true! Does it go on top of cement board? Do you need to RedGuard the cement board prior to installation?
Yes you do the entire bathroom in it! It gives you a super custom look and costs a few hundred bucks if you're brave enough to do it yourself. When I do it I just stack two 2x4's as the transition between the shower floor and the rest of the bathroom floor, cover everything in cement board, then slap this junk on there. I usually pay a mason to do it. Then you pay a glass company to cut you a rectangle of glass for your 1/2 shower wall, and you're done. The trick is do it all in 1 coat. Multiple coats will flake off over time. But now your entire bathroom is water resistant! Here's our last project (we used cement tile for the floor, but this stuff works for floors too):
I used FRP as a surround on my last bathroom remodel (SFH rental). I ran it up the way up to the ceiling in the shower, and then put crown molding around the whole bathroom. I also used it to line the bottom of the kitchen and bath cabinets, and came up the sides about 4 inches, so if there's a leak it won't ruin the cabinet.
>I also used it to line the bottom of the kitchen and bath cabinets, and came up the sides about 4 inches, so if there's a leak it won't ruin the cabinet.
I've been lining our cheap big-box cabinet bottoms with lauan with a tough varnish proactively. This sounds far superior.
You can put FRP on your bathroom ceiling too. Easy to clean off the mold, if it even forms.
I wish this stuff was a little better looking, because it sure does solve a lot of problems.
A lot depends on the market you're in and the expectations of the grade of home a renter or buyer is willing to accept. From a practical standpoint- installation, maintenance, etc.- there's no difference. Tile can be tougher to maintain and repairs (such as the replacement of a leaking shower pan) will cost more. That's about all I can think of off the top of my head.
I work full-time as a maintenance guy at a property management company and we do these types of projects weekly!
Here is my two cents:
I love tiling. There is nothing better than a bathroom with a full-tile floor and walls. It adds aesthetics, clean-ability and durability. And, from a maintenance standpoint, is much easier to clean when the tenant moves out...and much harder to damage.
However, tile is much more expensive. Shower inserts are nice, look nice and provide water protection just like tile would at a fraction of the cost. The downside to shower inserts is that they look cheap fairly quickly - the caulking yellows and they can peel away from the wall when water gets behind it (water will get behind it)
At the end of the day, either option is good but I always push to do the tile. The unit just looks nicer. When a resident walks in and sees tile it immediately feels like a much more upscale unit.
Awesome posting! I myself feel that inserts work great in rentals in that they are much easier to clean and maintain for tenants than tiling. I leave the tiling for the flooring and a nice vanity and that seems to work for my area.
I actually prefer the look of a shower insert in most cases. I have seen too many showers that look terrible because of the choice of tile colour and pattern. At least an insert looks modern and elegant on it's own with no further work needed.
Maybe it boils down to, it depends. If i'm doing an upscale single family tile looks nicer. If its an apt complex, especially with a higher turnover, insert it is.
For us personally, I'm tired of regrouting my shower tiles, so I'll be putting an insert in soon.
As as beautiful as I think tile is, I despise cleaning grout and resealing it. We remodeled two bathrooms recently and have used these panels in both of them. I love them! Similar idea to FRP, but looks like high-end marble. They are panels you glue up. They have foam insulation on the back, so the walls are room temperature to touch, and not cold like tile. They look way nicer than an insert. We bought a tub for one bathroom, and a very sturdy shower base for another bathroom, and glue these bad boys up. You will have to caulk the joints, but we've had one of them done for two years and it's still going strong. The panels are vinyl, the same thing as a white vinyl fence you see outside. Very easy to clean. Very easy to install. Very easy on the eyes.
This company is located near Provo Utah, but they do ship. I don't know if shipping is affordable or not. For our bathtub, which is a larger than standard, I think the insert was around $425. Our 5x3 shower we took the panels to the ceiling, the insert was around $800. They come with trim.
If I new how to insert a picture I would 馃槀 I'm new.
Well....if we are throwing looks off the table as an opinion thing (I would not!, then I would highlight as someone mentioned earlier that tile last longer. Granted it has slightly more ongoing maintenance than a surround but negligable. But for me a surround flexes and sometimes makes that cracking fiberglas sound and it just feels cheaper. I suppose that's because it is cheaper!
With that being said, if the budget is tight and the area is starter home style neighborhood, go for it! But if other houses are offering tiled bathrooms and you're the only one skimping out, you'll loose out on more money than it would've cost to just do tile.
All I see here are people talking about inserts or tile. There is a good third option with a price point in between the two. Cultured marble. no grout lines. solid flat surfaces that are easy to clean. Comes in lots of different styles and colors. Of course cost depends on the tile or style you choose and if you are doing the install yourself. Typically with Cultured marble, the company that you buy from installs it.
Me personally will avoid inserts. They just seem to make things look cheap and they chip or break easy. They do have there place, but Im not a fan.
I think it totally depends on the price of the house. I'm doing a fiberglass insert in the basement of a rental but with the value of the house approaching $500k, I don't think I would
put one in the upstairs. I'm a broker and I feel it is a cheaper way to go which it is. It's okay in certain situations but it can hurt resale value. Just my opinion.
Certainly the tenants for your market or resale determine the tile vs insert. FHA would rate a quality tile job with a 99year lifespan which adds to the appraised value. A benefit for BRRR refi or Flip. Surprised by the lack of confidence to get a good tile job done. There are cleaners and sealers that outperform the big chain convenience stores at the better tile/granite stores. Cleans walked in grime over 7yrs by 5kids,,,spray, wait, scrub, rinse, done. Seals for a year even with a hole in the liner of a shower big enough to put a finger through.
