Rental Property Investor · Racine IL · Member since 2017 · 41 posts · 15 votes
I'm remodeling about 10 bathrooms and I wanted to know if I should use subway tile or fake marble shower walls. My PM's construction company has currently been doing subway tile, however I noticed the hotel I was at was using shower walls and I thought they looked nice. Something like this:
Does anyone have an opinion on the walls? If so what product would you recommend? C+ Property that I'd like to be a solid B class within a year. B/B- neighborhood.
Real Estate Broker · 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546 · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 5k+ votes
8y
@Larry Frank I think subway tile is pretty in right now. I would definitely trend that direction myself. Shower surrounds are pretty much out in most nicer rentals that I see (although not in hotels interestingly enough).
Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
@Larry Frank we have done remodels in b+-a neighborhood. We primarily do showers entirely fiberglass with nice doors. We deal with Ferguson. When we can get 1 pc. In we do that.
I think either of your options are nice, but I like not worrying about a tenant cleaning grout and the potential for leaks.
Our bathroom walls are half tiled, nice vanity with as spacious a granite countertop as possible. I find that the spacious and nice vanity area is more a draw.
@Larry Frank we have done remodels in b+-a neighborhood. We primarily do showers entirely fiberglass with nice doors. We deal with Ferguson. When we can get 1 pc. In we do that.
I think either of your options are nice, but I like not worrying about a tenant cleaning grout and the potential for leaks.
Our bathroom walls are half tiled, nice vanity with as spacious a granite countertop as possible. I find that the spacious and nice vanity area is more a draw.
Good luck
Thank you. It looks like consensus is more of a tile. Would you mind sending me a few pics of your bathroom? Maybe I can copy some of the designs.
Contractor · Oxford, MA · Member since 2018 · 807 posts · 745 votes
8y
Those shower wall systems are over priced crap. They're sheets of fiberglass that have tons of potential for problems down the road. I have installed a couple now because clients insisted on them. I love the look of subway and I am installing a TON of it for clients but it is costly (about 2-3x labor cost for 12x12 tiles or larger) to install. Make sure you get good grout sealer and it should be fine for a few years as long as the tenant is lazy and doesn't scrub the grout or just toss bleach on it to wear away the sealer. The sealer I am using now claims a 15 year life span. I doubt that, but it is going to be a long time before I can call them on their BS claim.
Rental Property Investor · Red Bank, NJ · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8y
@Bryan Devitt I have found that the shower panels sold at HD and Lowes are not even fiberglass, but a plastic. Coupled with a base that is supported by foam and not cemented in- they fail after a few years. I have been very happy with Fergusons offerings- much thicker and stronger.
That's my one piece- sturdy as they come- this is not what they sell retail.
@Bryan Devitt I have found that the shower panels sold at HD and Lowes are not even fiberglass, but a plastic. Coupled with a base that is supported by foam and not cemented in- they fail after a few years. I have been very happy with Fergusons offerings- much thicker and stronger.
That's my one piece- sturdy as they come- this is not what they sell retail.
The system I was referring to is the panels the OP was talking about I believe. They're flat panels with little plastic pieces for all the joints. You have to glue them to the wall and clamp them in place and caulk all the joints and hope they don't fail. It's a crap show and they're not cheap systems. The last one cost as much as what I quoted them to install tile.
Investor · Tallmadge, OH · Member since 2015 · 258 posts · 275 votes
8y
We do tile surrounds in all of our B+ rentals, but go with large format tiles - they are far cheaper and faster to install than the subway tile, and there are a lot less grout lines to keep clean. We also always use a dark colored grout. I attached a pic - nothing fancy, but tenants love it!