Shower Wall Material - Concrete??

I showed a house last week, which was custom built for a retired couple, who didn't care about resale because they were going to live in it until they died. (It was vacant, and they didn't die.) The house will need a miracle, or a lot of remodeling, in order to sell it. Even if you don't plan on selling it, it is best to consider the future ability to sell when building it.

Just the thought of the concrete shower being freezing cold in the winter time, would make me not want to get in the shower until spring. I also think it would be pricey to do concrete walls in a shower as you would likely have to pour them flat in sections, then move into shower and mount, which, depending on the size of the opening and the weight of the concrete, may require making many sections and piecing together. Also, concrete is porous so it could lead to mold problems behind the shower walls.

Hmmm, interesting.

I guess the answer would have to do partially with what 'look' you were willing to achieve and the amount of labor you can do yourself but if you want the look of a concrete shower and are willing to try doing it yourself -

1) Install a quality waterproofing membrane. Available at Lowes or Home Depot and I would do a little research first -type in "shower waterproofing membrane" in any search engine and get up to speed on what products are out their and how to install them properly.

2) Install 1/2" Durock over the membrane to act as a substrate for the concrete.

3) Hand trowel (ie DIY) a stucco (high sand content) concrete mix over the Durock. You may consider using a waterproof concrete mix (also available at Lowes or HD) for extra protection but be aware that this mix sets up very quick and so you would need to work fast and only do small sections at a time.

4) Be aware that if you DIY, the finish will probably be uneven in both surface and color -this can look ok as long as you are comfortable with the 'hand finished' look.

5) Seal concrete after about 7 days with a sealer.

6) Concrete will crack slightly through thermal expansion, curring shrinkage, and movement of the underlying structure so you will need to re-apply a sealer every so often.

Let us know how it turns out if you try it.

What about Glass Block walls? This is something you can do yourself and you could also design the walls to fit your fancy?

Glass blocks won't work I'm afraid as we are wanting something more earthy looking. Thx though.

It seems that concrete is the rage in many ways - concrete floors, countertops, etc...that's what got me thinking along these lines and aren't tiles pretty cold too? They sure seem so in this apartment when I walk on them w/out slippers.

I'm ok with a little of the homemade look to it. It adds charm and uniqueness. I have seen so many showers that look the same and are of the same usual material. Now that I think about it, for our house anyway (Energy Star home and much home spun to it) it might add to resale should it happen when we get too old to live there or we pass on - lol it won't be ours forever that's true. Who knows what will be "in" by then. So the more basic and classic the best. A design that is timeless...

Thanks for tips - I'm going to keep looking on internets and see what I come up with.... More than likely we will tile. Has anyone used LARGE tiles for their shower? Seems like less work and the look would be more like a "natural" stone shower..... the theme is Asian and with no fuss, very basic.

Alot of people are doing large tiles in showers these days - 12x12, 18x18, large rectangles etc. Typically larger tile is cheaper.

It all depends on the shower, the tile selected, and MOST IMPORTANTLY where the joints go! Drives me nuts when you have large tile w/ the corner cut out and stuck back on to accommodate the fixtures.

Have you looked at a pre-fab acrylic or fiberglass enclosure? Not cheap, but might be an easy way to go.

Alot of people are doing large tiles in showers these days - 12x12, 18x18, large rectangles etc. Typically larger tile is cheaper.

It all depends on the shower, the tile selected, and MOST IMPORTANTLY where the joints go! Drives me nuts when you have large tile w/ the corner cut out and stuck back on to accommodate the fixtures.

Have you looked at a pre-fab acrylic or fiberglass enclosure? Not cheap, but might be an easy way to go.

Well the dimensions are not of the norm so like the one's at HD and Lowe's are out. We could order the Swanstone, just haven't seen that in person...

Man this house building is so full of decisions, but one by one they are getting done.

Agreed on tile placement. My dh and I are slightly OCD so placement MUST be just right or everytime I showered I'd be staring at the mistake. I can hone in on something not just right and it drives me nuts. A good/bad thing. I ordered a tile book that my friend used and maybe that will give us the courage to just do it. But still open to anyone w/more concrete or indoor stucco ideas.

Thanks SB.

G

There is a great local company that is the first I had ever heard of doing this type of concrete. I am sure they would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

There is a great local company that is the first I had ever heard of doing this type of concrete. I am sure they would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

WOW....beautiful work. If I were building a house I would sure go this route.

I love the white/blue flecked floor! That would make a gorgeous shower wall.

We are doing the stained concrete floor in the aqua See Kemiko stain chart. We are staining it ourselves. WISH US LUCK! Soft blue w/undertones of green.


http://www.concretestainanddesign.com/id8.html

Thanks for link on Neocrete so that others might find them too.

G

meaning to say downstairs floor not shower floor

It may not be exciting, but cultured marble shower is so economical and maintenance free. Simple white. You could put a tile accent around it. Save your big bucks for the kitchen countertops where you live the most.

It may not be exciting, but cultured marble shower is so economical and maintenance free. Simple white. You could put a tile accent around it. Save your big bucks for the kitchen countertops where you live the most.

That is still in the running LVT!

Thanks!

G

So neighborly of you all

Finish with western red ceader, go online and look at do-it-yourself sauna kits that come complete with air vent instruction and heating element.

Combo shower / sauna. Affordable and an upgrade to the house.

We found a company that does a waterproof plaster for shower walls and any walls for that matter. It is applied w/trowel. But we are going to go ahead and tile.

Thanks for any help and ideas

G