Hello forum,
Here’s the situation:
We want to install wood-effect tiles in our bathroom (about 10m² (108 sq ft)). Specifically, the Etic Pallissandro tiles (dark brown).
We were also planning to use them in our walk-in shower (100 x 140 cm (39 x 55 inches)).
At the time, we agreed with our sanitary supplier on a centered, round drain. We didn’t think much of it, just assumed “yes, that works, let’s move on to the important stuff.” After all, it’s just a drain.
Our tiler recently told us that with long, narrow tiles—as is usually the case with wood-effect tiles—he would advise against a centered, round drain, because you end up with a lot of ugly (especially diagonal) grout lines to achieve the slope. It looks bad and is costly.
He said: either mosaic tiles, 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 inches) (which don’t require diagonal grout lines), or large-format tiles (which only need about four grout lines and look better overall).
Or, of course, we could choose a linear shower drain installed at the end of the shower floor. This way, the entire shower floor can be sloped properly, even with wood-effect tiles, without diagonal grout lines.
Inquiry with the sanitary supplier revealed: a 600 EUR surcharge if we switch from the centered drain to the linear drain. Unbelievable!
Since we don’t find that reasonable, we want to stick with the centered drain.
Our tile dealer says the only large-format tiles available (100 x 100 cm (39 x 39 inches)) are cement-effect, which doesn’t go well with the wood look (we tried it, really doesn’t match).
We were also advised against mosaics because they have even more grout lines, which are harder to clean and where dirt accumulates.
The last alternative would be a shallow ceramic shower tray again, but that will probably be even more expensive.
Do you see any other options, or what would you do?
Is mosaic really that bad when it comes to maintenance?
Here’s the situation:
We want to install wood-effect tiles in our bathroom (about 10m² (108 sq ft)). Specifically, the Etic Pallissandro tiles (dark brown).
We were also planning to use them in our walk-in shower (100 x 140 cm (39 x 55 inches)).
At the time, we agreed with our sanitary supplier on a centered, round drain. We didn’t think much of it, just assumed “yes, that works, let’s move on to the important stuff.” After all, it’s just a drain.
Our tiler recently told us that with long, narrow tiles—as is usually the case with wood-effect tiles—he would advise against a centered, round drain, because you end up with a lot of ugly (especially diagonal) grout lines to achieve the slope. It looks bad and is costly.
He said: either mosaic tiles, 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 inches) (which don’t require diagonal grout lines), or large-format tiles (which only need about four grout lines and look better overall).
Or, of course, we could choose a linear shower drain installed at the end of the shower floor. This way, the entire shower floor can be sloped properly, even with wood-effect tiles, without diagonal grout lines.
Inquiry with the sanitary supplier revealed: a 600 EUR surcharge if we switch from the centered drain to the linear drain. Unbelievable!
Since we don’t find that reasonable, we want to stick with the centered drain.
Our tile dealer says the only large-format tiles available (100 x 100 cm (39 x 39 inches)) are cement-effect, which doesn’t go well with the wood look (we tried it, really doesn’t match).
We were also advised against mosaics because they have even more grout lines, which are harder to clean and where dirt accumulates.
The last alternative would be a shallow ceramic shower tray again, but that will probably be even more expensive.
Do you see any other options, or what would you do?
Is mosaic really that bad when it comes to maintenance?
We have the Bette Flor mentioned earlier, with a central drain. Even there, water tends to accumulate quite quickly. Also, it’s not easy to clean thoroughly. Besides hair clogging the strainer, soap residues probably build up somewhere in the pipes because the pipes first run about 80cm (31 inches) without much slope towards the wall. A drain closer to the wall would likely be better.
An advantage of tiles might be the easier integration of underfloor heating.
As an alternative to the two options—tiles or an enameled shower tray—there are also showers made of mineral cast.
An advantage of tiles might be the easier integration of underfloor heating.
As an alternative to the two options—tiles or an enameled shower tray—there are also showers made of mineral cast.
Musketier schrieb:
We have the previously mentioned Bette Flor shower tray with a central drain. Even there, water tends to accumulate quite quickly. Also, it’s not easy to clean properly. Besides hair clogging the strainer, soap residue probably builds up in the pipes because the pipes run about 80cm (32 inches) along the wall without much slope. A drain closer to the wall would probably work better.
One possible advantage of tiles is the easier integration of underfloor heating.
As an alternative to both tiles and enamel shower trays, there are also mineral casting showers.That’s true... Our shower drain is first routed toward the toilet, about 2m (6.5 feet) until it runs vertically down the wall. I’ve never questioned that before.
The linear drain would then be placed all the way to the left, even further away...
Underfloor heating wasn’t installed under the shower, apparently due to technical reasons.
Maybe it’s due to the design of the drain that soap residue tends to build up there. I usually tap both feet on the standing water at the drain. The resulting pressure seems to loosen it a bit, and it works better again for a few days.
After reading my post again, I noticed something:
After reading my post again, I noticed something:
Musketier schrieb:This refers to the drain, not the shower in general.
And it’s hard to clean, that thing.
We have a channel drain and mosaic tiles.
What kind of wall tiles do you have? Hopefully not wood as well?
We also have wood-look tiles on the floor, the walls are gray, and the floor mosaic matches perfectly. It looks stylish. Having the shower in wood would have looked strange.
What kind of wall tiles do you have? Hopefully not wood as well?
We also have wood-look tiles on the floor, the walls are gray, and the floor mosaic matches perfectly. It looks stylish. Having the shower in wood would have looked strange.
On the wall: light cream color.
I also like the look of mosaic tiles. The concern is mainly about the maintenance effort because of the many grout lines. We were told that water would remain there and not drain properly, as no tiler could manage to grout and install it perfectly 100%.
I can also well imagine wood-look tiles on the shower floor, which would create a uniform appearance.
I also like the look of mosaic tiles. The concern is mainly about the maintenance effort because of the many grout lines. We were told that water would remain there and not drain properly, as no tiler could manage to grout and install it perfectly 100%.
I can also well imagine wood-look tiles on the shower floor, which would create a uniform appearance.
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