ᐅ Plaster instead of tiles in the bathroom

Hello everyone,

We are currently in the middle of planning our bathroom and are still undecided whether to use tiles or an alternative for the shower and walls.

The lady likes this gray plaster (see picture) quite a lot. I assume it is a kind of mineral plaster?

Does anyone have experience with it and can share some information regarding

- Maintenance?
- Costs?
- Installation compared to tiles?
- Durability?

Thanks in advance,

Best regards, Chris

This will be a full-surface tile.
Cost: unaffordable for me, but also disproportionate.

Agreed, the picture appears to show a tile. However, there are also seamless materials with acrylic content that can be applied to walls and floors. We considered this option but decided against it because we did not want to use plastic.

This could be a large tile or a wall panel with a concrete look, for example made of Alucobond. Another option could be a sealed decorative plaster, such as Beton Ciré with a protective coating. Alternatively, simply genuine exposed concrete with a sealant is possible.

I also think it is a large-format tile.
Regarding the costs: Such a large-format tile costs
240 x 120 cm (94 x 47 inches) €700
320 x 160 cm (126 x 63 inches) €1000
fully installed (including cutting / holes and installed by the tiler).
For the other costs like fixtures / showerhead / bathtub, the prices are quite reasonable.

I would also assume that the picture shows a tile.

We installed "béton ciré" in the shower. This is a cement-based skim coat that becomes waterproof at a thickness of 2-3mm (0.08-0.12 inches). It works perfectly.

Costs are difficult to estimate. The material can be found online for about €50/m² (approximately $5 per square foot), but the application—depending on the desired look—is not straightforward. Specialized contractors quoted around €250/m² (approximately $23 per square foot) for a complete job, which is roughly comparable to large-format tiles.