Tub surrounds--what's your preference?

[drizzt]

We need to redo our tub surround. I followed the mold on the caulk up under the tiles which turned out to be all soggy mastic and crumbling plaster underneath. Fortunately, there's concrete board under the plaster so at least we won't have to redo that. Don't ask me why they decided to plaster over the concrete board and under the tiles.

Our replacement choices are basically either more tile in a proper thinset cement this time or a Fiberglas=AE tub surround. We've had bad past experiences with tile in thinset--the cement crumbled and it was a bear to remove the whole mess. We've also not had terrific experiences with fiberglas--I think it looks cheap to start with and looks permanently grubby within a couple of years and it leaked eventually, too.

So what would your first choice for a shower surround be? What's the most waterproof choice out there?

-- Caren

[Frank Boettcher]

For good looks at a reasonable price, I prefer cultured marble.

[Dick]

We have been very happy with our fake marble enclosures. We have also been very unhappy with tiles that eventually leak and get moldy. The enclosure in our shower and tub look like some kind of synthetic marble. They are in 3 pieces. One for each wall. I can't imagine that it will ever leak. Not as elegant as tile, but sure doesn't have the problems of tile either. And it still looks beautiful after 15 years.

[drizzt]

Thanks. I'll have a trot by Lowes on the way home to see what it looks like.

-- Caren

[Art]

If money is no object:

Our replacement choices are basically either more tile in a proper thinset cement this time or a Fiberglas® tub surround. We've had bad past experiences with tile in thinset--the cement crumbled and it was a bear to remove the whole mess. We've also not had terrific experiences with fiberglas--I think it looks cheap to start with and looks permanently grubby within a couple of years and it leaked eventually, too.

So what would your first choice for a shower surround be? What's the most waterproof choice out there?

-- Caren

[drizzt]

No thanks--I remember what our Corian kitchen counters cost.

-- Caren

[jstp]

We used acrylic panels and are very happy with the appearance after 8 years. At the time, we were told that fiberglass would not hold up as well, which is why we decided to use acrylic even though it was more expensive.

[Red Neckerson]

When I'm in the tub, I like to be surrounded by cold beer and topless women.

[Bob]

When you're not in the tub, can you send them to my house?

[Dr. Hardcrab]

When are they due back at the kennel?

[Random Netizen]

Our tub surround is cultured marble. Each side is one solid piece, with trim pieces siliconed into the corners. It's about as waterproof as you can get. Because it's a "manufactured" stone (marble dust mixed with a resin), it's much cheaper than getting "real" marble.