great question, I also have awful well water; sometimes wish for a cast iron shower. :-)

Solid surface, no question.

The only problem is the product says it's made from solid surface. NO other details. What does that mean? It's not cheap either. It's a product called Style selections shower walls sold by Lowe's. Just the three walls will be around $2100 without the floor, fixtures, plumbing, etc.

I have the same problem, so I put in porcelain tile with epoxy grout. It appears to be bomb proof. I scrub with softscrub when needed (not too often), and spray with clorox/water mixture to kill the mold if it grows, then just rinse. I'd never have fiberglass or acrylic shower again.

Mold and mildew cannot survive on solid surface. Not even AIDS.

This is probably why it is specified for hospital operating rooms instead of tile or stone.

This post was edited by Trebruchet on Wed, Feb 19, 14 at 7:02

I'm planning a bathroom refresh and will be using a solid surface tub/shower surround while keeping the ceramic tile in the rest of the room. I'm basing the choice on my solid surface (Corian) kitchen countertop which looks like new after almost 25 years.

I have a fiberglass shower stall in my second bath. It's about 20 years old and while it hasn't leaked there are a few hairline cracks and the white color seems to have yellowed a bit over the years. It definitely has a cheaper look compared to other surfaces available, IMO.

Can't speak to hard well water since I'm on city (Chicago) water.

Slab solid surface. Doesn't matter whether it's low-end cultured marble/granite or high-end Silestone. Non-porous and impervious. No way that any tile even comes close.

My DH says using the solid surface surround was the hands-down best decision we made in our 2003 remodeling.

You can use CLR on the scale with solid surface walls, no problem.

I love the CM tub surround in one of our bathrooms. I plan to put the same CM on two walls of a corner shower. Is there some less expensive similar material I can use for the shower pan. This will be about 34 X 34, so not the standard 36 X 36. I want a low curb.

We have solid surface around on our vanity and hard water has not worked well with it.

I love the look of tiles but I tell my DH never again. I hate, hate, hate trying to keep grout clean. We are definitely doing some sort of slab or solid surface in our retirement home. I'll be totally over housework by then. Lol

Suzy Kennedy:

What brand specifically, please?

Solid Surface

Here's the very latest in one-piece wall tile from Coverings '17 if your shower doesn't exceed 39". If it's bigger, you'd only have a single vertical grout line. Very light and very strong with the mesh backer:

Easiest to clean:

What is that Zero3?

Something like Corian or Quartz or Dekton/Neolith, or?

It is a very large format tile; you can see the 39" at the top of the picture. It's probably 96" long at least. What makes it different is it's thickness; it's only about 1/8" and it has a fiberglass mesh backer. This makes it much lighter and easier and safer to handle. This lowers contractor's risk, which saves consumers money.

So porcelain slabs? How's it different from Neolith or Dekton?

So is it an issue if the walls aren't totally straight?

"So porcelain slabs?"

I think so.

"How's it different from Neolith or Dekton?"

They aren't designed to be lightweight. These are designed for vertical applications.

"So is it an issue if the walls aren't totally straight?"

That's the great thing about solid panel walls as opposed to tile with grout. The walls are easily shimmed to flat, plumb, and square before the panels are installed.

OK, where do I sign up? And what do you use for the shower floor then?

At our last house, we did a pour base, Kerdi, and tile for our shower. We used a squeegee after every shower. We still had issues with keeping the grout clean.

Add me to the list of practicality over appearance for the next bath remodel.

Hehe, I don't "mind" this look (slim slab porcelain)