For many years homeowners have been limited to two basic products for the construction of their bath or shower: ceramic tile or fiberglass. We all know the problems with ceramic tile: hard to keep clean, failing grout lines and loose tile. Why does this happen? The problem is that the tile grout lines are made from epoxy and sand and therefore porous. Over time this allows moisture to get behind the tiles and eventually causes them to fail.
Along these same lines, this is also why you see mildew “growing” on the grout lines because they are always moist. The alternative to tile is generally Fiberglass and is the preferred product for new home builders. You can probably guess why: it’s relatively cheap to install. However most homeowners are not thrilled with their fiberglass shower and say it is difficult or impossible to clean, stains & cracks easily and just looks cheap. So much for traditional remodeling products – there must be a better way, right?
Now comes acrylic. In the 1980′s a new product and system was developed to meet the demanding needs of the hotel industry. Shower units had to be replaced and updated continuously. The process had to be quick and the costs low. Also the product had to be able to take a lot of abuse. What they finally hit upon was a non-porous space age product called Acrylic.
Acrylic was perfect for bathroom applications being naturally slip resistant, mildew & mold resistant, doesn’t stain and won’t chip, crack, peel or fade. The only problem was most of the original products designed to meet the hotel industry were intended to be installed “quick and cheap”. After all they would often be able to install 3-4 units per day. If you have ever come across a “low end” tub liner in a hotel then you know exactly what we mean.
The solution is a premium acrylic product called Bathwraps – which can be vacuum formed into replacement tubs & shower pans as well as various colors and styles of wall panels and accessories. The manufacturer of Bathwraps found a way to use the bath remodeling concept originally designed for hotels in the 80′s and redesigned a high quality version that was appropriate for residential homes. This new patented installation system is high tech and guaranteed to last forever.
The reason they are called Bathwraps is that the acrylic wall panels can be installed over existing ceramic tile as long as it is in relatively good shape and not coming off the wall. So these non-porous acrylic wall panels may be molded and “wrapped” to fit almost any bathroom configuration. This saves a significant amount of time instead of removing all the old tile and installing new and is why most jobs can be installed so much quicker than using traditional materials.
Most installations are installed in 1-2 days, but we are more concerned about doing the job right than doing the job quick. Be wary of any company who guarantees the job will be done “in one day” or “the next day” after you place your order. There is usually a reason why so be aware of shortcuts!
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