alternative to bathroom tiles?

[elliott]

Is there any solution to the black and orange mould that grows in our grout? (other than obsessive cleaning which just ain't gonna happen...)
Has anyone used corian in a shower? Or similar product?

hi elliot have you thought about getting a large sheet of perspex to cover your new/clean tiles then the mould won't grow in the grout.
what is corian?

Ell, I don't excessively clean but I don't have mucky grout. I would

1. Go over your grout with fresh grout.
2. Make sure room is well ventilated after a bath or a shower.

bingo

thanks for this. This is for a new bathroom btw so I can leave the mucky old one behind!
I guess better ventilation will help, but I've just never managed to avoid the grout getting slowly discoloured.

Corian is some kind of composite material that can be moulded into all kinds of shapes - usually used for kitchen worktop but can be used for shower walls and bathroom cladding. expensive.

You could try using Mermaid wall panels. Lots of colours and no grout!

some info here

ooh yes, that looks interesting - have you used them? would you recommend? expensive or not bad (doesn't seem to be any price info on the website!)

Haven't used them, but looked into it a few years ago - but didn't go ahead with replacing the shower then. I think they're good - you've got less grout to get leaks through, so as long as the base and corner joint are well siliconed, there's not too much to go wrong. They're smooth, so there's no channels to get gunked up. Think they're quite expensive, though, but then so are tiles. If you have a good look on the web, or ring a bathroom company, I'm sure they'll give you an idea of cost.

I'm a bit anal about keeping the shower clean, but I don't think it counts as "excessive" cleaning, so will stick my neck out and recommend that you get a big sqeegee and wipe the new shower down after you use it. It takes seconds, and if you don't let the water sit, it keeps much cleaner. Worth trying when you've got it all new and shiny!