I
know what you mean about some plastics turning yellow with age.
This was especially a problem a couple of decades ago.
I took numerous plastics
technology training courses when I worked as an engineer, and one
thing that struck me was the incredible number of special
additives and modifiers used today to control problems such as
yellowing.
I have not seen a recent (i.e. 20
year-old or less) tub surround turn yellow.
My suggestion would be to stick
with a good name brand. The off-brands may be tempted to omit some
ingredients in their plastic formulations. Also, I once bought a
low-end tub surround at Home Depot, but returned it because the
molded-in shelves where so thin I was sure they would be easily
punctured, resulting in major water damage behind the scenes. Look
for a heavy-feeling plastic.
The best surround I've used is
the Sterling (made by Kohler) brand we recently installed in one
of our project houses (sorry, no article yet), and I can't locate
the product literature. The surround uses a mineral-filled plastic
so it's really thick (about 1/8") and rigid. I believe they
call the material Vikrell or something similar. We bought it at a
store called Menard's, which is only in the Mid-West, but I've
also seen the same product at Lowes.
I am a believer in good-quality
tub surround, simply caulked to the tub with kitchen-and-bath
silicone (100% silicone, that is) which has a mildew resistant
additive.
As for ease of cleaning... that
is the biggest selling factor behind plastic tub surrounds. There
is nothing easier. I like the daily shower treatment products like
Shower Shine or Tilex. You simply spray a little on the walls and
glass doors after showering and they remain rather free of water
spots
As for the acrylic liner people?
Some of those companies will install a plastic liner for about
$2,000. Yikes! (Hint: those are very-high-profit-margin
businesses, and the franchise holder probably pays huge fees to
the company that makes the materials and tools. And they try to
impress people with the concept that their bathroom won't be torn
up for a few days or weeks. This is supposed to be a trade-off for
the astronomical price.) You can rip up your entire bathroom and
install gold-plated fixtures and premium surface coverings and
still come out cheaper, and wiser, from the experience. Can you
guess which approach I favor?
If you don't find a good tub
surround at the discount/warehouse stores, check out the smaller
contractor-oriented lumber yards... you'd be surprised what they
have in stock.
Bruce W. Maki, Editor.
