If you are looking at improving your home, the shower may be a good place to start. Have you noticed the dull or fading color in the shower walls or the discoloration on the base of the shower? Has your shower become more difficult to get clean, stains becoming more obstinate? There is a reason for this, and Swanstone Shower/Bathroom products has the answer.
Older-style shower bases (and lesser-quality modern ones) utilize cheap acrylic and polymer ingredients to make their product, but you know the old saying: you get what you pay for. In this case it holds true: grout tends to be more difficult to remove, the material becomes more "stain-trainable", meaning it becomes exponentially more susceptible to stain and discoloration over time. Even more important, there is a safety factor that must not be overlooked. Many surfaces simply do not take safety into concern, i.e., slip-resistance, durability, etc. All of these things are paramount considerations when seeking to replace your shower base.
Fortunately, Swanstone shower bases has you covered. After researching and doing a comparison of shower base materials, I have found that Swanstone excels in nearly every category:
* Luxury: While acrylic shower materials are lighter then the older fiberglass models, they do not have the substantial, luxuriant feel that Swanstone solid-material bases have.
* Safety: Acrylic bases are made from an acrylic/polymer resin mold, which is high gloss and non-porous – meaning slippery. Swanstone goes a step further in introducing a natural mineral aggregate, reducing slip and stress susceptibility.
*Durability: Swanstone material's mineral components are bonded together by a hardened resin which makes the material much harder and durable than acrylic, which is thin and flimsy in comparison. The solid-material bases are simply tougher, more durable, and longer-lasting by their very nature. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_surface)
*Cleanability: While both acrylic and Swanstone are made of non-porous material, still Swanstone shower bases have the advantage. Harsh chemicals are chancy to use in an acrylic or fiberglass tub, but because of the carefully-formulated ingredients in Swanstone's products, harsh chemicals are nothing to worry about. Swanstone is simply tough.
*Customer Satisfaction: Receiving 4.6 out of five stars, customers appreciate the quality and luxury of Swanstone shower and bathroom products.
In my reading I came across yet another benefit in utilizing Swanstone shower/bathroom products. While each manufacturer of shower/bathroom products has a general dimensional paradigm, over and over as I read reviews, I noted that a key theme in customer satisfaction was that Swanstone products seam effortlessly with other products. They seem to be compatible with virtually every product design on the market. Not so, with other products.
Another benefit I noticed was Swanstone solid-surface material's ability to mimic natural stone or other substances. Other manufacturers are able to accurately mimic quartz and stone, but only Swanstone materials are easily seamed together in a way that could fool even a trained eye. Elegance is a key word, here, and it is a property that Swanstone has successfully cultivated in its products. This brings me to the final comparison: cost.
I looked at every competitor I could find and I determined that Swanstone is a bit pricey. However I do not believe that it is cost-prohibitive, considering the advantages gained by using the product. If you are looking for something to just "throw" in the bathroom, chances are Swanstone isn't a practical choice. But if you are looking long-term, there simply isn't a better choice on the market. In a review done by countertopguides.com, Swanstone was listed as being the most practical and cost-reasonable material on the market.
Another consideration when looking to upgrade your shower base is availability. I read this review after review on competitor availability and shipping and, in the final analysis, found them lacking in customer service. Swanstone not only has a huge distributorship, it is firmly committed to making sure each customer has exactly what they want – when they want it. The only competitor I could find with a comparable customer service record was DuPont, but the cost-reasonability of DuPont was prohibitive.
After everything is said and done, Swanstone is the clear winner in virtually every category: price, safety, style, durability, luxury, cleanability. A good, solid product worth every good review.