Swanstone

Mike Finley

Anybody got experience with Swanstone?

go dart

mike we've done alot w/ swan products.
wall panels are strong but my complaint is the ordering system. i find it difficult to understand the number system making some parts easy to miss. you have to order 5' backwalls for 4' showers. stay away from veritek units unless they've beefed them up as they would probably arrive damaged anyway. if your distributer has a good counterperson this should help alot. fabrication is in ILL and delivery is sometimes lengthy which is why you don't want to miss any parts. if you want i could fax a net price list but good luck figuring it out i've only seen pictures of the newer textured walls and they look great, but have not seen them personally

Mike Finley

I get requests for this stuff everyonce in awile but have yet to actually install any. I was wondering how it is to work with? It looks like a pain in the ass.

go dart

mike i really think the installation is the easy part. swan uses fiberglass in the center of their wall systems so they are strong but wear a mask and long sleeves. sell one ,what the heck! be specific about which system your customer wants

Gordo

We have installed Swanstone. Like everybody said it is a real pain as far as lead times for ordering.

One mistake in your cut...your screwed.

My opinion is the stuff looks like something from a hotel. The clients that request this stuff are the ones I do not like to mess with.

Also, I have a problem installing a product that you caulk together as their eventually will be a failure which will end up being your fault.

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Looks like some pros were here.

go dart

gordo whats your preferred shower/tub replacment other than tile?

Mike Finley

That's interesting, from what you are saying I get the idea you mean the customers who want it are cheap? Swanstone isn't inexpensive, so I can't see that.

The usual scenario for customers who bring it up are they have 4" glazed tile with ugly grout and they want something with a solid surface because they don't want any grout lines to mess with. For us the alternatives on shower surrounds are DTS units which are the least inexpensive option we offer, then custom tile then Swanstone... In the usual scenario I usually explain the difference between what they have 4" tile with old crappy grout that was probably never sealed and what we do now with new underlayments, larger tile and proper grout that is sealed properly and the majority of them if they want something better than a DTS unit opt for tile.

Now I got lazy with this customer and just said, sure if you want it, we will install it. However, now I'm going to have to deal with the stuff I guess. I've got all the sample kits and brochures for it, but have never really set up and pricing on it or the material or the labor so I'm really curious about what all it takes to do a proper installation.

Gordo

Yes, tile with..............EPOXY grout! Epoxy is a simple solution to those HO complaints about mildew in grout. Epoxy is impervious to stains, water penetration, etc.

Epoxy is more expensive ($100 per unit). 1-2 units will cover most average sized baths.

Epoxy is also harder to work. Instead of one guy, you need two. You need plenty of fresh water (like 15 gallons...instead of 1 or 2 for typical portland based grout). You need to really keep wiping and cleaning.


It is just my opinion that Swanstone looks hotel grade. No offense. My experience with the HO that wants Swanstone is again just my experience.

Again, I have a problem with a potential caulk failure.

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Looks like some pros were here.

Gordo

You may end up liking the stuff, Mike. I think the stuff is a logistical problem that effects the bottom line in my opinion.

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Looks like some pros were here.

nywoodwizard

first of all its not that cheap,it is very easy to install,not the best looking but done properly it will last many years.i found the lip on the trim pieces to big ,i had to rip them down to fit snug on the wall,panels were 1/4" ,trim recess was 1/2" to 5/8" ,even with adhesive ,still to big.I've combined the best of both worlds once and bought 1/2 corian and scored 6" x 6" sqaures in it,looks like tile but no cracking grout lines,its a little more money but it looked great,i've done it on counter top back splashes too. theres my 2 cents

Patients grasshopper

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Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.

Stacey

We are a Swanstone certified fabricator. We have been installing Swanstone products for several years. The packaged (boxed) products are great. Where else can you find a matching shower wall, shower pan, and sink/countertop setup that looks great? Swanstone has both solid surface and fiberglass products. Both are excellent. Far superior to Sterling or other builder grade brands. Swan products are more expensive. We really like their shower pans since they don't break out around the drain after a couple of years like most cheap fiberglass pans do.

go dart

interesting stacy we're also certified (7yrs) and most of our fab is kitchen counters. we were dissapointed w/ veritek products due to the thin walls which arrived damaged on two orders and lets face it they only had to ship 180 miles. we sent them back to the shop for beef up rather than wait then insisted on a rebate from swan. on sterling products we open boxes uopn delivery.

Stacey

We don't do Veritek. They don't ship it into our state - Alaska - due to soooo many shipping problems. We have been the only fabricator in the state for several years.

We've done some cool showers and kitchen countertops. But now our market has shifted to mostly granite, so we don't get many requests for Swan anymore.

The one great thing I like about Swan solid surface I forgot to mention was the ability to withstand chemicals and heat which is great for bathrooms.