Let's be real about what this product is and is not. It IS a quick solution to improve an outdate...Let's be real about what this product is and is not. It IS a quick solution to improve an outdated shower or an inexpensive facelift for an apartment. It is NOT a luxurious, custom solution that will stand the test of time.
For our project, this did the trick. We had a 1970's tiled shower with broken, lose tiles and missing grout that NEVER felt clean. I could try gluing down the tiles and replacing the grout, or we could hire someone to install brand new tiles for us. However, we also have bigger plans for bathroom in the future, so we didn't want to invest too much money at this time.
Enter this product! Not too expensive, not too complicated, and if you have ever installed beadboard/wainscoting you're already qualified for DIYing this. The instructions are clear, but you will need more adhesive than they suggest. Make sure you get all the way to the edge with the adhesive, because we had to pull our panels back a few times for corners that wouldn't stick. Tape the heck out of them to keep them from sliding down too much. You also need to use a special "sealant" which is not just plain ol' caulk. The side panels are thin, but easy to keep steady with two people. I was able to cut holes for the plumbing with ease. The shelves and back panel are thicker. We decided to fill all our shelves with "great stuff" expanding foam, based on another reviewer saying that water hitting the back wall shelf sounded like a drum. That must have done the trick, because there is no real distinct sound for us.
Yes, some of the seams do not lay 100% flat -- nothing a little caulk can't fix. When we took the tile down, the walls were in good shape, dry, and mold free, but they did have some bits of old tile adhesive and torn drywall. We put these panels right up over that, with no warping. In our case, our old tile went up about 3 inches higher than this product, so we glued up polystyrene trim to hide the damaged drywall. Also saved us from worrying about a level line with the panels. Then we caulked (sealant-ed) the living heck out of this thing.
My only word of caution -- if you don't like caulking you might want to reconsider. Because you will want to caulk the top 3 edges, the bottom 3 edges, and 6 or so vertical seams, so there is a lot of caulking to do. I did even more due to the trim pieces. In the end, for about $200 (including all the extra supplies you need) and 2 days we have a bright white shower that is CLEAN. Honestly, anything is better than what we had, and with that in mind, I welcome the upgrade and the break on my wallet.
by DIYing
Hello DIYing,
Thank you for your review on the Delta Vesuvia 5-Piece Easy Up Adhesive Tub Wall. Any feedback we receive helps us to create better products and is greatly appreciated.
I am very glad to hear that you found this tub wall to be a satisfactory replacement for your old shower, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your experience with this product. Although, I am very sorry to hear that there was a little more caulking involved than one would usually expect and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
If you ever have any questions, concerns or require anything further please feel free to contact us at 800-345-3358 and we will be happy to assist you in any way that we can.
Thank you again!
Matthew
Delta Faucet Company
Consumer Care