Is there a way to design/create a shower that is less prone to mold?

Question

I think I've had it with traditional tiled showers...I can't stand the site of mold in between tiles, on the tiles! on shower curtains, on shower doors, etc.

I think I'm pretty clean, but I always will see little bits of mold.

How can I build a shower that would minimize mold growth?

What materials would help? What about concrete? Can I treat the surface with anything?

What kind of enclusure structures would work? Can I treat the shower curtain with anything? What if the door were stainless?

Do I build a dehumidifying unit into the bathroom?

I'm looking for the u Latinate bathroom/shower design.

I now that what ever the solution, cleaning will still be required...

Answer 1

General construction advice for 'general' showers:

In/on the walls:

• use RedGard as a vapor barrier over the cement board
• use paperless or blueboard sheetrock
• use mildew resistant pain
• adequately vent the room with a proper exhaust fan

In the shower construction itself:

• seal all caulk properly
• make sure standing water can't puddle

Now, all that said, I pretty much agree. Showers as they are today aren't really designed as well as they should be IMHO.

For inexpensive solutions, I'm actually a fan of the more modern pre-moulded systems. You can get systems that look quite nice for under $1500 that come in 3 or 4 full-wall sections with gasket seems. I know folks tend to consider them 'cheaper' than a true tiled shower, but I actually find them much more intriguing from an engineering standpoint. They just make more sense to me in a modern home.

For more quirky/unique solutions, I've seen:

• metal sheeting. Corrugated Galvanized sheets, for example. Copper as another.
• all glass
• sealed monolithic concrete (note that concrete is extremely porous so would have to be sealed with something like an epoxy coating)

And...most recently...we stayed at a new hotel a few weeks ago where the shower walls were made out of solid slabs of the same counter-top material as the vanity. It looked really nice actually, I'm guessing it was a Corian like product.

Answer 2

After doing some research, I found that there is:

• moisture resistant caulk
• paint that has antimcrobial additives

Adding a ventilation fan helps...with proper usage of course, i.e. running it for 5 minutes after showering.

So potentially using those elements in the shower/bathroom would help quite a bit.