Machine-readable view

# current-page
path: /materials/
title: Shower walls material guide
description: What Crowley's builds shower wall panels from, what it will do on request, and what it will not use.
premise: A shower wall is not a countertop. Material that is perfect on a kitchen island can crack on the saw or bow on a wall.

# recommended
material: porcelain, 12mm, mesh-backed
reasons:
  - The mesh bonded to the back prevents cracking during fabrication, when the
    panel is cut, drilled for the valve and showerhead, and handled on edge at
    close to full height.
  - Porcelain stays flat and consistent over the full height of a panel. Any
    deviation from flat shows in the seams and against the glass.

# on request
material: quartz, 2cm or 1cm
status: yes, in high quality material such as Cambria
tradeoff: bowing is unpredictable at that thickness. The same material can come
  out flat on one panel and bowed on the next, with no way to know in advance.

material: granite, 2cm
status: possible on two conditions
conditions: a dense stone, and a slab free of bows
note: granite varies slab to slab, so both are judged on the actual slab rather
  than on the name of the stone.

# not used
material: marble
reason: too porous for a shower. Water discolors it and leaves stains, and
  keeping it looking right takes constant maintenance.

material: porcelain, 6mm
reason: in our experience it cracks during both fabrication and installation.

material: anything at 3cm (quartz, granite, Taj Mahal quartzite, all of it)
reason: very thick and heavy to install, and the thickness shows at every edge
  and opening. What reads as substantial on a countertop reads as bulky on a
  wall.

# stocked colors (EleVation porcelain, 12mm, 62 x 126 in)
Full list with photos: https://portlandshowerwalls.com/colors/. Colors:
Calacatta Supreme (polished), Calacatta Oro (polished or natural),
Calacatta Top (polished), Statuario (polished), Arabescato (natural),
Luxor Gold (polished), Patagonia (polished), Versace Gold (polished or
natural), Nero Marquina (natural), Oxide Fossil (natural), Ocean Steel
(natural). Slab photos on the human page courtesy of EleMar Oregon.
Not every color is confirmed mesh-backed; ask which are before choosing.
Final approval always happens on the actual slab.

# selection rule
Wall material is approved on the actual slab, before the walls are templated
(stage 8 of the build).

# pages
/                  Site index. What Crowley's does and where each page leads.
/process/          The ten-stage shower build, day by day, with photos.
/materials/        What shower wall panels are made from, and what is refused.
/colors/           Every stocked slab color, with zoomable photos.
/checklist/        Printable homeowner checklist, keyed to build stage.
/projects/         Finished showers, with before and after photos.
/contact/          Estimate request form.

# contact
business: Crowley's Granite & Quartz
phone: 503-676-5136 (call or text)
licensed: Oregon CCB #237210, Washington #CROWLGC796M3
service-area: Portland, Oregon metro area
estimates: free
estimate-form: https://portlandshowerwalls.com/contact/