Whether you’re upgrading your master bathroom or want to add a new bathroom to your home, an Onyx shower will undeniably add luxury to the game. The Onyx brand showers impress with a unique appearance and easy cleaning, but are they truly worth it?
The pros of an Onyx shower include a stylish design, multiple color choices, installation and cleaning ease, as well as an affordable price. One of the biggest cons is the fact that Onyx Collection showers aren’t actually onyx. They’re made of man-made stone.
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7 Pros of An Onyx Shower
Onyx showers are often considered the epitome of quality. Available in home improvement stores or from selected interior designers, they are generally found in sophisticated bathrooms. Let’s have a look at their pros.
1. Design
The biggest advantage of an Onyx shower is its sophisticated design. The collection includes slabs and shower pans designed for those who dream of a streamlined, groutless shower.
Wall panels suit bathrooms of all sizes; you can simply cut a slab to dimension with regular woodworking tools.
The wall panels and shower pans come in a variety of styles and colors. Thus, matching them or playing with contrasts is easy. The brand offers a variety of shower solutions, including budget-friendly and more expensive, top-range options – some of which you can find in home improvement stores.
2. Gloss or Matte Finishes
Choosing the right finish for your shower is never easy. Gloss is perhaps the most popular, but some like the simple elegance of raw stone.
The raw stone is matte, but there is one problem: most types of natural stone are porous. Porous surfaces aren’t recommended for the shower because the water seeping into the stone creates the perfect environment for mold and bacteria to grow.
Soap scum and grime are also harder to clean from a porous surface compared to a glossy one. That’s where the Onyx showers step in.
The showers in the Onyx collection are made of man-made stone, which is essentially a resin composite. Regardless of its finish, this material isn’t porous or permeable. Thus, it is incredibly easy to clean.
3. Color Options
A huge advantage of engineered stone is that there is no limit in terms of colors and patterns. Onyx showers come in standard options like white, sand, or black, but you can also find original hues like navy, green, or blue.
Apart from the shade, you can also choose whether you want a solid color or patterned shower. Some solid colors include fashionable details, such as glitter, whereas the patterned ones can add visual interest to your bathroom.
4. Easy Installation
Unlike tile, Onyx Collection showers are made of panels that are easier to install. If you don’t like grout, you can order the slabs cut to size and only install one Onyx panel on each wall. In this way, you can simplify installation and trim down costs.
5. Low Maintenance
Engineered stone might be a new concept for the bathroom, but it has been used with success in kitchens for the past three decades. The main advantage of man-made stone is its low maintenance compared to all types of natural stone and tiles.
Onyx’s panels require no water sealing treatment since the surface isn’t porous, to begin with. The shock resistance is stellar – you could drop a metal cart on the surface and not worry that you’ll scratch or break it.
Cleaning engineered stone is also a cinch. Use mild cleaning products or a diluted vinegar solution to wipe off hard water stains and soap scum. Rinse with clean water, and you’re done.
6. Cost
Another important advantage of the Onyx showers is the cost. While giving off the sought-after look of marble, granite, or travertine, all products in the Onyx collection are made of alumina trihydrate (a byproduct of natural mineral bauxite) mixed with a polyester resin that binds the mineral particles together.
Dyes and engineering methods allow the manufacturer to reproduce the effect of natural stone at a fraction of the price.
While some options are more expensive than others, all Onyx showers are cheaper than the natural stone counterpart.
7. Customization Options
Lastly, Onyx gives you the possibility to customize your shower with inlays and a variety of accessories. Some options include shower seats and curtain rods, grab bars, towel bars, shower caddies, and even several trim options. In this way, you can rest assured you’ll have a unique bathroom.
3 Cons of An Onyx Shower
Onyx showers come with multiple advantages, but they also have some downsides. Let’s check them out.
1. Slippery
Whether you opt for a gloss or matte finish, the Onyx shower pans are relatively slippery. This could pose issues, especially for kids, the elderly, and people with impaired mobility.
The problem is easy to fix, though. If you find the shower too slippery for your liking, you can treat the surface with an anti-slip product. You can use various products, from aerosol sprays to paint products you can apply with a brush or roller.
2. Expensive If Customized
The Onyx Collection brand proposes two types of showers: standard and customized. As you can expect, the customized option is more expensive.
If you’re wondering how much you can expect to spend, know that an Onyx shower can cost you from $2,100 to $3,900 for the shower setup. You’ll have to add up the installation costs, which could mean over $5,000 for just the shower.
Standard options are less expensive, with a full kit comprising the shower pan, wall panels, corner seat, and caddy costing about $1,000 to $3,000. If you wish to add a shower door, expect to pay about $800 more for the entire setup.
3. Not Real Onyx
Despite the brand’s name, Onyx Collection showers are not made of onyx. They are made of engineered stone, which is a mixture of crushed stone powder and resin. The material is less expensive and often more durable than onyx, but if you’re looking for real stone, Onyx Collection showers aren’t for you.
Onyx Collection Shower Reviews
Onyx Collection showers stand in the premium shower category and are generally considered durable and reliable products.
Homeowners who decided to install an Onyx Collection shower in their homes praise the brand and products for their quality. The wall panels and shower pans are very easy to maintain and a cinch to install. Some even go as far as claiming that you can install them yourself – which could be true, considering the setup’s simplicity.
Praised is also the customization option. If you want a one-of-a-kind bathroom, an Onyx shower gives you the possibility to add inlays and other accessories that can increase the value of your bathroom. Moreover, you can choose from over 70 colors and two finish options.
The shower pans come in standard sizes but also in a variety of other shapes that can adapt to any interior.
A little less enthusiasm regards the slip resistance. While the finish isn’t the most slippery out there, some still feel that the resin pan needs some slip resistance enhancement.
According to homeowners, you could spray the surface with an anti-slip spray to improve grip. The product is inexpensive and easy to apply. You’ll have to reapply it after about 12-24 months, depending on use.
While most reviewers agree that Onyx showers aren’t the most affordable, the vast majority claims that the shower is well worth the investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may now know which are the Onyx shower pros and cons, but you may still have questions. Check out the answers below.
What is the Onyx shower base made of?
Many people believe that Onyx shower bases are made of acrylic. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
According to the manufacturer, the brand’s products are made of 63% alumina trihydrate and 37% polyester resin. Alumina trihydrate is a byproduct of bauxite, a natural mineral used in many construction applications, including roofing materials, among others.
The result is a resistant and easy to maintain engineered stone similar to the quartz countertops seen in kitchens.
Which is more expensive, onyx or marble?
Referring to natural stone, marble is more expensive than onyx. In fact, onyx is often considered a low-cost replacement for marble.
However, both onyx and marble have the same disadvantage – they have porous surfaces. While the pores are barely large enough to allow soap scum and hardness minerals to pass through, both stone types absorb oils and lose their gloss finish shortly after being installed.
For this reason, the materials need constant maintenance and are harder to clean compared to engineered stone.
Onyx Collection showers aren’t made of natural onyx. As explained above, the material is a man-made (or engineered) stone that has the advantage of easy cleaning. The surface isn’t porous and doesn’t need treatment, although it is more slippery compared to natural stone. Cost-wise, engineered stone is often cheaper than natural onyx and marble.
What are the most popular Onyx colors?
Warm tan, warm white, ivory, sand, and dark brown or black are some of the most popular Onyx colors. Other options include navy, jade, mint, and light pink, all of which mimic the colors of natural onyx.
Can you tile the Onyx shower base?
While you can’t tile an Onyx shower base, you can install a traditional tile shower pan with Onyx wall panels and accessories. This is an option if you don’t want grout on your shower walls but would like to save some money on the shower base.
So, Is An Onyx Shower Worth It?
If your dream is that of having a luxury bathroom with a unique shower, an Onyx shower is undeniably worth it. All showers from Onyx Collection are aesthetically appealing, more affordable compared to their natural stone counterpart, durable, and very easy to maintain.
Sure, a tiled shower won’t cost you as much as an Onyx shower, but you’ll have to deal with the grout and invest more time and energy in maintenance.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours. Do you like the contemporary look of a shower made from wall panels rather than tile? Then go for it. Are you a classic at heart and love the vintage look of tiled showers? Opt for tiles. Likewise, get a shower made of natural stone if that’s your dream.
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