Should I Get Ceramic Shelves For Tiled Shower?

Do you know every step you take; you are doing it for making someone’s life more convenient? Think about it. The job you do at your workplace, you are making someone’s life easier by doing your duties properly.

People want convenience in their lives. A part of making things easier is installing shelves in places where you can keep a few items within reach. This convenience has been reaching washrooms. Even in showers, people want to keep their shampoo, conditioner, body shower gel, loofah, etc. items at grab reach.

Now, check your shower wall, it’s tiled, right? From shower floor to shower wall, there are tiles. Some people have tried installing a shower caddy. But the problem with them is that the water coming out of the showerhead can rust the steel in shower caddies.

About the caddies that are made of plastic, they don’t really amp up the looks of the washroom. Rather, it’ll look better where you soap dishes and clean them, that’s the kitchen sink.

Do you know what can add convenience and also make your shower and washroom look better? Two words: ceramic shelves. In this article, we will talk about everything there is to know about ceramic shelves including the answer of should I get ceramic shelves for tiled showers. After that, you would want to install a ceramic shelf in your tiled shower as well.

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Are Ceramic Shelves Better Than Wood Shelves?

The description is in the name. It’s a shelf that’s made of ceramics. Ceramic shelves became a thing when people understood the shortcomings of wooden shelves. Especially, in areas where shelves are exposed to water.

If you wanted to install a shelf in your bedroom or in the living room, I would’ve personally suggested a few wooden shelves because I already have suggested wood for shelves. But when it comes to a place like a shower where the wall is tiled, there is no other alternative better than ceramic. And wood is probably the worst choice anyone can make.

Water makes the wood go damp and damp wood is subjected to decomposition. When wood starts to decompose, it smells bad and loses the capacity of holding things. So, that is not something convenient for a shower where the water would fall onto the shelves on many occasions.

Definitely, ceramic shelves are better alternatives to this. Ceramic shelves are not subjected to decomposition. They have no smell whatsoever and once they are fixed on the wall, if you are not hitting them with the showerhead, there’s no chance for the shelves to break.

Are Ceramic Shelves Better Than Glass Shelves In The Shower?

Well, when people realized that wood is no good where there is water, people started alternating them with glass. You will see that most shelves on top of a kitchen sink have a glass surface with stainless steel holders.

So, if we already have something that does not get affected to water and decompose, why did we bother making ceramic shelves? Before answering this question, let me ask you another one. Did you ever scratch your body on the glass shelf, more specifically your hands?

I have, I once cut two of my fingers because I was being too casual about picking up my toothbrush and made a rash move. Apart from me, I know dozens of people who have hurt themselves because of the glass shelf over the sink. Also, on glass, water leaves nasty spots. Those spots create a bad ambiance for the sink making it look dirty and infested with germs though it’s not.

So, let’s now answer this, why do we need ceramic shelves? It’s easy. ceramic shelves don’t have sharp edges, so there’s no chance of hurting ourselves. Also, ceramics are of wide range of colors. You can choose a color that hides the water spots.

Also, ceramic doesn’t hold water so having water spots is highly unlikely if you clean them on a regular basis. So, why wouldn’t be ceramic shelves a top choice? It’s more of a permanent solution than scouring through glass and plastic shelves.

Best Ceramic Shelf Design For Shower

There are many shelf designs that you can go for. But with ceramic and for shower, these two keywords have changed the entire thing.

You see, most people don’t even care about where their shelves are as long as they are getting some storage space. The thing is, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration.

A shower is a small place inside a small washroom. So, you have to be pretty intelligent about using that limited amount of space for your own necessity.

You have to care about the row of tile, walking space and maximum utility. From my perspective, corner shelves are the best possible option for any home.

A ceramic corner shelf might seem like a stretch but trust me, a corner shelf will solve a lot of problems altogether and it will serve its purpose, to be the extra storage where you can place the stuff you need while showering.

Which Shape Should The Ceramic Corner Shelves Be?

A shower shelf or shower shelves should always be made keeping in mind that it will be serving the purpose it has been made for. The shape only bothers the ambiance. Some prefer triangular shelves; some prefer rounded ones.

I prefer rounded ones. My argument in the case of getting ceramic shelves for tiled shower instead of glass shelves was that glass shelves have sharp edges that can cause accidents. ceramic shelves are not sharp. Still, triangular shelves will have sharp edges that can cause harm.

So, I prefer rounded shelves. Also, rounded shelves reduce the chance of hitting the shelf from one side and compromising its structural integrity. If you have the same concerns as I do, getting rounded corner shelves for tiled shower walls is what you should go for.

How To Make A Tile Corner Shelf In Shower?

There is a scope for buying ready-made corner shelves made of ceramic. You can just order them online. All you have to do is maintain the size ratio that you want. Usually, the shelves have a standard size.

But for those who have washrooms that don’t follow the usual size that most washrooms have, the ceramic shelves have to be reshaped and made from ceramic plates that you buy for making shelves.

In this how to make a tile corner shelf in shower part, we will talk about the necessary steps and materials that you need. At first you would need a carbide paper so that you can smoothen the surface,

The next thing you need is a measuring tape, a pencil, or a marker to make marks on the ceramic plate. Finally, you need a saw that can cut through the ceramic. During my process, I used a circular saw.

After cutting the tiles to proper shapes, you have to use carbide paper to smoothen out the edges. From the circular saw cut, the edges are supposed to be sharp, at least in my case it was. So, what I did was take a carbide paper and just like sanding I smoothened the edges.

That’s how to make a tile corner shelf in the shower. Don’t mark any spots on the shower wall or the shower floor before you get to the installation process. The tile wall might get tainted. So, only make markings on the wall when you are about to install ceramic shelves for the tiled shower.

Floating Shelf Vs Shelf with A Supporting Frame

There are two specific reasons why I prefer floating shower shelves over frame supported shelves. One is that a floating shower shelf is more aesthetically pleasing that a shower shelf with a frame.

A frame does nothing but support the structure. Also, if the ceramic has a certain design, it’s caging the entire view. So, if you can keep those shelves floating without a frame and make them look better, why would you get a frame.

And the second reason is that the frame is mostly made out of stainless steel and steel frames require to be drilled on the tile wall. That means you would have to drill the tile and you have to find a proper wall stud to make the frame be able to hold the weight.

If you can do that without having to drill a hole and may or may not get the proper place in the corner for mounting, why would you stress yourself? Get some water-resistant adhesive and mount those shelves.

How To Install Shower Shelf On Already Tiled Wall?

Well, this might seem complicated but it’s not. You really don’t need any drilling or anything. What you need is water-resistant adhesive for installing a shower shelf on the already tiled wall. Most people are doing adhesive mount these days. So, we think it’s an ideal choice too.

If you are done buying or making the shelves, take them and the adhesive to the shower and you know the next step. Make sure the shower wall and the tiles are totally dry and clean. Install the shelves and wait till the adhesive has dried out.

Till it dries, you might have to strongly hold the shower shelves into place. As you are working with a floating shower shelf, they don’t have a frame to stay in one place. So, you have to hold it.

How To Install Shower Shelf On Already Tiled Wall

In case you want a frame instead of gluing the shelves directly onto the wall, you need a few other tools as well. You need a proper frame. It can be made of stainless steel. Make sure it is because stainless steel doesn’t catch rust.

There will be screws for mounting the frame. You need a drill for drilling holes onto the shower tiles. get a drill, drill holes in the correct place where the wall stud is and mount the shelves. You are done with the installation process.

Should You Shower Shelves?

Now, let’s discuss whether you need ceramic shelves for tiled showers or not. You see, the shower is mostly separated from the other parts of the washroom with either a glass door or a shower curtain. Getting out of the shower before drying yourself properly to get things like shampoo, conditioner, or anything might be a problem.

You can trip and cause an accident. You might think how bad washroom accidents can be. But the truth is 70%-bathroom accidents are fatal and people get seriously injured. Leaving room for accidents to happen is another way of saying you don’t care.

So, by keeping everything close to you while you are showering and avoiding accidents, you can ensure two things at once. Moreover, a ceramic shelf can be an art piece that is increasing the beauty of your washroom.

The washroom and shower are the places where we go after a long day to take a bath or shower or freshen up. The ambiance of the washroom can affect our mood, it’s a scientific fact. If the shower isn’t tidy and clean enough, it can cause us to stay stressed even after a relaxing shower.

Again, there are people who don’t have shower shelves and are perfectly okay with their showering experience. But if you ask them, they would agree that having a shower shelf will improve their showering experience by a lot.

Are Corner Shelves Expensive?

From the look of how corner shelves increase the ambiance of any shower, it’s obvious for anyone to think that they will cost a lot more than other types of shower shelves. But the truth is, corner shelves are probably the least expensive shelves that you can install.

As they don’t require any framing and they are mounted with adhesive on the tile joints, if you want to replace the tiles near the shelves, you can easily do that.

Also, there is no drilling expenses or anything. There are people who don’t own or don’t know how to drill. So, anything other than corner shelves will require professional help.

But in the case of corner shelves, they can be installed at home without even breaking a sweat. You don’t need any additional tools. All you need is some waterproof adhesive.

Do Ceramic Shelves Get Water Damage?

Ceramic is a material that does not decompose. Water is an element that helps with the decomposition process. There is literally no chance for ceramic to get water damage because it doesn’t decompose.

But then again, concrete walls get water damage and they are also non-decomposing material. So, will ceramic shelves get damaged by water?

The answer is no. Concrete walls may seem strongly adjoined but they have gaps within the microparticles. Those gaps let the water in and damage the structural integrity of a concrete wall. So, yes concrete wall gets water damage.

People install ceramic tiles over concrete walls so that those tiles can contain the water and don’t let it pass through the concrete wall. That means, ceramic is actually used for protecting concrete walls from water damage.

Something that is used from protecting something else from water damage, how can it get water damage? So, ceramic shelves don’t get damaged by water. You don’t have to worry about the shelves getting any sort of damage at all.

Can You Take the Shelves Off If Needed?

Sometimes people would want those shelves take off because they want to repair the wall. If you have installed a frame and then kept the shelves on the frame, you will be able to take the shelves off but to take the frame off, you’ll have to unscrew it. This might damage the wall and the adjacent tile.

But if you have used adhesive, all you have to do is give some heat at the joining point of the shelves. That would liquify the adhesive and you will be able to take the shelves off. Make sure you use a flathead tool to take off all the adhesive from the tiles and from the shelves end.

If you, do it, the next mounting will be just as easy as the first one. No, you can repair the wall and do everything that you need without having to use drills or potentially break any tile.

Final Words

So, now which one is seeming more expensive? I could probably come up with 10 reasons why you should get a corner shelf for shower and specifically why you should go for ceramic ones. But I think you already understand what you need to do.

Also, you might have been considering some different ways of installing ceramic shelves for tiled showers. I have explained in many ways how using a water-resistant adhesive can be the best choice for mounting.

Even so, the final decision is yours. You will choose what kind of shape you want for the ceramic shelf, where you will install it and how will the installation process be like. Do consider my suggestions. These will help you to take care of the ceramic shelves and the shower tiles in the long run.