Ideas for Custom Tile in a Handicap Shower Unit

Alternating Styles

• When you can choose your own tile patterns you may also choose to alternate customized tile. This works very well in a handicapped shower where you have lots of space to work with. Consider choosing several colors or sizes of tile. Alternate darker patterns in some areas with lighter patterns in others. Use large tiles across far walls but intersperse them with smaller tiles that act as loose borders. Try not to confine yourself to a particular color or stone pattern with your design.

Banners and Strips

• While you may choose one type of traditional tile for most of the shower surface, consider using custom tiles for banners or strips at the upper and lower parts of the shower. A customer layer of smaller tiles with different colors and textures makes an excellent accent for a tiled shower. The banner of custom tile can also zig-zag or curve for an added effect.

Using Shelves and Benches

• Handicap showers have extra room for shelves and benches, and this makes the units ideal for custom installation. Consider using a particular piece of stone or glass tile for a bench to set it apart. Try inlaying shelf areas with glass or colored tile to give them a "window" appearance. Setting shelves and benches apart with lighter or darker tiles offers a simpler design for more basic styles.

Mosaics

• Mosaics are made from many different fragments of tile -- often from glass tile -- and are assembled by hand. The mosaics can form designs or pictures, or they can be a uniform layer of color. Mosaics work well on the floors of shower stalls, and can also be made out of cobblestone or other materials for a more natural look. They can also provide grippable and non-sliding surfaces.