Now you have come here because you hate the dreaded G word and that word is GROUT. Grout is that annoying filler between your tiles that has been the pain of your existence since you were made to start cleaning. Well, I am here to help you with my ultimate guide to groutless bathrooms and no lie this covers every type of bathroom you can have that has no grout REPEAT NO GROUT BATHROOMS.

Let’s get to the question you have been waiting for. Can you have a bathroom without grout? the answer is yes and yes. A groutless bathroom can be achieved in a few different ways and takes a combination of concrete, plastering and panels to make it all work. Groutless bathrooms will take a lot of planning and preparation but you will get your dream outcome of a no-grout bathroom.

A QUICK HIT LIST WE COVER FOR GROUTLESS BATHROOMS BELOW

• Venetian Plastering
• Microcement
• VJ Panels
• Acrylic Shower Bases
• Timber Floors
• No Glass Bathrooms
• Polished Concrete
• Porcelain Panels
• My Tip

So let us guide you below with the most comprehensive guide to groutless bathroom you will find in Australia and throughout the world through almost 20 years of renovating expertise and break it down into three parts which are the wall coverings involved in groutless bathrooms, the floor covering for groutless bathrooms and the last section is a bit of compromise of easier to clean bathrooms with less grout and glass.

Best Wall Coverings For Groutless Bathrooms

Venetian Plastering 

Venetian Plastering has a wow factor that little bathroom finishes have and is perfect if you want a groutless shower.

This is concrete-looking plaster (not too technical) but the actual name for this style of bathroom plastering is called “Tadelakt”. Let us break down and help you out!

How Venetian plastering works in a bathroom for is a two- or three-coat process, tadelakt requires six to seven coats with the addition of burnishing and the thing that truly makes it like magic is an application of an oil-based soap.

Evidently, that soap that’s rubbed onto the surface reacts with the lime in the plaster to form something called calcium stearate which is impenetrable to water thus making it waterproof and a groutless material you can use in your next bathroom.

Microcement Bathrooms

So not to confuse the issue but Microcemtn is pretty similar to the Tadelakt plastering mentioned above with a few differences. Now tadelakt and micro cement are great for wet areas when installed correctly. The main difference between the two finishes is

• Tadelakt is a lime plaster and microcement is a cement-based material.
• Tadelakt is a natural material where Microcement bathrooms has resins added to make it flexible. 
• Traditional tadelakt is a lot more complicated to install requiring skill whereas Microcement is a little bit easier of an application by some installers.
• Tadelakt is a lime plaster and doesn’t have the same strength as cement. It can be prone to chipping and staining, and if it’s an original tadelakt, needs to be maintained with regular soaping and/or waxing to retain it’s water-resistant properties.

All this is to say when choosing between tadelakt and microcement there are two things to consider. If you’re looking for that remarkable, soft look with the move towards a natural material in your wet area with a little bit more maintenance then tadelakt is the right choice.

Now if you are chasing a more seamless and durable finish that is harder to chip and you don’t need to worry about maintenance and can be added to the floor than micro cement might be the right choice for your next groutless bathroom renovation

VJ Panels

To me personally, probably the most natural groutless bathroom walls option is the VJ Panels when put together correctly in a bathroom. One of the biggest trends we are coming across in the 2020’s is using VJ Panels for your external shower walls like a splashback or covering your towel rail walls. or behind the bath. This is a bit of a tricky trend as not all wall panelling is designed to get wet so you need to be careful what you use in your bathroom to create that groutless look.

The best product to use for panelling or VJ panel finishing for your bathroom is Easycraft’s Wet Area products which can be used in Bathrooms and Laundry as wall and ceiling panelling/lining. The only place you can’t really use VJ Panels in a bathroom to create that groutless bathroom is in the direct water contact areas. What this means is done have Timber Panels as your shower walls if those shower walls will get soaked with water.

The panels are more designed to be used as a splashback or opposite showers and even behind baths, they are not designed to be under your shower head as they will definitely deteriorate over time if that is the case.

Bathroom Wall Panels

Bathroom wall panels are the type of fittings you can install in every aspect of a bathroom not just outside the shower area. If you are going for a groutless bathroom shower wall panels are one of your best options as they are made with 100% non-porous waterproof materials

The best way to describe bathroom wall panels is acrylic shower walls which can be defined as sheets of hard plastic that are glued on a surface using a heavy-duty adhesive. This makes them one of the most customizable and versatile options for wall surrounds. They can be custom-designed to mimic the looks of tile or a marble finish you have been looking to do.

I am not personally the biggest fan of wet wall/bathroom panels as yes they have less grout to me they feel a little plastic and remind me of the caravan which is just my opinion but not the biggest fan. Looking for an installer though I think Mr Wet Wall is probably the best around.

Tiled Porcelain Panels Walls

Porcelain panels are the new kid on the block when it comes to groutless bathrooms.

Porcelain Panels are a durable and cost-effective alternative to marble, natural stone and concrete and the best way for me to describe them is they are just really really big tiles with most sheets manufactured around the the1600x3200x6mm size.

So why are porcelain wall panels becoming popular? Well, there are three reasons. Everyone wants that regal expensive marble-looking bathroom look and porcelain wall panels will cost a fraction of that actual cost.

Secondly, these wall panels are not the plastic style finish mentioned before they feels more natural in a bathroom and do not have that look about them that will put you off.

Thirdly they are just more available than before with a bunch of suppliers coming into the market in the last few years.

LET’S KEEP IT REAL. I have used porcelain panels in bathrooms, they are fine but the reason they are not that popular is because of two reasons.

The first reason is no one really has any experience with them as an installer I do a few hundred bathrooms a year and might do it once or twice so if you are looking into it most people will just tell you no.

The other reason is the product is only 12mm which is thin. Look at normal stone benchtops you see on bathroom vanity they are 20mm and people think they are thin these 12mm panels are crazy thin.

Which look isn’t bad its just really hard to work with as they break really easy during the installation and cutting phase.

This groutless bathroom product looks fabulous on walls, shower floors, bathroom walls and floors its also suitable for benchtops, countertops and vanity tops its versatility and durability is the big reason you will see more and more of it installed over the next few years for people looking to get away from grout.

Looking for a better breakdown of using tiled porcelain panels for your next bathroom. CLICK HERE or the image below.

Best Floor Coverings For Groutless Bathrooms

The last aspect of getting a groutless bathroom is the bathroom/shower floor that has no grout so a bathroom floor that has no tiles is the way these styles below go.

Polished Concrete

One of the most common questions I get asked is about with groutless bathrooms is what is the best cover for a groutless bathroom floor. This question of whether or not I can I have polished concrete in my bathroom comes almost straight after. The answer to the questions is this… of course, you can use polished concrete in your bathroom but it does come with its pros and cons like any bathroom floor product.

PROS OF POLISHED CONCRETE IN YOUR BATHROOM

• It is a super resilient and strong bathroom floor product
• Uniform in its appearance keeping with maybe and external floor so flows through in your design
• One of the easy-to-clean groutless bathroom floors you will come across.

Cons Of Polished Concrete In Your Bathroom?

• In winter this bad boy will be colder than the winter that came in game of thrones. People in Australia still can’t handle the cold when it comes to tiled surfaces.
• The biggest cons of putting polished concrete in your bathroom are the need to seal and sealed often.
• We often struggle to install new items like microcement or polished concrete as we have a lack of understanding of the product

Below is a full breakdown of using polished concrete in your bathroom. Click the image below

Acrylic Base With a Combination Of Timber Flooring

Definitely, the least liked option of the groutless bathroom trends is the acrylic base with a combination of timber flooring. Common in more British or European bathrooms the combination used a square or rectangle acrylic white base with timber flooring on the outside area of the shower.

Timber – Now not all wood flooring works great in a bathroom such as For instance, softwood timber isn’t recommended for bathrooms as it has poor water resistance, and repairs are needed every few years the best wood flooring for bathrooms is solid timber with a tight grain means the flooring will be less affected by moisture. Examples of this timber are Mahogany, Cedar, Bamboo and Teak.

Easier To Clean Bathrooms

Easier to clean bathroom is a section in which I cover the two most practical trends and

Shower Wall – No Glass Bathrooms

I hate glass in bathrooms. As a man who has cleaned many a shower to take images of the rooms the idea of a no glass shower screen is heaven. They are a tiled partition which is usually a bricked wall that looks like a shower screen without any of the glass. The shower walls are one brick wide often ranging from 800mm to 1000mm wide to 2100mm High.

You can do the bricked-tiled shower screens to the ceiling but usually, we have a little bit of ventilation above them to allow for a little bit of steam to escape.

The biggest pro of tiled no glass shower screens is that they allow for a much easier-to-clean shower area as you have so much less grout. Having a shower set up like this will make your bathroom the easiest bathroom you ever clean in your life.

Slab Tiles – Miminilst Grout Possible Bathrooms

Our final entry into groutless bathrooms is my personal choice the one I would recommend for your next bathroom renovation. These are really big friggin tiles. When I started tiling the 150mm x 150mm was the most popular tile which is almost a mosaic now!. These days you get tiles that are 600mm x 600mm and 1200mm x 600mm which is massive and covers so much space. Long gone are the days of 100 grout lines you will end up with like 10 grout lines with little to no grout that it is so thin.

Big tiles are the most resilient and practical option for a bathroom and I know it’s not completely groutless but big tiles pretty much save you so much time on cleaning grout with only a few lines.

Quick-fire questions about bathrooms with no grout

Below are some quick-fire questions and answers about groutless bathrooms.

Can you have a bathroom without grout?

Yes! You can have a bathroom without grout. As covered above you have multiple options for bathrooms that do not require grout, these are bathroom that uses either polished concrete floors that require no grout and using a combination of VJ Panels or Aqua Shower Panels for the shower walls that have NO Grout I repeat they use no grout for your bathroom.

Can you do a bathroom without tiles?

Of course, you can have a bathroom without tiles. The most common bathroom technique that does not use tiles in the bathroom is using either an acrylic base in the shower or a bathroom that has Venetian/Microcement plastering on the walls that are waterproof allows you to have tile free bathroom.

Can you have a Groutless shower?

Can you have a groutless shower? My word you can. To create a groutless shower you will need to take your time and focus on the prep side of the bathroom process. Aqua panels and shower bases are great groutless shower alternatives that stay away from tiles and grout. Also using timber, concrete, microcement or shower bases will make it easier for you to achieve a groutless shower.

Is there a tile that doesn’t need grout?

Yes! That tile my friend is called a Porcelain Sheet. Porcelain sheets are a tile that does not require grout but still feels like a tile because really it is . Unlike plastic alternatives, a Porcelain sheet is a groutless tile that has every aspect of a tile, feels and looks like a tile, and is laid like a tile but because of its sheer size requires no grout at all just some technical know-how and some big arms.

Final Thoughts On Bathrooms With No Grout

So inclusion when it comes to how you can minimise the grout in your bathroom or if you can have a bathroom without grout the answer is yes! of course, you can. The effort to get a groutless bathroom really does vary on your type of bathroom and if the bathroom is a renovation or a new build can be a key factor.

As covered above you can get a bathroom or wet room without grout but you need to put a lot of planning to make it happen you also need very experienced tradespeople to guide you through the process or you will either end in tragedy or will look like a plastic showcase which no one wants.

It’s important to note that all our advice is general in nature and all bathrooms are unique so always speak to your local qualified tradesman for the best advice. If you are looking for a bathroom renovation quote and live in Perth, Western Australia just email us at smallbathroomrenovations@gmail.com

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Perth Groutless Bathrooms

As always Small Bathroom Renovations Perth is the expert in bathroom renovations in Perth. If you are looking to create a groutless bathroom in Perth and you want the best in the business do not look further. Groutless Bathroom Renovations Perth are what we do so just send us an email or give us a call and we would be happy to help.

We cover all your groutless bathroom needs in Perth, including Venetian plastering bathrooms Perth, micro cement bathrooms Perth, concrete bathrooms Perth, aqua panel bathrooms Perth and timber bathrooms Perth just to name a few.