Hello. I am at the beginning of renovating a bathroom - stripping it of bath, turning it into more of a wetroom with a big shower. My plumber has thrown a slightly curve ball by suggesting cap and cove vinyl flooring and acrylic wall panels instead of tiles. More on mumsnet.com

My parents have had them for over 15 years, no issues. I installed them in a reno about 5-6 years ago, no issues and I really liked them, very easy to clean. I think the main reason they're not used more is just aesthetic choice. They don't look as expensive as tiles. But they're definitely easier to clean and they seem to be pretty hard wearing. More on reddit.com

They feel cheap. And if you get the bath fitter over your tub, you feel the cheap tub move. More on reddit.com

Tile lasts when done correctly. I'm a tiler by trade, several key things to note. . Don't do natural stone unless you're made of money, and then use a ctef certified installer or someone who can guarantee that it won't stain, or show water marks. Pan liner systems are obsolete, topical membranes are the way to go. In order of my preference, wedi, laticrete, ardex, mapei, schluter are the brands worth using. Schluter has the largest marketing department, it doesn't make them the best on the market and they are falling behind the others in some areas. Their sheet liner is not that great. Wedi for waterproofing aspects, laticrete for tile adhesive and grout. Laticrete also have some really fantastic waterproofing products (hydroban board is similar to wedi, and can be used interchangeably with their liquid membranes, which are miles ahead of the schluter kerdi membrane). No matter the system used, always run a 24h flood test after waterproofing stage. Epoxy grout on the shower pan at a minimum, it will always clean easier and be very stain resistant. Waterproofing is not required outside of the shower area in the USA, this doesn't mean you shouldn't do it and I absolutely recommend you seal the entire floor, with all seams/corners and pipes sealed to just below skirting height. If water gets under the tiles, this will gradually evaporate out, and in the worst case the first thing you'll find out is carpet getting a bit damp, rather than the floor rotting out. Epoxy grout on the walls will solve your issue of cleaning. Under floor heating in the shower area will increase dry times and decrease the chance of mould. A benefit of using wedi is a much longer warranty if the installer is pro certified, and insurance on the warranty. I'm unsure if schluter or laticrete offer insurance with their warranties, but it saves issues chasing the installer up for their warranty if there's ever any issues. Often warranty only covers the material used, and occasionally the work to re do the affected areas. Check with the warranty and installer insurance as to their cover on work completed. Wedi also includes incidentals (you can probably tell I'm a huge wedi fan). Tagging u/rahchachany and u/chrisbrl88 for posterity If you use schluter, request that the installer spread kerdi sealant over the seams after lapping them, schluter requires this is in the UK and imho is a good idea for peace of mind. - minor edit here. The new kerdi installation for UK has a special two part adhesive for sealing/lapping seams and corners. Sealant over the seam is still a sufficient measure, but using their adhesive is more foolproof as its difficult to keep the seam clean. More on reddit.com