Published on Jul 01, 2026
Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from y'all on the internet.
Today's question is:
Kolten says the surge in popularity of single-panel quartz showers comes down to one thing: people are tired of grout. He hears it constantly, grout is difficult to clean and tends to build up residue over time. He also notes that most existing tile isn't the large-format look with thin grout lines; instead, homeowners are stuck with dated late-1990s and early-2000s four-by-four subway or six-by-six tile that everyone has seen countless times. He's a fan of quartz showers because they eliminate grout entirely. That said, he stresses tile is still a strong choice. By selecting a large tile, such as a two-by-four piece laid vertically or horizontally with a sixteenth-inch grout line, homeowners get far less grout to clean and a cleaner look that approaches the seamless single-panel appearance quartz provides.
People are tired of grout. I hear it over and over. People are just tired of grout, it's a pain to clean, it's not fun to deal with as far as building up nasty residues and all sorts of stuff. Grout's really not fun. And most everyone that has tile doesn't have big, beautiful tiles with thin grout lines; they're dealing with late-nineties, early-2000s tile, the traditional four-by-four subway or six-by-six square lay, and everyone's just sick of it. They've seen it a million times, every house has it. I like the quartz showers, I think they're fantastic. They're really nice and they get rid of the grout factor. But you still can't go wrong with tile. Choosing a nice tile, like a big two-by-four piece you could lay vertically or even horizontally with a sixteenth-inch grout line, means you're going to have way less grout to clean. It's a lot thinner, everything looks cleaner, and you get that almost single-panel look that you're going for with the quartz.