Originally Posted by
Dan Friedrichs
The pessimist in me says those $300 Delta/Moen faucets are sold at the BORGs next to the $79.99 "easy replace" cartridges because they intend for you to buy a new one every 3 years and feel good about how much money you saved "doing it yourself"... Given that the cost-per-use ends up being so trivial, I'd take Brian's advice and find a premium brand not sold at home centers...
Jim's suggestion of non-tile materials is also good. At one point, ceramic tile kitchen countertops were considered reasonable, but I bet most people hear that today and say, "Ewww". Well, all the new solid surface materials used in kitchen countertops are also being used in shower enclosures, for the same reasons - no grout joints to dirty, actual waterproofness (grout - like any cementitious product - is water permeable), easy to clean, non-mildewing, etc.