If you have looked at bathroom remodels in Fishers recently, you have probably had Onyx put in front of you. It is worth knowing what it actually is rather than treating it as a brand name.
What Onyx is
Onyx is a solid surface material, which means the colour and pattern run all the way through it rather than sitting on a printed layer. Scratch it and you find the same material underneath. It is cast to order, so panels, pans, shelves and even sinks are made for your room rather than trimmed to fit it.
Where it beats tile
The grout line is the weak point in every tiled shower, and Onyx does not have one. Panels meet in a handful of sealed seams instead of hundreds of porous joints. That removes the maintenance task that most homeowners quietly give up on around year five.
Shelving that is part of the wall
Because it is cast rather than assembled, shelving and niches are formed into the panel instead of being cut into it afterwards. There is no separate edge to seal and no lip for water to sit on.
The pan is the part people forget
A shower pan takes more direct water than anything else in the room. A cast pan with a moulded threshold and a slip-resistant surface removes the most common leak point in an older shower, which is the joint between the pan and the wall.
Is it worth the difference
Onyx costs more than a basic acrylic surround and usually less than a properly built tiled shower. Where it wins over the long run is in what you never have to do again: no resealing, no regrouting, and no afternoon with a brush and a bottle of something caustic.
