Have you ever noticed that bathrooms in American movies look like storage lockers? No tiles, just plastic panels and mold in the corners.
"It's like a public toilet on a bus!" wrote Italian traveler Marco Ricci in an Airbnb review. But in the US, it's the norm.
Why? The answer lies in the dirty truth about the construction industry, where greed has killed quality.
It all started in the 1950s, when developers decided that Americans didn't need beauty - they needed speed.
“Why spend a week on tiles when you can screw on plastic in an hour?” Forbes quotes magnate William Levitt, who built the first mass suburbs.
His philosophy lives on: 85% of new homes in the United States use acrylic tubs and vinyl walls.
Florida builder Jacob Ryan admitted on the Construction Diaries podcast:
"We save on everything. Tile adds $5,000 to the cost - customers will prefer a built-in grill in the kitchen."
The consequences are dire. In 2022, a Texas family sued a builder after their bathtub "melted" from a leak. "The plastic panels hid the mold — our daughter developed asthma," they said in the lawsuit.
Architect Emily Grant explains in an interview with Bloomberg :
"Houses are not built to live in, but to be resold in 5 years. Buyers look at the meters, not the walls."
But there is a dark secret. Realtors have learned to turn disadvantages into advantages.
"Plastic is practical! No need to wash the seams!" - Keller Williams brochures proclaim.
In fact, 60% of Americans in a Zillow survey admitted: “We are embarrassed to show guests the bathroom.”
Californian renovation blogger Bobby Berk opens up a wall in his 1980s home: "Underneath the plastic was gorgeous vintage tile. The builders just covered it with dirt!"
The throwaway culture is hitting even the rich. In 2023, celebrity Kim Kardashian posted a photo of her “luxury” bathroom in a $20 million mansion — and Twitter users mocked her
"cheap acrylic instead of marble." "Even they have no taste," commented designer Tommy Hilfiger.
There is hope, however. Young architects are promoting the "tile revolution" via social media.
“In Europe, home insurance is 30% more expensive because they know mold kills,” real estate expert Carla Schmidt told CNBC .
While the US sleeps, the world laughs: in Mexico, even budget hotels are laying out their bathrooms with terrazzo patterns. “Americans pay for ‘luxury’ and get a trailer,” writes a TikTok user from Spain.
Author: Valeria Kisternaya