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Tips on Building a New Walk in Shower
Mar 31st
The process of installing walk in shower enclosures begins with deciding whether to purchase a prefabricated unit or to construct a custom designed unit. With either of these the most important considerations are the integrity of the waterproof shower pan and the existing drain and water lines.
If the installation calls for the removal of an existing shower, the pan should be removed and a new pan installed in order to ensure the reliability of the waterproof assembly. The shower drain hub should be intact with no cracks or breaks at the rim and water supply lines should be checked to make sure no replacement is needed.
If the unit will be built in place, the process begins with the design and the selection of the finish materials and trim fixtures. The design can be configured as a square or rectangle with an offset that serves as the entry, or as a circular unit with a wing wall as the entry. The shower can be installed in a corner or as peninsula with three sides, and the entry opening at the most convenient location.
The design could feature any type of tile or slab material such as granite or marble, and these should be installed over a mixed mortar bed. Using a manufactured underlayment is not recommended for showers. No matter what the final design may be, the shower walls should be full height and the ceiling should be finished to form a completely water-resistant assembly.
The shower wall configuration can be wood frame construction or concrete block, and the construction may include openings for a soap dish or an accessory niche. Some designs include glass block ports that provide natural light in the shower, while others designs include a waterproof, overhead light fixture. In addition, the design configuration should consider the path of the shower water. The floor of the shower must be installed with fall, to guide water to the drain and the degree of fall will determine whether a shower dam will be needed at the walk-in opening.
Homeowners and property owners should consult with a reputable building contractor prior to purchasing any materials or starting work to install a walk in shower. This will serve to qualify the viability of the design and ensure the integrity of the installation.
The Pleasure Of Walk In Showers
Jan 9th
Walk-in showers are considered at once to be stylish, classy, and even romantic. Designed right, these shower enclosures enhance a bathroom’s aesthetic appeal and add a particular character to a home or apartment.
One of their most immediate pleasures has little to do with the foregoing qualities and everything to do with immediate safety. You are far less likely to injure yourself stepping into a walk-in shower than stepping over a bathtub edge into a shower, especially if the bathtub shower has a sliding door setup on which you can cut your feet if you accidentally fail to lift your foot clearly over the tub and track.
Another of their most immediate pleasures has little to do with the style, class, or romance and everything to do with cleanliness—and the simplicity thereof. You have no sprawling bathtub to clean, and no sliding door tracks to try cleaning without a lot of close-visual tension. Assuming your walk-in shower involves framed-glass walls and door, a good glass cleaner and shower disinfectant should keep your shower clean with only a few minutes’ work.
Walk in showers can be either two or three glass walls with a glass door; or, they can be a single glass door entering a ceramic or porcelain stall. Some master bedroom or honeymoon suite walk-in showers feature two heads. Others may include two heads that are mounted one in the customary position and one in the lower position, parallel to a user’s midsection.
But a walk-in shower is ideal especially for a handicapped homeowner or apartment dweller—it can be built to accommodate a non-electric, non-rust wheelchair, or fitted with appropriate devices that a handicapped user can enter and exit the shower without requiring help from a caretaker. Walk-in showers are often built with the shower stall floor level to the main bathroom floor, ideal for a handicapped user who must shower in a wheelchair or special seat that can be brought in and out without having to lift.
They are usually fitted with guardrails the user can hold while showering. And they can be fitted with specialized benches, either against one wall of the stall or corner-designed, allowing a handicapped user to be even more comfortable, especially if the shower is equipped with a removable, adjustable shower head.
Many elderly homeowners or apartment dwellers find that replacing their standard showers with walk-in showers eases their transition if they find themselves becoming less mobile due to age or illness, and do not wish to move from a long-loved home to accommodate their changing health or physical condition.
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