installing fiberglass tub/shower stalls
ponytl
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
before i get slammed for use’n em… these are pretty nice units mfg by aquaglass… and i have 20+ to set… the handicap unit is so nice i wish I’d ordered an extra for the guest suit in my place… anyway… these have the complete surround with the flange at the top and 2 sides… I’ve installed extra blocking/studs at the flanges… I really don’t like use’n blueboard onto the flanges even if i’ve never had a problem from doing it… or have i ever seen a problem that it caused… no tile work is in the plans as they are now… so backer board w/tile isn’t on the list…
so blue board taped/finished/painted and caulked to the surround?
better ideas?
thanks as always for u guys input
pony
Replies
DK about better, can tell you what I do. DW cut close to the surround as possible and clean the edge. (no fuzzies, it makes me shake uncontrollably.) I use DW shims around the top to bring the studs out so the DW up there doesnt kick back going towards the ceiling and look stupid. Some of those flanges are awful thick. I flat tape all the edges with durabond, then finish as normal. Safe release masking is a pretty decent idea to keep the mud from sticking to the tub where it meets (not that mud hurts it, the metal knife junior scrapes it off with though . . . ) Caulk at finish time.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
"blueboard"
Blueboard is for plaster.
U talking about skim coating with plaster ...
or thinking Greenboard ... the "water resistant" drywall?
greenboard ... or regular drywall is fine ...
as long as it's held off the lip of the surround a bit so it doesn't wick water ...
hold up enough for a nice bead of caulk.
I like to go the extra step of wrapping the cut edge with paper and finishing it ...
but with 20+ units ... that might not be in the budget/time frame.
and don't forget about furring out the whole enclosed space the thickness of the flanges ... I've seen one too many guys fur the top ... then forget about the end studs on the side walls ... trying not to tip the drywall above ... but end up bending the drywall returns on the sides ...
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
thanks... yes greenboard , and i hate to say... hadn't even thought about fir'n out... sure i would have once the first unit was set.... maybe....
thanks as always for the input.... been a few years since i set any of these units but i do remember pack'n under em with a stiff concrete mix to stiff'n the bottoms up... these units i just got are so stiff i'm not sure it's required...
thanks
pony
Like Jeff and RW said.
I stripp out all the common walls to the surround with 1/4 plywood strips or luan, depending on the flang thickness. One sheet of ply will yield about 34 or 35 strips 1 1/2 wide. Run them on the table saw and throw them on the truck. Takes 1/4 the time, it would take to cut them on the job.
Dave
Do you guys use mortar bases to set your whirlpool tubs and shower bases in? Foam?
I have used both. Mortar base is cheaper and a little more labor intensive. Foam, in a froth pack, is expensive, but quick and messy.
Can't think of the foam pack I used, but it is a two part package that mixes at the nozzle. We use them a lot a at work, so I'll find the product name if you want to go that route..
Dave