Still figuring out my shower details and I am wondering about door versus shower head placement.
I am using a 34″x54″ swanstone base and the threshold is on the 54″ side. The hinged door will be 24″ and the rest of the distance will be glass (I think). The shower head can go anywhere except that glass wall.
Should I put the shower head on the 34″ wall so that is near the “door”side so that is sprays away from the door? Or on the opposite wall so that it sprays towards the door? I assume the doors seal well but why take a chance if I don’t have to.
I was going to install a bench on a 34″ side. I assume this should be opposite the spray head, or should it be underneath? Since I rarely shave my legs I have limited experience with this.
I grew up in an old house that had a stall shower with an overhead spray head and 2 spray heads on 2 of the opposite walls. It was like being in a car wash with everything turned on. Each spray head had its own shutoff valve so you could contol the water flow. I would love to do something similar but have no idea if the pressure balanced shower bodies can handle that much water. (see my previous post)
Any opinions are welcomed.
Thanks.
Replies
CCI
install shower head and valve such that, when you are reaching in to turn the water on, you're not in the "line of fire", consider door swing in this equation also.
Geoff
I like to put the controls on the wall nearest the door, so I can reach in and get the water started without getting too wet.
You can get a diverter valve to run a separate head, usually a handheld but could be another wall mount. Or just run a whole 'nuther mixing valve. Like the previous poster said, don't put anything on the 54" wall or you'll be watering the floor.
I would put the shower head away from the door if it is on the wall. When you shower, the spray will hit your body and go in the opposite direction mainly.
I don't think it is a good idea to put a bench under the shower head. Unfortunately, if you put it on the opposite wall where the door should be, it will interfere with access. You could just use a waterproof chair for the rare occasions when you sit in there instead of a bench.
For your last paragraph, I will post some pics of a shower I just did.
It was completely tiled, including the ceiling. There is no door. After six months of use, I can say there is no problem of overspray. Also, the water pressure from a half inch copper supply system is quite adequate.
I have a rain head, two shower tiles on the side, and a hand shower.
I have a combo pressure/heat shower valve from Delta. I have a Kohler transfer valve that allows me to send water to various combinations of shower heads. Everything works better than anything I have ever experienced.
Hopefully you can get an idea of the configuration from these pics.
Hey Sasquatch, did you hardi the ceiling, kerdi over sheetrock, or just stick it to the sheetrock ceiling? I'm about to tile my customers ceiling and kinda wanna leave the rock on the ceiling if I can. Also, the shower is an enclosed 4'x4' area. Will a 50 cfm exaust fan be adaquate to vent that shower? I will be using kerdi on the floors and walls.
My shower is 3 X 5. The fan is a very quiet Nutone with 80 CFM. I think 50 would not be enough for a quality job. The few extra bucks is worth the results.
I also have a somewhat louder Broan fan with 70 CFM near the center of the bathroom for clearing the air quickly, if you know what I mean. It is part of the infrared lighting unit.
You can see both in one of the pictures. I installed a second ceiling to make room for the fans without messing up the floor joists above.
I used Noble TS for the shower enclosure on top of Durock, all the way to the ceiling. I used 1/2" hardi on the ceiling and no fabric, since it is not a steam shower. The Hardi extends all the way to the edge of the tile, where it meets standard 1/2" sheet rock. As you can see, this edge is in a completely dry area.
I like your 3rd hand trick.
Nice shower too.
I think I'm just dense!
Could you give a simple floor plan? I can't seam to get the lay out straight, and I'd like to do a open shower without a door myself.
how high is your half wall?
Thanks
Chuck
The wall is about 52"high, with a slope on the shower side.
I will try to load all of these pics. I wish I could just load a whole folder at once.
They should give a good view of the layout, the process, and of my dog.
Hay thanks for the photos.
I like the openness of your set up. I'm currently planning my own and just haven't been confident with the over spray issue.
I have tons of space to play with- 10x11 bath.
Right now I've planned on a 4x5 shower seams like I should be able to have open sides and no door- Right?
I think as long as you place the nozzles strategically, it will work. Of course, you can get overspray in any shower if people are careless, even if you have a door. Where the shower is four feet wide, you will need some type of half wall. I have found that about 95% of the the rain head water that hits the body goes no more than four feet. The bit of mist that goes farther tends to evaporate almost immediately.
Of course, this works best if the area adjacent to the shower is tile, making a bit of dampness harmless.
I decided a couple of years ago that I wasn't going to spend part of every day opening and closing shower doors and curtains. It's great to just walk in and out. I also found the sound of an aluminum and glass door irritating.
I am still experimenting with my basement shower. I have the pan done and the plumbing roughed in so I mocked up an enclosure to simulate a shower with no door. After having varous family members try out the temporary test set up, the overspray is manageable but I think I need a door just to contain the heat/restrict incoming cold air to make the shower pleasant.Do you have any issues with the shower being too breezy?Karl
No problems in that area at all. Of course, if the fan in the shower is on, there is some air movement. It keeps steam off of the mirrors, but is hardly noticeable.
I believe code requires that the head DOES NOT spray toward the door.
Been out of touch for a couple of days. Sasquatch's shower looks great. I am not getting permits so code doesn't apply. Code doesn't always equal best anyway.
I think I will do the main head on the 34" wall near the door and I am trying to work in those water tiles. They look cool. I checked a couple of websites and there are too many different styles too chose from. It would be easier to have lived in the "olden days" when you had a choice of chrome or brass and thats it.
And my wife wonders why I can't finish things quickly enough.
Sasquatch - it looked like you were using the bathroom before the tiles were finished and the grout done. Is that kosher or does the system you used allow that? I may be ignorant but what was with the purple walls? Something I should emulate or just MR sheetrock in purple instead of green?
Again, nice job - I am jealous.
The purple is the Noble product, similar to some of the orange stuff often mentioned in other BT threads. It is basically a rubber-like membrane with some threads of high-tech stuff attached on both sides. These threads attach to the thinset like your skin to your body.
Until I saw it work, I was skeptical. So you slather on the thinset over the durock or the hardibacker, and then apply the Noble or the Kerdi or whatever. Let it dry, and then more thinset and then the application of tile gets the job done. The fabric really holds so you would have a hard time getting it off of the wall.
I think you haven't done this before, so I would recommend that you definitely precut the fabric and test the fit before putting on any thinset. Do only one section at a time until you get your mojo with this stuff.
I completed enough of the work to get the shower into use. Then I finished it when I had time. My wife needed to see significant progress because I tend to have about twenty projects going at once, and my time line is erratic at best.
The grout in the areas that matter was done before putting the shower into commission.
I may have to build a house for a friend this summer, so I will sink hopelessly back in my priorities. There are so many things to do and so little time.
Bottom line: Do some research. Don't just put the tile over backerboard. The membrane between the two is the current technology, and it works.