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Discussion Forum

Shower Walls

dreichl | Posted in General Discussion on September 18, 2019 04:28pm

Are there any thoughts on using ship lap wood for shower walls if it is backed with proper water proofing  and sealing the wood

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  1. calvin | Sep 18, 2019 06:29pm | #1

    Quick thought.
    Better prepaint or seal all sides, edges, cuts, absolutely every sq. in. before install......

    Caulk every joining of wood to wood as you install with urethane caulk.

    Most woods expand and contract with moisture and humidity changes.......

    Then what happens after several showers? With shiplap there’s all those joints that end up as grooves.......that catch soap/shampoo/conditioner water and hold it.....time after time.

    ?

    They have now ceramic or porcelain floor tile, long strips that look like wood. Might check that out.

    1. dreichl | Sep 18, 2019 07:39pm | #2

      Thanks Calvin good thoughts..I've always liked the way old wooden boats looked and thought it might look good in a shower..with a natural finish

      1. User avater
        Mike_Mahan | Sep 18, 2019 08:43pm | #3

        Wooden boats are very high maintainence

      2. calvin | Sep 18, 2019 11:05pm | #4

        d,
        It would look nice.
        The right wood and meticulous work, who knows.

        It would have that nautical/tropical look.

  2. calvin | Sep 18, 2019 11:14pm | #5

    Here’s something.
    A solid surface like Swanstone or corian.....

    A good track saw setup. Repeat the pattern you want. Festool’s has a narrow kerf blade for solid surface.

    I am pretty sure swanstone has 1/4” panels 60” wide / 8’ high. They have both patterns and plain smooth sheets. Doubtful they have natural wood look tho.

    The look you want with material meant for your application.

    ?

  3. cvandoren | Sep 18, 2019 11:35pm | #6

    I've seen teak floors and benches in showers, maybe it would hold up for quite a while.

    If you were willing to take the risk of it not working out I would go for it. I would not caulk anything however. Let it move and let it dry. I would suggest a rain screen gap behind the wood with openings at the top and bottom to allow the wood to dry in all directions so it doesn't cup and curl. A tropical hardood like ipe, cumaru, teak, etc or cedar. You could even do an open gap which is trendy for house siding - that would allow even more ventilation and drying. My biggest concern is how to attach the siding without going through the waterproof backing. A rainscreen gap would also help in making fewer holes as you would just be attaching the wood "siding" to the furring strips and only the furring strip attachment points would penetrate the waterproof layer.
    If wood siding can work in seattle or a rain forest, it should work in a shower.

  4. bing0328 | Sep 19, 2019 12:14pm | #7

    Here's a thought. Kerdi the walls and floor, use a linear drain. Install a cleat near the top of each wall leaving about 4" from ceiling and about 6" in from each side. Build a frame like a picture frame and install teak strips horizonally. Hang it from the cleats. Do the same for the floor but with extra slats perpendicture to support foot traffic. Then they can be removed to refinish or clean.

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