I have a customer that likes to lean against the shower walls in the AM while they wake up in the shower. They asked for a shower stall that has strong shower surround walls so that when they lean up again it the surround walls don’t move or are otherwise not stressed. Pretty bizarre request.
Anyone know of a good strong product that resists movement that is a shower surround? I dont’want to put blocking behind the wall because often the surround protrudes from the wall studs about 1 1/2 inches or so. Wondered if there was just a product that was stronger.
Replies
From the Brynes tile book for tile work he specs exterior ply, floated with roof cement covered with felt, then cement board.
It isn't clear to me if this a prefab surround or tile job, but the ply is a start.
<a customer that likes to lean against the shower walls in the AM while they wake up in the shower>
Did they turn red when they asked you that? Did you snicker?
No, really, to do it right, I think you'd need to be able to get to the sides and back from the other side of the wall after the surround was installed, and add blocking stubs then, protruding from studs to the back of the surround.
Or fill the cavity with lots of great stuff.
Forrest
I actually know someone whose tenant broke the surround in the shower "leaning against the shower wall while waking up... " with his girlfriend ;).
I agree the best way is to go in from the other side of the wall if possible.Add studs to lessen the span,add horizontal blocking.I've used Great Stuff before behind a surround on a relatively small area where the surround met the tub that was flopping around and not able to caulk.It stiffened up nicely and posed no further problems,but to do a whole surround that way would take a lot of cans.What about icynene?I'm not familiar with it but its seems like it would help stiffen the wall.Maybe too expensive/overkill?
We have use corian shower surrounds for years and have never had an issue with them being flimsy. 1/4' panels siliconed the 1/2" drywall with no problem
You have to define what sort of shower surround is being used.
Fiberglass units vary by about a factor of ten in stiffness, depending on the thickness of the FG and the amount of extra reenforcement that was added during manufacture. Acrylic units, on the other hand are going to be of limited, fairly uniform, thickness/stiffness.
Certainly to any unit one could pre-install stiffeners on the back, though the method of application must be carefully chosen.
Or just use Corian (if a synthetic surround is desired) and back it up with doubled cement board or whatever.
I installed a product called "Swanstone" for a client - it was like something like corian and came in 1/2 inch thick sheets which we glued to the substrate (either wonder board or hardi backer screwed to studs).
The tip with thin sheet materials is to make sure there is plenty of fastening. A !/4 " hardibacker panel, for instance, will flex a lot if only "tacked" at the corners - but every screw added (to a point) will tighten the surface like a drum head.
Same too with adhesives between substrate and surround walls. Intermittent (spot) gluing will support the weight, but to make a fim unyielding laminate you need as much surface to surface adhesion as you can get.
The tricky part of the Swanstone install was the glue up. We used mainly silicone and a lot of temporary bracing (2"x"2" poles from opposite walls) plus some "dots" of contact adhesive for an instant grab.
The whole bathroom was off limits for a night, but once the adhesive was dry the walls were plenty firm.
Thanks. There is a swanstone shower surround product available in Lowes. It's not 1/2" thick panels, though, but do yoiu think it is the same thing and you had the thickness wrong? Just wondering.If at first you don't succeed, try using a hammer next time...everything needs some extra persuasion from time to time. -ME
One of the houses I lived in had a full shower surround of Corian, appeared to be a full 3/4" thick. It was definitely rigid, but it was also rather cold to lean up against first thing in the morning - it would definitely help with the waking up, however. If I really wanted to lean against such a surround, I think I would seriously give some thought to having either hydronic heat or an electric grid behind it.
I was just guessing at the thickness (it was a while ago) but whatever the actual, the final result was a ridgid surface when installed as described by the the product literature. Starting at the bare studs through the substrate it went on just like a tile job, but installing the surface material was MUCH less work than tiling and grouting. Personally I prefer the look and feel of tiles, but my clients are happy with the Swanstone and they like the simplicity and low maintanence.
Ok thanks, that was still quite helplful.If at first you don't succeed, try using a hammer next time...everything needs some extra persuasion from time to time. -ME
Willie...
I did Swanstone in my house. Full size shower base and floor to ceiling sheets on the walls, sheets were 1/4" thick and fairly heavy.
I prepped and glued per manufactures instructions. My panels came with some 1" wide double sided foam tape designed to hold it still until the glue set up. It's powerful tape too!
The only thing I would do differently is the adhesive.
Next time around I would use a 3/16 or 1/4 notched trowel and get full contact for the adhesive.
As it stands now I have a couple loose spots that will move if you lean on them. Don't think the stuff will fall off any time soon ( it's 2 1/2 years old now ) but still kind of annoying.
Bill