waterproof shower sheetgoods for showers
remodlrj
| Posted in General Discussion on
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with a waterproof wallboard in the range of 1/4″ to 1/2″ that can be installed over cement board. I’m looking for something to cover the walls of a funky little odd shaped bathtub/ shower area. I’m hoping for easy maintenance, ie. no grout, something durable, ie. no plastic wall surrounds, and stle points aren’t necessary a factor. I’m figuring something synthetic but I really have no idea what may be out there.
Thanks in advance
Replies
In the past I have used FRP panels in wet locations. These are 4x8 sheets of plastic, usually white, that fasten to the substrate with special button type connectors. You just drill a hole (1/4" I believe) and hammer the connector in. They cut fairly easily and you can use some adhesive behind them if needed. The only down side is that they are only about 1/8" thick so you may have to back it with something if you substrate is not smooth. They will telegraph uneven seams. Otherwise they work great.
cultured marble
but tile will probably be the easiest for odd shapes. done right tiles not any harder to maintain then most any shower material
Define "plastic".
If you rule out all plastics then you are down to things like cultured marble, solid surface and stainless steel.
Functional SS would be great. It can be welded and ground down to form a monolithic unit.
It's plastic, but pretty good plastic, and expensive, too. Only 1/4" thick.
http://www.dupont.com/corian/a/en/c/Products/3WallTubSurrounds.html
Yes, I guess that even SS is plastic.And cultured marble is a mix of resins so I guess that is plastic also.Leaves him with the SS.
Then there is always OSB painted with Drilock. It'll work.
I was referring mostly to the "plastic" tub surrounds. I'm hoping to find 4x8 sheets of some sort of cultured marble, solid surface, fiberglass, or I guess even 'plastic' if its easy to handle & can maintain a finish so that it's easy to take care of. 1/4" thickness would seem to be a minimum. I would like to be able to not have any horizontal seams. I apologize to all those offended by my having type casted all plastics. I'll try the Corian link but it may be beyond my budget restraints.
Thanks
Well the FRC and maybe cultured marble are good starting points.There are other manufactured plastic sheet goods that would work.They have come up in the past, but I don't have any idea of what they are, or the cost.
Make it out of fiberglass and you can have no seams at all.
Make it out of fiberglass and you can have no seams at all.
Yeah, but OTJ is a tough way to learn DIY GRP--O the many joys of resin and hardener <g> . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I've seen several different things over the years. The simplest/cheapest is what used to be called "tileboard" (not to be confused with cement tile backer). It was a hardboard paneling with plastic laminated to the surface, often embossed to look like tile. Attached many different ways -- nails, glue, battens, duct tape. The plastic would eventually crack and allow moisture to destroy the board, but usually not for 5 years or so.There are slightly better versions of the same stuff, frequently seen in bathrooms at HD and Wally World, with kind of the appearance of a fiberglass panel (though I doubt that it is). Generally textured with a sort of stippled texture. These are glued on and/or attached with the plastic rivets.Another option I've seen for sale is a plastic that comes in a roll. It's designed to be glued to DW or cement board, and is flexible enough that a roughly 1-2" radius bend can be used instead of corner seams, so a single sheet can do a tub surround. I've never seen this installed, though, to know how it holds up.Then there are the plastic "cultured marble" sheets, probably about 3/8" thick. This is the stuff you see fairly often in older motels. It's quite durable, but begins to look shabby fairly quickly, and the seams are apparently a problem (judging from the amount of caulk I usually see globbed on them).You can also buy prefab 3-panel fiberglass surrounds, designed to fit a standard bath. An upscale version of this was made by Corning back when we got our shower surround (similar, but with a base). IIRC, some other company bought the line from Corning and probably sells them now. Very durable, decent looking, wears well, and reasonably priced.
Well in theory, DensShield or DensGlass from Georgia Pacific should work, particularly if you put an epoxy paint on it. One catch with DensShield (which is supposed to be for tile backing) is that there is a slight texture, so where the joints are taped is smoother than the rest of the board. So DensGlass would be a better choice. I have some pictures on this board somewhere of a very narrow bath I used it in. But I did add some tile, plus I have a shower ring.
I've had DenShield fail from water within a year, underneath tile. It's really just plastic coated sheetrock, so the edges and cuts are at risk. I've done about forty tub/shower surrounds with SS. Use the 27ga stuff, it's under $100 for material, and you can bend it around the inside corners to eliminate the caulk line. Put your own pattern in it with a sanding disk or a Scotch Brite disk in a RotoZip.The FRP you see in Home Depot bathrooms is just gross. Show it to your wife, and she'll hate it.
I'm intriqued by the SS. Can you bend the 27 Ga. with a standard aluminum brake? I
think the SS would work well in this situation, (kind of a retro look), but I've never
worked with it before. Can you get trim pieces for it? Or do you have make your
own?
Trim can be obtained from Youngstown Aluminum Products (800) 701-9133.
It's a little bit loose because it's for 1/16 formica and the 27 ga. is thinner than that.In the photo you can see that I just curved it by hand in the corners. I think it's just thin enough to be bent in an aluminum brake
Kevin, does the BA SS show hand prints and such? SS is a great surface for durability and cleanability.
I suppose if you gave them the measurements, a metal shop could bend your corners for you. They could also give it various finishes.
I've chopped your pic into smaller pics. Do you have a pic of the kitchen at night (with light fixtures illuminating instead of sunshine)?jt8
It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. --Chinese proverb
Now this is amusing. A couple of years ago I inquired on these forums about a SS shower. Someone laughed and asked to see pictures when finished and called the idea the Auschwitz shower. To this day I think its a great idea that I have yet to implement--mainly because of finished products being scarce, and the local availability of SS fabricators.
Still, I would love to replace my 40"x40" shower with an all SS unit. How much was that SS material in http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=1C087F69-DD4B-4F0E-9933-38612209958F&webtag=tp-breaktime picture?
That was Kevin's pic that I chopped up. couple messages up. I think he said materials was less than $100. Probably a bit more if you had it pre-fabricated/surfaced. Still not bad pricewise.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=57734.14
jt8
It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. --Chinese proverb
Nuke,Since we went all the way up to the ceiling, it cost about $200 for material. It's finished with 4" grinder.There is a bit of a learning curve.Therefore if you only are doing one tub/shower, and you aren't feeling adventurous, I would go with Formica. As someone else said, it can be put directly on plywood, just leave 3/8" gap between the backer and the tub to be sure it never gets wet.Formica has a new pattern that looks like "swirly stainless" but of course it doesn't shine like the real stuff.When SS is finished with swirl marks, fingerprints aren't an issue. Waterspots are much more visible than, say, on white tile.
I take it the supplier only had one kind of SS sheet material for sale? I have not contacted them yet.
Integris stocks many thicknesses. All of it is pretty hard to cut without the right tools.
I meant finishes, not thicknesses. Isn't there a form a SS that looks like crumpled aluminum that is marketed as being able to hide fingerprints?
No, They are an industrial supplier. It all comes factory brushed except the 27 gauge which is unfinished.
I too was afraid that it would seem "cold"But my cheap landlord side won out... zero maintenance for the next 50 years.
Edited 4/4/2006 1:34 pm ET by DenverKevin
Here's a kitchen where I went with the factory brushed finish. The countertop was made by a commercial kitchen fabricator for $450. (more than I normally spend on a rental)This building just happens to be next to a Jewish temple. By coincidence I learned that stainless can be made "Kosher" which is important to the Orthodox Jews. So by pure luck, I added a lot of rental value to this unit.
View Image
Kevin, the <$100 material cost for 27ga SS is really, really, intriguing me. Where are you and your SS supplier geographically located--if you do not mind asking?
I cannot see in your images of the bathtub surround whether you applied a small-radius bend (e.g. 1/4") or a larger one. What did you use to do the bending and how would a homeowner come DIYer consider this?
Of course, I am looking for this in a standalone shower as well as a bathtub surround, so I guess dimensional sizes would need to be appropriate. Then there is connecting it into the shower pan. What about the holes? I mean, I presume you did not have the laser to cut them. lol
The sheet metal comes from Integris Metals. It can be drilled with cobalt drills. The stuff is thin enough to bend or curve it into the corner by hand. The radius is 2"
Dang, they're in Atlanta:
3451 Atlanta Industrial Parkway, NW Atlanta, GA 30331 (404) 699-0726FAX (404)699-1705
So, do you have a SKU for the material you bought, or should I just call thm cold and tell them what I'd like to do and have them recommend something?
Back in the late 70s, my dad built a shower stall in our bathroom out of Formica over plywood. Clear silicone caulk at the corner seams. He cleans up and re-applies the caulking at the seams every few years. It's still going strong today, almost 30 years later. Easy to clean.