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Wobbly freestanding shower wall

plumbit | Posted in Construction Techniques on February 9, 2015 03:29am

I am building a new shower in my house, it will go in a typical three sided alcove on one side of the bathroom. The long side where the door or curtain will go is 5′ 5″ wide R/O, I plan a 24″ wide door opening so I need to build a 40″ wall that is 7′ tall secured on the floor and one wall, the ceiling is cathedral with a skylight directly above the wall so it cannot be secured to the ceiling. Obviously there is quite a hinge point created. I’m a plumbing/hvac contractor not a general so I don’t come across this every day. Several of the builders I do work for said just build the wall and when it gets covered in hardi and tile it will stiffen up, well I don’t think so, at least not to my satisfaction.

My original plan was to build a stainless steel pipe into the wall for a type of built in structural shower rod but I think I’m gonna do a door and not sure how the pipe would look. So what I have done is cut a hole in the slab and concreted in a 2″ cast iron pipe close to the end of where the wall will be then filled it up with concrete for good measure but guess what it wobbles pretty good, I think if the wall was only 4′ tall this pipe would hold it pretty stiff but not 7′ so now I’m thinking about building a poured in place concrete wall. Of course I could just build an 8″ cmu wall and it would never move but I don’t have 8″ plus tile, in this small bathroom every inch counts and the cabinet has already been ordered. I’m thinking about a 4.5″- 5″ wall with the cast iron pipe inside it I’m wondering how that will work? I could use 4″ cmu blocks @ 3 5/8″ wide but I’ve never worked with blocks and I think I could just as easily build the form and use snap ties in the field, epoxy rebar into the floor and side wall etc. Tile guys here paint this green waterproofing onto hardi and mortar on floor with a waterproof membrane under the mortar floor and tile right to that, I could put that on the concrete wall and apply tile straight to it. Any ideas? Now I see why they use heavy glass.

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Replies

  1. User avater
    coonass | Feb 09, 2015 07:53pm | #1

    Plumbit,

    Weld a flange to some 1" steel tube, bolt it to the T and notch the studs right under the top plate and run it there. Screw to studs and plate.

    KK

    1. plumbit | Feb 09, 2015 10:31pm | #2

      What T ?

      coonass wrote:

       bolt it to the T

      KK

      ??? what "T" ?

      1. User avater
        coonass | Feb 10, 2015 06:26pm | #3

        T

        Where your walls intersect ther should be 3 2x4s nailed together, the middle one is on the flat and may be just short blocks.

        I_I is kinda what it looks like.

        Or you could glue and screw 1/2" plywood to each side to make a torsion box.

        KK

  2. plumbit | Feb 11, 2015 04:40am | #4

    angle bracket

    OK, now I see where you are going, try to attach it stronger to the wall. I have been thinking try to attach it stronger to the floor. I think I can do both! I have the pipe in the floor now I could take two 24 x 16 flat steel carpenters squares and bolt them down on top of each other on top of the wall with their other angle let into the wall "T" and studs. I could cut a slot for them with the saw and perhaps someway drill and bolt them in place.

  3. renosteinke | Feb 13, 2015 02:07pm | #5

    Make it a "Box"

    That is, connect the top of your wall to the wall on the other side of the entry. Even a simple secured pipe will suffice.

    It's a shower. Working with my "temporary" shower has shown that anything more than 65" above the floor is pretty much out of the 'wet' area.

    My temporary shower has an open face 48" wide. The shower is free-standing; it gets no support from anything else. I was looking at two 40" "ends" that were unsupported on the open side. All I had to do was to string a single length of 1/2" plastic pipe across the top, and the whole assembly became rigid. This pipe- stiffened with a length of rebar inside - has also served to hang the shower curtain. The pipe is firmly attached at either end.

    In your case, and for your convenience, I'd run a similar pipe. Make it at 7-ft. Or, just continue the top plate of the wall across the doorway. You'll onlynotice it if you look for it.

    A nicer looking pipe would be made from 3/4" "thinwall" electrical conduit. You can remove the ink with acetone. Paint it to match yourfixtures, if you wish.  You can 'rust proof' it simply by wrapping it in clear packaging tape. The same place that sells the pipe has hangers available; I used the ones called "mineralacs." 

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