TIPS FROM A PRO

Last night I had completed all the demolition of the remaining shower door structure, but the gunk that came out of that effort is something that I never want to see again.  Therefore, and thankfully so, I am not publishing pictures of it here.  Suffice it to say, looking at pictures of what is putrifying underneath your shower metal door would make a person gag.  So this picture shows the shower denuded of grossness with me playing with what a tiled floor "might" look like.  The actual tiling will look much better than this, but I wanted to get an idea of whether big 12x12 tiles would be better, 3x6, 4x4 and/or 2x2 tiles.

My brother, the guy who knows how to do everything for the home - plumbing, electrical, fencing, tiling, flooring - came over this morning to lend his sage advice to my little project.

First, the glass block issue. He explained how the wiring in the electrical switch in the toilet room would impede my ability to easily put 8"x8" glass block above the switch. But he said I could put 4" glass block between the switch box and the nearest wall stud and explained how I would build a little shelf to hold the weight of the blocks.  We talked about possibly having glass block going along the top of the tiled shower enclosure instead of, or in addition to the 4x4 block next to the light switch.  However, since studs would most likely have about 14.5" between them, I could not put two 8x8 blocks next to each other.  But I could exchange the 8x8s for 6x6 blocks and put two of those between each set of studs; again, I would have to build a little shelf for the blocks then use silicone, etc., to secure them. There might be some issues with where the plumbing is and the electrical wires are though, so he felt that glass block might be more trouble then it is worth.

Brother went on to give other options for bringing more light into the space that might be easier than the glass block:

1) Install a "Solatube" in the shower stall ceiling, letting in natural light from my house roof.  I always get squeamish with people walking on my concrete tiles because I've had a lot of problems with rain water leaking in whenever someone cracks a tile from walking on it incorrectly.  But I LOVE the Solatube in my hallway and would like to have one in my closet too, so that might be something to consider in the future.

2) Install a recessed heating lamp above the shower. Code prescribes specific ways that this must be done.

3) Install a sconce or heating bulb light just outside the shower stall. This would be easier than #2 and allow me to shine light on the Kanika-tiles for added ummpf!

4) Use the glass block to form a 12-18" wide and 4-6' barrier between the shower stall and the rest of the bathroom. This would keep the excess water in the shower but let in all the natural light from the rest of the bathroom.

Then my brother spoke about my original idea which was to build a step-up platform that would be tiled and slightly angled to let the water drip down into the shower pan.  He did not know of any building codes that would prohibit such a design, as long as the main water flow went into the shower pan and the addition of such a platform was 100% sealed. He told me specifically what would have to be done:

Mock up of what the layers of items would be

1) Create a framework from 2x4s with the side away from the shower being about 1/4" taller than the shower side.  This slight angle will encourage any shower water that exceeds the pan to drip back into the pan.  Adhere the frame to the floor with silicone, and screw the frame sides to both walls.  The frame must be sturdy and secure in place.

2) Screw a piece of OSB or plywood, at least 3/4" thick, onto the top of the frame (I'll probably use two pieces of 1/2" OSB).

3) Carefully place a rubber waterproof membrane/liner over the structure with a bit of silicone to hold it in place, being careful not to breech the rubber barrier with nails or screws. The membrane MUST overlap the existing shower step, the walls, and the front of the frame, to ensure that no water can reach the floor or walls once everything is tiled.

4) Place a layer of Hardibacker-type cement board on top, ensuring that it overlaps the shower step.

5) Tile over the floor, walls, and above the existing partially-tiled shower stall all using a tile adhesive/mortar that is specially made for water/shower/tub applications.

6) Grout the tiles.

Simple huh?