MiamiCuse wrote:
"Robert Allison" wrote in message
news:nSisj.1564$r03.1357@trnddc08...

wrote:


I am wondering how these bathrooms are done without a shower curb:

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/project_...om/wetroom.jpg
http://www.impey-showers.com/prod_img/hd6_s_1.jpg

There is still a shower pan below, or no? Or you have to consider the
entire bathroom a giant shower pan and slope everything to the shower
drain?

I have a bathroom I am remodeling where the space between the shower
edge and the closet flange is two inches less than the minimum
clearance (16") and I don't want a 4"-6" thick curb to hold up the
shower door, I was thinking this may be the solution, but may be there
are other creative ways.

Thanks,

MC

Just the shower area has a shower pan, and this situation usually requires
a ground floor on a slab with a depressed area in the slab for the pan.
It can be done as a retrofit if you want to chip out the concrete for the
pan space.

In the past, I have done several of these for ADA compliant shower
accessability. Since then, the look has become fashionable, so I have
done several for non-ADA situations and they do look quite good.

The idea is that the shower area will have a pan and the shower floor will
be sloped to the drain. The rest of the floor might get wet, but it can
be wiped up or squeegeed into the shower area.

One thing that you need to know about these types of showers is that the
drain must be a 2" drain with two inch DWV. (Showers require this anyway,
according to code, but in a retrofit, I don't know what you are converting
from.) You don't want water backing up in the shower pan as you have very
little capacity and the lack of curb makes a stopped up drain much more
dangerous.

Perhaps for that reason, I have only seen these on a ground floor. I have
only seen them in houses on a slab, but they can be installed on other
types of foundations as well (I just haven't personally done any).

Here is an example of a fiberglass pan for this situation for illustration
purposes:

http://www.barrierfree.org/fiberglass_shower_pans.htm

You can make this pan using any standard shower pan method. Search for
barrier free or ADA compliant pans.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX


Allison thanks. My shower area is about 5x7, and right now half of the
concrete slab is out since I relocated the drains...but I am not sure I want
to bust up the entire shower area then pour a thinner slab. 2" drain is not
a problem I think my new drain is 2" PVC, there wasa an old 1.5" brass drain
for tub that I took out.

You don't pour it thinner, just deeper. Since this is a retrofit, you
would remove the concrete in the shower area, plus some of the dirt
underneath. Dowel some rebar into the existing slab, then pour your 4"
of concrete from the edges, sloped toward the drain. You only have to
be down the thickness of the tile + your pan at the edges and just
slightly lower at the drain. If you use the rubberized membrane for
your shower pan, the depth below finished floor at the edges is only
about 3/4".

How do they attach a piece of glass to the ceiling and floor and yet it
stays frameless. Does the floor and ceiling need to be "notched" to slide
the piece of glass in? or metal channels need to be installed into the
walls?

Thanks,

MC

There are different ways to attach the glass, but they are not notched
into either the floor or the walls. They are seated on small hard
rubber pads and then siliconed into place. The real strength comes from
the corner brackets which allow the glass to be fastened together and to
the wall. You can see these in the second link that you supplied at the
top and bottom of the corners.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX