Shower stall material

Oggie · #1 01/30/08, 10:10 AM

I got a "good" deal on a shower door that almost fits out shower. Well, like some good deals, I've ended up pulling my hair out.

The door is a little too short for our comfort. So, I figured, no big deal. I'll just build up the front and raise the threshold before I install the door.

But no one seems to sell the solid Corian-type material from which to cut and fit the new pieces. It's Corian, but a cheaper solid-surface material.

It can be fairly thin, 1/4 inch or so, because it will be on a vertical surface that doesn't support weight. It has to be totally impervious to water because it will join the shower floor.

The place where the guy who used to own the house got the rest of the shower material is out of business. Lowe's and Home Depot just look at me funny.

Does anyone have any ideas?

gccrook · #2 01/30/08, 11:27 AM

I know that here, Orchelns sells sheets of some sort of plastic that looks to come in various thicknesses. Not sure exactly what kind of plastic it is, but would certainly be impervious to water.

Windy in Kansas · #3 01/30/08, 01:37 PM

A giant cutting board or two pieces spliced together will give you a plastic piece that should work. Great for a number of other projects too.

naturewoman · #4 01/30/08, 01:46 PM

I was looking for a piece of corian for a waterproof kitchen windowsill. I called a local company that makes countertops and they sell corian by the sq foot (even small scraps). If you have a large city anywhere near you, you may find a company that builds countertops.

Oggie · #5 01/30/08, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naturewoman

I was looking for a piece of corian for a waterproof kitchen windowsill. I called a local company that makes countertops and they sell corian by the sq foot (even small scraps). If you have a large city anywhere near you, you may find a company that builds countertops.

That's a good idea and I started doing that today. You used to be able to but it in sheets and pieces at building supply places, but I think that there were enough messed up projects that the solid surface manufacturers began to sell only to dealers/ installers or finished countertops to do-it-yourselfers.

naturewoman · #6 01/30/08, 02:48 PM

You can expect to pay a steep price for it...even the piece I was looking for was only four inches by three feet, and they wanted about $75 for it. I went with polyurethaned wood instead, but I don't have constant water on it, like you would.

Oggie · #7 01/31/08, 08:38 AM

Well, now it turns out that my wife hates the way the shower looks and wants to tear it out and replace it.

Teaches me for coming across a deal on a door that almost fits.

"Why spend any money on a shower that I don't like?" she askes. "How much money could it possibly cost to make it the way I want it?"

Well, the shower is a custom job that measures 32" by 50" the drain is in the center of that rectangle. She wants a 32" x 32" or a 36" x 36" standard unit that will be easy to clean.

The problem? The drain will probably have to be moved. It's in a concrete slab. "Easy to clean" means solid surface material, not fiberglass.

So, it looks as though my $100-or-so, fix-it-like-a-homesteader project is morphing into a $2,500-$3,000 major plumbing/construction project.

Oh well, becasue there's no way we can come up with that kind of money for a while, at least I get to put it off.

MELOC · #8 01/31/08, 09:10 AM

it sounds like your wife is getting finicky...like a cat. i'm sorry to say it, but i think she has been compromised.

DQ · #9 01/31/08, 09:10 AM

what about a small poured concrete ledge? you could go around the whole shower base to make it look like its supposed to be there and then cover it in salvaged ceramic tile. or if it just looks funny from the outside because it is too short, what about raising the whole floor of the shower. you would probably have to chip out the slab around the drain to adequately attach the drain extension which would be a Pain ITA. I might be misunderstanding the problem though and what exactly you mean by "shorter than comfort".

Oggie · #10 01/31/08, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DQ

what about a small poured concrete ledge? you could go around the whole shower base to make it look like its supposed to be there and then cover it in salvaged ceramic tile. or if it just looks funny from the outside because it is too short, what about raising the whole floor of the shower. you would probably have to chip out the slab around the drain to adequately attach the drain extension which would be a Pain ITA. I might be misunderstanding the problem though and what exactly you mean by "shorter than comfort".

The upper horizontal support for the sliding door is 5'4" from the threshold. The threshold is about 3" above the floor now, so the lower edge of the support is about 5'7" from the floor. I am about 5'9". My wife is maybe a half an inch shorter. Sooner or later, we're bound to whack our heads.

If I raise the threshold by 8 or so inches, the support will be 6' of so and life will be good.

My wife is picky about how it might look (it might be a cat thing. I'll try rubbing her fer the wrong way to check.). I'm having trouble finding the material to make a small change. If I'm going to raise the whole unit, I might as well just rip out what's there and replace it.

Like I said, seems like whenever I find a bargain, it ends up costing me more than I thought.

OkieDavid · #11 01/31/08, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oggie

Like I said, seems like whenever I find a bargain, it ends up costing me more than I thought.

Hmmmm, may be a message buried somewhere in that statement....LOL, just kidding. Sounds like alot of my "deals". Luck to you just the same.