shower enclosure ideas?

cjean · #1 07/15/10, 04:01 PM

We are building a very small bath/kitchen onto another shed, to provide emergency housing for whoever might need it (scary, I know). Using as much cheap or recycled products as possible. We've added a shower base, just the 32"x32" pan, which we bought at a rebuild-it center. Any ideas what to use as an enclosure around it?

Thought about cedar lap (we own a sawmill) with a shower curtain for the front, but I'm worried about cleaning the wood, and mildew problems. Also considered the ole tile or shower board, but it seems that Home Depot here doesn't have any. Any thoughts?

**Cabin Fever** · #2 07/15/10, 04:04 PM

A shower curtain hung on a circular shower rod with a 30" diameter.

cjean · #3 07/15/10, 04:20 PM

That might work. The pan sides are only about 2" high, so there isn't much to keep the curtain inside...

arabian knight · #4 07/15/10, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjean

That might work. The pan sides are only about 2" high, so there isn't much to keep the curtain inside...

My "pan" is the same size and I have been using a curtain now for over 10 years. You just don't spry the water directly on the curtain, you turn it so that is goes more to a corner. And mine is also a 32" by 32".

Wisconsin Ann · #5 07/15/10, 05:12 PM

I'll second...er, third that plan

If you need to, you could add a simple mini wall of tile..maybe another couple of inches. Or maybe just at the corners.

arabian knight · #6 07/15/10, 05:23 PM

If you have some used steel siding. I have mine lined with 3 used sheets of steel siding until I put up the molded sides for the stall. Works great.
A few years while living in AZ. and living on a horse boarding stable I lined my shower stall with old sheets of fiberglass.
That worked well until I built a real shower area. That one was a prefab fiberglass one just fit it in and nail it to a 2 x 4 frame.

cjean · #7 07/15/10, 06:54 PM

I do like the mini wall of tile idea, Ann.
And I'm wondering about the siding idea, too. We have some aluminum siding out there, waiting to go to the scrap yard...

arabian knight · #8 07/15/10, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjean

I do like the mini wall of tile idea, Ann.
And I'm wondering about the siding idea, too. We have some aluminum siding out there, waiting to go to the scrap yard...

Now I had a shower "enclosure" (Walls on 3 sides) so all I did was cut to size. and I bend it around the corners so it "overlapped" so no water would get out around the edges. Then I used some screws and fastened the siding to the walls of the shower. 2 x 4 and plywood etc.
The pieces were left over from roofing a small shed I put up. A to house my mini horses in.

**clovis** · #9 07/16/10, 01:18 AM

A couple of ideas:

1. Corrugated plastic or steel

2. Our local plumbing supply house sells scratch and dent shower stalls and shower tubs for $25 to $50 each. These generally have just a small ding on the edge, where it wont be seen after installation.

3. Ceramic tile. I've seen large floor tile used on walls.

4. You could just line the inside of the shower with visqueen plastic (if you are cheap), or with shower curtains. Either nail 'em up, or put them on shower curtain rods.

5. Run an ad on craigslist looking for materials.

Just a few ideas.

ET1 SS · #10 07/16/10, 07:35 AM

Our shower is three sheets of plywood with heavy polyurethane [each sheet is 8' tall and 4' wide, though they could be trimmed down to fit any size pan]

Our shower rod is 1" black-pipe and two black-pipe flange fittings.

Callieslamb · #11 07/16/10, 08:07 AM

having showered in many gyms and YMCAs.....why not just tile the floor, put the fiberglass surround sheets on the wall and forget the shower base? Put the shower in the corner and you only need a curtain on 2 sides. The water won't go far if the floor slants towards the drain. I have always wanted a bath like this. Easy, easy cleaning.

Witterbound · #12 07/16/10, 09:40 AM

When I added a shower to my pump house I didn't use a shower pan. I used a big galvanized wash tub from the farm store. Cut a hole in the bottom and installed a drain. Then used a surround shower curtain. Works great.

cjean · #13 07/16/10, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Witterbound

When I added a shower to my pump house I didn't use a shower pan. I used a big galvanized wash tub from the farm store. Cut a hole in the bottom and installed a drain. Then used a surround shower curtain. Works great.

Lots of great ideas here...but I really like this one! Too late for us, though. We already spent $40 on the shower pan.

I think we'll go to Home Depot and see what kind of plastic sheets they have that we could use as shower board. DH wasn't sure about the metal siding idea - we only have the corrugated stuff, and it would be too hard to cover all the sharp edges...

ronbre · #14 07/16/10, 03:50 PM

having so many disabilities in this household the walk in large shower is the key for me..no stepping over the side of a tub with disabilities..we never use a tub any more

lamoncha lover · #15 07/16/10, 04:06 PM

eonbre
my plan for our new house is an open master bedroom shower..large enough to get a wheel chair or shower chair in. Will not have a tub at all either. I think better to plan now for mobility issues then to have to redo it in 20 years.