Building Tips for a new shower.
- Do not design curbs that approach buttresses at an angle. "Hinge Bind" may occur, making it impossible for the door to operate. Always design curbs so that they approach buttresses at an 90-degree angle.
- Very tall steam shower openings require a secondary piece of glass (transom), or the soffit can be framed lower to fill the gap. Frameless products over 84" tall require transoms.
- To ensure proper drainage and avoid future problems: Pitch seats to shed water. Install pans below seats. Pitch curbs INTO the enclosure to allow drainage. It is best to use a slab.
- For a Neo-Angle use 135-degree angles. In most cases you'll save money.
- Shower soffits must plumb down precisely to the footprints of the lower curbs. Failure to address this issue will result in disappointing results.
- Never position body sprays opposite an enclosure door or other opening. Always position body sprays so that they are directed towards tiled walls.
- Tempered glass panels cannot be manufactured in dimensions less than 3 1/2".
- If you are planning a frameless shower enclosure, DO NOT use raised, decorative tile on ANY part of the door swing area.
- DO NOT USE GLASS TILES! Drilling necessary during the installation process inevitably results in cracking.
- Overhangs near door closings create PROBLEM GAPS resulting in unsightly fillers or worse.....A return visit from an irritated tile installer to remove the overhang.
- Curb pitch guidelines: Out-pitched curb spills water outwards onto the bathroom floor. Dead-level curb results in standing water.....a sure catalyst for mold and mildew. Over-pitched curb causes door sweeps to bind or chafe, resulting in premature wear. Ideal curb pitch between 3/16" and 1/4" is ideal for shedding water back into the shower drain.
- The face of any rise where a swing door closes should be perfectly plumb, otherwise, a costly pattern cut door may be required.
- When a buttress wall or tub deck ends with a small area of glass that notches over and down, the result is a brittle icicle that may require a seperate lite of glass (with an ugly seam) or bulky metal build-over. Yield NO LESS THAN 5" of finished tile to your frontal glass door or panels.
- When installing a frameless enclosure onto a marble of granite tub deck, overhangs, up to 3/4" can be notched with minimal risk of breakage.
- When the overhang is greater than 3/4", we suggest the use of a metal filler to build out and fill the gap to the shower enclosure.
- RULE #1: "When in doubt block it!" Always provide wood blocking where doors hinge or panels are anchored, especially with metal studs.
- RULE #2: Never run plumbing pipe through studs where an anchoring screw may puncture it.
- When designing an enclosure that has a buttress wall, a notched door is a possible solution. A more practical solution is to incorporate an in-line panel. These panels can't be made less than 3-1/2" wide, be sure to frame the buttress to include the extra width of the panel.
