Install Shower Walls & Doorways

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Install Shower Walls & Doorways

Shower doors and walls are a quick and easy way to make your room look great and keep water where it belongs.

Shower door and wall enclosures give an old bathroom a quick and easy facelift and a fresh new look. New walls and doors also help control water splashes and protect your floors. Shower wall surrounds come in easy-to-assemble, pre-fabricated slabs in various sizes and shapes that you can install yourself. Shower doors also come in several styles, so you can chose one that fits your d cor and taste. Both are simple for one or two people to hang. All you need are a few common household tools.

Instructions

Tub/Shower Walls

1. Remove the connecting screws from the faucet and handle hardware and unscrew them from the wall. Set the hardware and accompanying screws aside in a safe place so you can replace them later.

2. Lift a wall panel up and place it against the shower wall. Line it up so that it sits evenly on the rim of the tub. Use a pencil and mark the top edge of the panel. Continue around the entire area to get a solid top edge marking of the enclosure.

3. Line up the wall panel with the side of the tub opening where you want the shower wall to stop and use a pencil to mark a line along the vertical side of the panel from top edge to tub lip.

4. If the tub/shower area is surrounded with tiles, cover the pencil edges with clear tape to protect them from splintering. Use the crowbar and hammer to pry off the drywall or tiles from the wall, exposing the wall framework. Use the claw of the hammer to remove any stray nails from wall studs.

5. Use the keyhole saw to cut a straight line along the top edge of the wall in the drywall or tiles.

6. Insert caulking tube into caulk gun and run a bead of caulking along the wall studs in the section where the first panel will go. Place panel on the studs and press firmly. Repeat for each successive panel.

7. Measure the placement of the shower faucet and handles carefully and use the hole saw to cut out sections in the front panel of the tub/shower enclosure to accommodate them. Confirm the placement of the holes by holding the panel up to the wall and placing it over the plumbing. Apply caulk and set the panel in place.

8. Apply a coat of silicone sealant along the seams of each panel. Place the top-edge flange strip along the top of the panels and use the drill to screw it in place. Caulk the bottom edge at the base of the panels to the tub/shower and replace faucet hardware.

Shower Doors

9. Measure the length of the space between the front walls of the tub or shower. Cut top and bottom rails ¼" shorter than the length using a hacksaw. Measure the side walls up to accommodate the doors and mark the area at the top of the wall for the top rail placement.

10. Screw bottom rail to the shower floor or the front rim of the tub. Caulk around the inside and outside of the track. Insert side wall support tracks on each side. Screw into the walls on both sides of the enclosure. Caulk the inside and outside edges of the rails on both sides of the enclosure.

11. Hang the top rail across the opening from each side of the side rails. Use a carpenter's level to make sure the area is completely level or the doors will not seal well.

12. Hang the shower doors from the top rail.

Dryer lint

Thursday, April 11, 2013