You may remember what I started with, this tiny 22 by 24 inch shower with a tiny 22 by 24 inch shower curtain rail.
What you did not know, is that the shower stall was wobbly and needed to be re-caulked around the top because there was a big gap where water could go down into the wall.
It also had a pair of bizarre and totally useless soap dishes that got in the way.
I saw a forum post where someone upgraded their shower starting with a $20 piece of plastic wall panel from home depot.
Before I replaced the shower walls, I started out by bending the shower curtain rail into a better shape. Post & pictures here! UPDATE: We've been on the road a week and the shower curtain configuration works great! It actually stays in the shower pan better because we are not constantly pushing against it while we wash.
I saw a forum post where someone upgraded their shower starting with a $20 piece of plastic wall panel from home depot.
So I saw an opportunity to completely fix my shower! For $20! (this is not an affiliate link, but I want to make sure you know what I'm talking about. When you go to the store you have to know what you want or they can't find it. You don't want the $40 rigid plastic)
First step, remove the old shower enclosure. This was really simple because after I drilled out the plastic rivets it was held to the wall with three strips of double-sided tape.
Measure the space, and cut the plastic approximately to size. Test fit it into the shower enclosure. I had to cut some off the bottom of each side because something's not square. Of course, nothing is ever square anywhere when you're remodeling. It's better to leave a little gap for expansion and movement while traveling than it is to get it absolutely tight.
Measure the space, and cut the plastic approximately to size. Test fit it into the shower enclosure. I had to cut some off the bottom of each side because something's not square. Of course, nothing is ever square anywhere when you're remodeling. It's better to leave a little gap for expansion and movement while traveling than it is to get it absolutely tight.
Second step, add support for the new rounded corner I plan to put in. I ripped one corner of a 2x4 on a 45 degree angle, cut it into sections and glued it to the wall with a little "liquid nails" adhesive.
I made the top piece of wood long because I intend to screw the shower head support into it and I did not want it to split. I sanded them so they wouldn't have sharp areas rubbing on the plastic when the trailer was in motion (and because I'm a sanding fool!! I love sanding LOL)
Third, apply adhesive of your choice to the walls. They recommend a water based adhesive. I used a good quality adhesive caulk which is technically a water based adhesive, because that's what I had. If you have to buy something, you may want to buy what they recommend. But, I assumed since they originally built this thing with three strips of double sided tape, and the new enclosure will be resting on the shower pan, it's not going to take a lot to hold it up. If it does in fact start to peel away from the wall, I bought some stainless steel screws and I will put them around the edges.
Fourth, slap that bad boy in there. Try to line it up as best you can before the caulking or adhesive grabs lol. Use a rolling pin to roll really hard on all the surfaces to spread the adhesive around and make sure it gets a good grip. If you have any spots along the base that won't stay flat, prop a board or something against them to hold them down until the glue has time to set.
Fifth, caulk all the edges.
Now here's the trick to gain precious inches - Screw your shower head into the CORNER of the shower stall.
Instead of standing across the width of the tiny shower, you will now be facing corner to corner and gaining a lot of space. Okay, not a TON of space, but a 10"-12" which makes a huge difference! Instead of standing on the short 24-inch side we are now standing on the almost 36 inch diagonal.
Use some stainless steel screws along the top if you put hooks on the wall, because they will probably cause the plastic to pull down a little.
Stand back and admire your beautiful new shower that only cost you 20 bucks! Yes that is light from heaven shining down on my beautiful new shower. I can almost hear the angels singing.
Make sure you have THIS SHOWER HEAD: (affiliate link will take you right to it)
I can shower for 10 minutes with this shower head and not run out of hot water! It really feels like a lot of water and it's not. The shower head mixes air with the water and makes it work much more efficiently. Seriously - you have to get one!
In addition I made a splash guard, to keep the water going the right direction because the new shower stall is a bit wider than the pan.
It is simply a piece of plexiglass cut into basically an L shape. There happens to be a screw on the outside corner of the shower pan that I used to hold the splash guard in place, and then it's securely caulked. I didn't want to attach it too well at this point because I'm not sure if it's going to get in the way of anything, and I may end up removing it. However, I think it's going to work just great!
Fifth, caulk all the edges.
Now here's the trick to gain precious inches - Screw your shower head into the CORNER of the shower stall.
Instead of standing across the width of the tiny shower, you will now be facing corner to corner and gaining a lot of space. Okay, not a TON of space, but a 10"-12" which makes a huge difference! Instead of standing on the short 24-inch side we are now standing on the almost 36 inch diagonal.
Use some stainless steel screws along the top if you put hooks on the wall, because they will probably cause the plastic to pull down a little.
Stand back and admire your beautiful new shower that only cost you 20 bucks! Yes that is light from heaven shining down on my beautiful new shower. I can almost hear the angels singing.
Make sure you have THIS SHOWER HEAD: (affiliate link will take you right to it)
I can shower for 10 minutes with this shower head and not run out of hot water! It really feels like a lot of water and it's not. The shower head mixes air with the water and makes it work much more efficiently. Seriously - you have to get one!
In addition I made a splash guard, to keep the water going the right direction because the new shower stall is a bit wider than the pan.
It is simply a piece of plexiglass cut into basically an L shape. There happens to be a screw on the outside corner of the shower pan that I used to hold the splash guard in place, and then it's securely caulked. I didn't want to attach it too well at this point because I'm not sure if it's going to get in the way of anything, and I may end up removing it. However, I think it's going to work just great!
One last note, on camper showers there is a ring that the hose goes through to hold it up while you shower so it doesn't turn the valve off on the sink. We often use our shower head to fill buckets, wash dogs, etc. It was irritating to have to remove the shower head every time I wanted to move the hose. So I replaced it with a metal coat hook... Works great!!
That's terrific! And no more yellow shower either. How did you cut the plexiglass for the corner?
ReplyDeleteThanks! It is a terrific improvement and it works perfectly. The person who gave me the piece of plexi told me it was lexan which can be cut with power tools. So I marked it, and took out my trusty little jigsaw and started cutting whereupon it shattered all over the place. So, I think it was actually plexiglass. So I just cut really slow with the jigsaw and a metal / plastic blade and piece ended up a little smaller and more jagged than I planned lol. I then sanded the edges down with a belt sander to make it the right shape and remove all the jagged places. I'm not sure how to do it right, but this worked. Helps if you have a little extra lol. I need to put a better brace on it now that I know I'm going to keep it there. The caulking isn't really strong enough to hold it steady if you bump into it.
ReplyDelete