According to the National Association of Home Builders, 85 percent of Americans buying a home consider a separate shower enclosure an essential or highly desirable bathroom feature. Showers, which require a minimum of 36 square inches, range from prefabricated fiberglass stalls to spacious custom-built shower spas. They can be built from scratch or assembled from manufactured components. Your shower stall will require either a single, double, or triple threshold--depending on whether it is set into three walls, two walls, or against a single wall.
Prefabricated Stalls
Single-piece molded fiberglass, laminate, or synthetic marble showers are watertight, relatively inexpensive, simple to install, and easy to clean. Many prefab stalls include integral shelves, benches, and grab bars and come in square, rectangular, and corner configurations.
One-piece showers, which are usually too large for a remodel unless some walls are knocked down, are common in new construction. For remodels, manufactured shower wall panels that are assembled on site are preferred. These panels lap over a molded shower base and are attached to a waterproofed wall.
With the exception of one-piece showers, all showers begin with a base, sometimes called a receptor or a "pan," which can be purchased ready-made or built by hand.
Construction demands skill because the pan must be waterproofed and sloped precisely to the drain, which must be set at the right height for perfect drainage. Prefabricated bases--in molded plastic, cast polymer, solid-surface composite, or poured masonry--come in various sizes and shapes and can be used with wall panels or custom surrounds.
Be sure to select a prefabricated shower pan with a drain opening that matches the existing location of your drainpipe. You will also need to make a choice from among single, double, and triple threshold styles.
Custom Showers
A custom shower can be built from the ground up or with a prefabricated base, which saves time as well as money. A shower's adjoining walls must be waterproof, consisting of a layer of water-resistant drywall covered with waterproof cement board and finished with ceramic tile, slate, granite, marble, or solid surface. Showers can be equipped with such luxuries as seats, multiple spa showerheads that can give full-body massages, and even steam-shower functions.
Shower Doors
Shower doors may swing open, fold back, slide, or pivot. Some are hinged directly to the shower entrance, but most are framed with aluminum that comes in many finishes, including epoxy-coated colors. Doors are made from inexpensive plastic or tempered glass that can be clear, frosted, mirrored, or patterned. For a steam shower, the shower door must be airtight, and the shower must also include an airtight overhead panel.
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