Bathroom101: Showers

Remodeling your bathroom can be a fun and exciting project for the DIY homeowner and weekend warriors who love building and remodeling their homes. But if you plan on installing a shower enclosure in your next bathroom remodeling project, then you might want to take a look at this article about shower enclosures. Learn the basics of buying and installing shower enclosures right here.

Pre-fabricated Showers

For years, this industry standard was considered sub par to a custom built shower enclosure. You basically had a fiberglass preformed factory unit that came in the exciting colors of white and off-white. Today's modern pre-fab shower enclosures come in a huge variety of colors, sizes, shapes, materials and models. This allows the average homeowner to install their own shower enclosure without the knowledge of a professional tile worker and plumber.

The upside of installing a pre-fab shower enclosure is obviously the ease of installation. Costs are cut down both in materials and labor and installation times are much quicker-you can have a new shower in a few hours versus days.

The downside of pre-fabricated shower enclosures are their limitations. Space concerns are always a factor when installing a pre-fab model. You basically have to design your bathroom around the shower enclosure-not the other way around-limiting the places you can place your shower enclosure.

Custom Built

While the custom built shower enclosure is obviously harder to install for the average DIY weekend warrior, it can be done with a little bit of forward thinking and planning. Plumbing and tile knowledge can be supplanted by hiring a subcontractor for these tasks as needed.

The basics of a custom shower enclosure are the same with any interior room as it is simply framed with studs. Next, a plastic shower pan or liner is installed on the floor of the shower stall. After that, plumbing is installed at the correct locations and a floor drain is cut into the pan. A cementious substrate is then attached to the studs from ceiling to floor without penetrating the shower pan membrane. After that, it's just a simple matter of installing the sloping subfloor, tiles and grout. Add your favorite pre-manufactured door and shower fixtures for the perfect shower enclosure.

The benefits of installing a custom shower enclosure are more control over fixture choices and their placement within the shower enclosure. More fixtures, soap dishes and intricate tile patterns are available with this project.

The down side of custom built shower enclosures are the additional work and expense involved. It takes weeks to install a custom shower enclosure and materials can get pricey, especially the fixtures and specialty tiles.