Shower area with a tiled hob:-An area divided by a barrier constructed from masonry.
Shower area without a hob:-An area where the tiled floor is equal in height with the main bathroom
floor area.
Shower area stepped down:-An area where the floor of the shower is lower than the main bathroom
floor.
Shower area with a base:-An area that has a pre-finished shower base installed.Such
as a preformed baked enamel, cast imitation natural stone or sanitary grade
vacuum formed PVC reinforced with a backing of sprayed polyester resin.
SHOWER AREA WITH A TILED HOB
This type of shower area construction is the safest way to create an area
to withhold all of the water that falls within a shower. The shower construction
method can be utilised in any part of a bathroom layout. It is not reliant on
any specific drainage outlet size or floor tile size. The only criteria set
out for a shower area with a hob is that the shower screen position on top of
the tiled hob must be located in a position flush with the intersection of the
vertical/horizontal hob tiles on the inside of the finished tiled hob. As with
any of the above shower types, a long lasting waterproofing method must be used.
SHOWER AREA WITHOUT A HOB
A shower area without a hob is the term used when the shower floor tiles are
equal in finished height to those floor tiles installed in the rest of the bathroom
floor area. The shower screen is then installed over the position defined by
the waterproofing membrane protruding through the floor tile joint. The finished
look of the shower area is continuous, but there are major draw backs.
This shower area is one that can give endless amounts of trouble. Many factors
are involved in keeping the water table within a shower area without a hob.
For the area to work successfully the following is a guide that you should well
consider prior to constructing the shower.
Is the shower area next to the door entry of the bathroom?
When a shower area is adjacent to door areas, the following occurrence outlined
in paragraph 2 is very common as the water from the shower area does not have
as far to travel to exit at the bathroom entry door position.
Is the water pressure from the shower rose greater than the water
flow into the drainage outlet? When the water pressure from the shower
rose is greater than the amount of water escaping into the drainage outlet,
the water in the base of the shower area will build up in depth and overflow
into the main bathroom floor area. Eventually the water will escape from the
bathroom area and damage carpet and timber at the bathroom door entry position.
Does the intended shower screen type allow for the waterproofing
membrane that protrudes above the finished floor tile height to be continuos
and be able to terminate at least a minimum of 5mm into the bottom section
of the shower screen frame?
Will children be using this shower? Children have a tendency
to block the drainage outlet with a face washer or leave a bar of soap over
the floor drainage outlet while the shower is running. This leads to a build
up of water within the defined shower area and eventually an overflow occurs
and runs out the door entry of the bathroom.
Are you using large floor tiles? Floor tiles greater in
size than 100mm square create a difficulty in achieving an acceptable fall
from the wall intersections to the floor waste. This results in a surface
water build up when the shower is in use and an eventual overflow will occur.
Will you be able to use a drainage grate with a minimum outlet
size of 100mm? If you use a drainage outlet any less in diameter
it will impede the amount of water that can escape from the surface of the
shower floor, the result will be a build up of water and an overflow of the
shower area will occur.
Can you trust the tiler to know how to finish the tiles at the
defined shower screen position of the membrane? Some wall/floor tilers
are the cause of water leaks from showers without a hob. These tilers will
say "I have tiled hundreds of showers similar in style, without a problem".(They
don't get to see the problems). These tilers usually cut the membrane up-stands
off, the up-stand, or what's left of it is now to low to withhold the water
table that develops within the shower area. This water table flows into the
tiled bed of the main bathroom floor area and a saturation level is reached
so as anymore water entering this area will escape at the bathroom door entry.
The constant saturation level will swell the bottoms of vanity cupboards,
architraves and door jambs. These affected areas and wet grout joints in the
bathroom floor area are the first signs of water leaking from the shower area.
SHOWER AREA STEPPED DOWN
A stepped down shower area is created firstly by the substrate in the shower
area being constructed so as it is lower than the substrate for the remainder
of the bathroom floor area. The depth of the shower step down can be a minimum
of 50mm and should be deep enough so as the waterproofing membrane when installed
is a minimum of 50mm greater in height than the overflow level of the finished
floor tiles within the shower area. In most cases the up-stand of the membrane
at the shower screen position will be level with the top of the mortar tile
bed that has been layed for the remainder of the main bathroom floor tiles.
The shower screen when installed should be slightly overhanging the stepped
down shower area. By installing the shower screen in this position, the water
run off from the screen will drop directly to the shower floor.
In the construction process the stepped down shower area is overlooked, this
usually results in the floor substrate of the bathroom being the same level
as the outer floor areas. When this occurs the best alternative is to use the
hobbed shower method.
SHOWER AREA WITH A BASE
A shower area using a base has some limitations and the following will give
you some indication.
Shower bases are usually limited to approximately three sizes, 900mm x
900mm, 1000mm x 1000mm and 1200mm x 900mm. The square base versions are available
with a splayed front edge.
The outlets in these bases are in one fixed location and attention to detail
by the drainer is required, otherwise drainage outlets will be terminated
in the wrong position.
It is of the utmost importance that these bases are installed as per the
manufactures installation instructions. Failure to follow instructions will
generally lead to a water leak.
The wall up-stands in some bases leave a lot to be desired, in that the
up-stands within the walls are not sufficient in height to allow for a water
overflow safety factor.
It is recommended that the whole wall surface area in a shower where a
base has been used be waterproofed prior to the installation of wall tiles.
In most cases a fibre cement wall sheet is used, and water over a period of
time permeates these wall linings, the water runs down the back of the wall
lining and builds up between the back edge of the lining and the up-stand
of the shower base. This usually results in water overflowing into the wall
cavity, leaving everybody to suspect leaking water pipes. One way to alleviate
the problem is to leave small weep holes in the grout tile joint where they
intersect with the top of the shower base.
