Hey all,<br>Up to now, I had planned on lining the inside of my shower walls with vinyl flooring (based on YouTube's RickVanMan's idea). However, the sales guy told me that vinyl floor tiles aren't meant for "wet" applications because they are not water proof.<br><br>Can you all give me some info on what you use for your bathroom/shower walls? Thanks.<br><br>On a another note, I just went to Ikea today and found the perfect shelving unit for my future van. I'm stoked, but only if the rear wheel well dimensions will allow me to install this unit. Wish me luck.<br><br>
What type of wall for the shower room?
- Thread starter yamsack
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What they meant, I think, was that those tiles have gaps between them and the 'stickum' that you used to apply them would eventually allow in water. <br><br> The walls in my conversion were 1/8" luan-type panels that were covered with a waterproof vinyl wallpaper. My next conversion I plan to use FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) panels that are 1/10" thick. It's sometimes used in wet areas like park restrooms, restaurants,etc. It's fairly expensive at ~$30 a sheet but it's easy to cut and is durable. HD and Lowes also sell inexpensive sheets of shower stall material that is masonite covered with a waterproof layer.<br><br>A simple setup is just to use a shower curtain and some sort of base. As long as you didn't get too wild with the spray, you would be fine. If you will be mostly in an area with low humidity, this would work OK at least temporarily.<br>
<span id="post_message_1269916117">Quote: "<span id="post_message_1269915386">My next conversion I plan to use FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) panels that are 1/10" thick. It's sometimes used in wet areas like park restrooms, restaurants,etc. It's fairly expensive at ~$30 a sheet but it's easy to cut and is durable."<br><br>Thanks slowday. May I ask what are the dimensions of these $30 a sheet material that you mentioned? I only need enough material to cover roughly 6' x 6' worth of walls. Thanks.</span></span>
Oh,sorry. They are usually 4'x8' sheets and sometimes found in 4'x10. Usually white but almond can be found also. If you will have a 2' x 3' tub (w/sitdown shower), you could possibly get by using just one sheet. A stand-up shower will need two sheets. For the vertical joints and corners they have various plastic mouldings (see link below) that are meant for the thicker 1/8" panels but they can be sealed up OK when using the thinner FRP. (Edit: Actually it looks like they have mouldings just for FRP now).<br><br><a target="_blank" href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...051&catalogId=10053&Ntpc=1&Ntpr=1">http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...051&catalogId=10053&Ntpc=1&Ntpr=1</a><br>
When I did the re-engineering on Taj's bathroom/shower, I used FRP and it came out perfectly. It is very easy to work with. I made templates with construction paper, transferred it to the FRP and cut them with my jig saw. Definitely use the FRP specific glue to mount them. There are plenty of pics of the finished results on our blog (addy in my sig) just check the "roadtrek modifications" area.<div><br></div><div>Careful when shopping at Home Depot for this stuff. I had one of there experts tell me to use this "poly" stuff instead since it was made just for shower stalls etc. Don't fall for it! I tried that stuff based on his strong recommendation. I ended up tearing it right back out. It was much too flexible and showed bubbles etc no matter how much I worked the walls. Not into that "wavy" look. The FRP however, is just perfect!</div><div><br></div><div>Hope that helps! </div>
<br><br>Yes, the curves in the corner of the van (if that's where you plan to put the shower) can be hard to line up, so you definitely want to trial it up first. You may want to think about using at least some sheet metal screws along with adhesive to attach the walls real solidly to the van ribs. They have some that come with plastic washers that will seal up nicely.<br><br>What do you plan to use for a base?<br><br>PS: Definitely checkout VT's blog section on redoing the bath in his rig! Lots of good info and pics.<br>
Thanks so much for the info about the FRP. Regarding how to install the material, I was planning on using a single continuous sheet of FRP to wrap around the 3 walls of my shower room, thereby avoiding any need for caulking in the corners of the walls where separate sheets would normally meet. Is FRP material flexible enough to bend about 90 degrees to be able to wrap around the walls? Thanks.<br>
<br><br>Yes, but it has a limit as to how small the radius of a bend can be, as it is kind of brittle. Somewhere I saw posted the minimum radius for a bend and I think it was 7" but I don't really remember. HD also should have ~$20 sheets of vinyl that would be a lot more flexible but because of the curves, I think you would still have to do some cutting even with that. This material may be what VT was referring to. I also tried to use that to replace some paneling in my B but it didn't turn out well. Next time you're near a Lowe's or HD, you can check out what they have to get a better idea.<br>
@ slowday "...<span id="post_message_1269928604">I also tried to use that to replace some paneling in my B but it didn't turn out well."<br><br>May I ask why it didn't turn out well using vinyl paneling? Thanks.<br></span>
<div><br></div><div>Can't really put a bend in the FRP anywhere near tight enough for a corner like Yamsack will want. It is much too brittle for that. It bends well enough to make the large radius from top to bottom of the van wall, but that is really about as far as a person would want to push it. The tighter radius would also make it harder to keep glued to the wall unless the ends were tightly captured. </div><div><br></div><div>On that note, it really is very easy to get a good clean corner with careful layout. Caulking it works out very well and is pretty easy as well as durable. They do make edge moulding that is supposed to seal the corners both inside and outside, but it really doesn't do well on curves especially if they are compound. </div><div><br></div><div>The $20 vinyl is what I tried (and hated LOL). It really came out pretty lame. It had to be bad for me to go through the hassle of building it all, tearing it back off, scraping all the glue back off and starting over again with more trips to home depot (an hour away). It looked good when I first put it up. I had troweled the glue on, used spreader bars and clamps to hold it all in place (after using industrial rollers to flatten it out). I couldn't leave it after I saw the finished product...I am a bit of a perfectionist though. If you are less concerned about how it looks, it may work okay for you. It is much more able to make the tighter radius bends. It was just a bit too flimsy and soft to work as well as the FRP for my goals. </div><div><br></div><div>Hope that helps. </div><div><br></div><div><br></div>slowday said:
<div class="views-field-field-section-text-value"> <div class="field-content"><p> Tub areas and shower stalls are some of the most common trouble areas in any home. The main reason for these problems can be summed up in one word: water. Water from tubs and showers often damage walls and floors. Water, in the form of vapor, can damage interior wall surfaces. This water vapor can enter the wall cavity and damage the framing of the structure. It can even damage the paint on the exterior surface of the bathroom wall. </p> <p> Leaks from water supply lines and the drain system can also cause damage in and around tub and shower areas. Such plumbing leaks get most of the blame for tub and shower area problems. In fact, most of the water damage in these areas is caused between the time the water came out of the spigot or shower head to the time it was supposed to flow down the drain. </p> <p> There are good, inexpensive materials which can provide many years of service in both tub and shower walls. Regardless of the price tag, the wrong material, or material that is poorly installed, is bound to fail. </p> <p> The following sections are a list of materials intended as an overview of the most commonly used tub and shower wall materials. It also includes some basic recommendations for their proper installation. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.discobath.com/"><br></a></p><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="131"><colgroup><col width="131"></colgroup><tbody><tr height="20"> <td class="xl66" style="height:15.0pt;width:98pt" height="20" width="131"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.discobath.com/">Shower doors</a></td> </tr></tbody></table></div> </div> <span class="field-content"></span>
karl
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I used roll vinyl flooring for both the floor and wall areas- floor piece lapped up the walls with a slit at the corners and bedded in liberal amount of PL supreme adhesive....flooring adhesive has a good bite to hold, but is not as water resistant.<br>Walls are one piece lapped over the base vinyl and glued. Most residential vinyl is flexible enough to mold to the back corners with a small radius. I used a few staples at the top and sides to hold til the adhesive set as well as some sticks wedged between the walls overnight . HD or Lowes- less than 30. for a 6x9 sheet.<br>Side walls and floor are glued to 1/4 lauan, back directly to 1 1/2 rigid foam. insulation.<br><br>
johnny_canuck
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In my high top truck cap I have 46" of headroom. I'm putting in a round shower curtain rail and will cut the curtain down to the right height. And use a folding portable toilet seat to sit on, minus the bag. I already have a pesticide sprayer that I used to use to wash and rinse my miniature horses. My truck is black so there is no problem heating water using a solar shower bag. The floor will be vinyl flooring, the type used in bathrooms with a drain hole in the middle.<div><img src="http://findretroshowercurtain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/circular-shower-rod.jpg"> </div><div><img src="http://www.outdoors123.com/images/dmh-kookaburra-portable-toilet.jpg"> </div><div><br></div><div><img 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Phantom Blooper
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<br><br>Epoxy paint works well in wet areas....takes awhile to dry.....but will do well IMO.<br>
Yamsack, for an easy shower that doesn't take up floorspace or require expensive materials, check out my set up. Read the comments for more info.<br><br><br><A href="http://tinycamper.wordpress.com/from-cargo-to-camper-van/" target=_blank>http://tinycamper.wordpress.com/from-cargo-to-camper-van/</A><br>
The most durable paint that I know of would be a marine epoxy, but at $40/ qt ( yes, qt, not gallon) it's pricey and can be hard to come bye. Next would be good old fashioned rustoleum gloss white, oil if you can find it. I know it's for metal, but if you prime well with Bin or Kilz , it will last years and is scrubbable too. And lastly, you could always put a leftover piece of the Frp on the ceiling.
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