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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Plumbing Questions >> shower tray fitting https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1098809043 Message started by trowelhead on Oct 26^th, 2004, 5:44pm

Title: shower tray fitting
Post by trowelhead on Oct 26^th, 2004, 5:44pm

How do you pro's do it?
I'm fitting a 900mm square tray this weekend and wondered if this sounded right.I propose to make a frame of4x2 to sit it on(screwed to the floor) and then cover it with some ply. Does this sound okay?
Also i've heard you can get a trap that is accsessed from above,what exactly should i ask for?(is this stating the obvious? :-[ :-[ :-[
Any other hints/tips greatly appreciated.

Title: Re: shower tray fitting
Post by jasonB on Oct 26^th, 2004, 5:57pm

I assume it's a resinstone type tray

Your method is OK, worth setting the timbers onto a bead of gripfill as well and a bead between the timbers and ply before screwing it down. Also screw the timber to the walls as well as the floor on any walls they touch.
Put the 4x2s at approx 300mm cts thats one each side and two spaced inbetween.

Bed the tray in gripfill, pink seems to be the most popular.

Ask for a top access shower trap, they come on chrome or white, check the flange diameter 70 or 85mm and go for atleast a 50mm seal.

Jason

Title: Re: shower tray fitting
Post by trowelhead on Oct 26^th, 2004, 6:07pm

you can't beat experience can you! ;)

thanks Jason.

Title: Re: shower tray fitting
Post by thescruff on Oct 26^th, 2004, 6:08pm

most of the resin things have a top fit trap included with the tray.

scruff

Title: Re: shower tray fitting
Post by HandyMac on Oct 26^th, 2004, 6:32pm

I can't stress this enough.....

Make absolutely stonking sure that the shower tray is level when you site it. The base of the shower tray has a very slight incline to allow the water to run off to the waste pipe, and if the tray itself is only a couple of mm out of sync you will have a problem.

I know it's teaching granny to suck eggs, but it's one of those things which you can so easily overlook.

The other thing to bear in mind is that these shower trays are heavy! It might be a two-man job to put it in place.

Andrew

Title: Re: shower tray fitting
Post by billythekid on Oct 26^th, 2004, 6:37pm

When I fitted my mums stone tray 1200x900 I did it myself, no-one to help get it in place. As a result its ever so slightly off level, the wrong way. Water pools a little at the grating but its not too bad, had an excellent tiler to finish the enclosure who lost the un-levelness?? in the grout lines somehow, looks good now.
thing is once its down its too heavy to shift on yer own, especially when its bedded in. My base was totally level �ply but by the time the bedding stuff was on it I couldnt jiggle it into place on my own(110 pound weakling) so I had to make it as level as I could. Slightly off towards the trap you'll be ok, until tiling! might sound a bit obvious but its pretty essential.

Title: Re: shower tray fitting
Post by jasonB on Oct 26^th, 2004, 7:20pm

I find an unlevel tray make it very hard to fit a screen with side panel, not too much of a problem if its just a door. Don't assume that if your ply base is level that the top of the tray will be!

I use thin plastic shims under the 4 corners to get the tray top level then fix them in place so they dont move, then apply the grip fill and place the tray pushing it down until it touches the shims, these stop it sinking under its own weight, once the gripfill is solid the tray is supported over its whole area.

Should say that your ply needs to be WBP minimum, marine would be better, you can get marine ply that does not meet Lloyds standards thats about 1/2 the price, thats what I use 25mm thick.

Another tip is to cover the front of the plinth with UPVC facia which matches the tray and can be fixed with silicon of a couple of plastic capped screws for easy access if required.

Jason

Title: Re: shower tray fitting
Post by Chaddy on Nov 17^th, 2004, 10:02pm

Thats a good tip about the trim jason. Certainly a lot easier, and quicker than fitting ply and tiling it.
I'll be using that in the future. Nice one cheers