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I have been talking about refurbishing my upstairs bathroom. I also need to do the downstairs for when my elderly mum needs it. I have a couple of some specific questions, and I do not think we have a thread. She also likes sitting in the shower for a rest or a sit-down shower. Currently we have a plastic garden chair for that in a wetroom alcove upstairs. The biggest shower tray I can get in will be 1400 x 800mm (the 800mm is a bit tight, but more would be a pain), as it is under the stairs where there is currently a bath. There will be a fixed screen as many others do , plus a hinged end panel. I'll post a design etc on a blog-post. I need a walk-in shower which is as-good-as-possible rather than "acceptable", without sinking the bank. Questions: 1 - Does a non-slip shower tray offer major benefits? Is there a downside in attraction of muck or cleaning etc? 2 - In looking for a shower screen, are they available with pre-attached grab rails? In practice a pre-attached towel rail may do it, which is what we currently have. But does gonig for one with a rail on make it niche and pricey? How pricey? 3 - Are there glue-on varieties of grab rail, and other help-equipment? Are there versions available which do not look like a clinic? (Shower screens are inexpensive, so it may be the best option to replace the whole thing when the grab rail is no longer needed). 4 - Can anyone point me to a type of fold down shower chair which is more comfortable that the normal institutional-looking ones? 5 - Potentially I *may* be able to fit in a 900mm shower tray, though it would involve moving a towel rad by about 80mm. Since we are now retiling the whole thing, that be worth it. Question for any wise-owl members: is there a major benefit for less mobile people in a 900mm wide shower over an 800mm wide? I have a gut feel it could give a lot more benefit that the small change implies. Cheers Ferdinand

Hi all, I'm working on the ensuite now and have seen this Marmox Plinth as a good option to build a shower tray up on top of the slab so I can get drainage underneath. (cant dig into the slab so have to go above it and out the wall for the drain.) The plinth is fixed to the slab with a flexible, cement based tile adhesive. On top of that plinth I would then install a showerlay such as this... Marmox showerlay. My question is: Could I substitute the plinth with some leftover 100mm Celotox PIR insulation? It seems like essentially the same thing. Is there any reason why this is a bad idea? Thnks in advance.

Hi, I am new here. I am mainly looking for some advice on showers and shower trays. last year I was flooded out and the insurers are being awkward on the replacement shower tray, I have posted in the bathroom forum and hope someone can give me helpful advice and information.

So, my home was flooded last year and the insurers insisted on ripping out my bathroom. I had a 1000x1000 mm ceramic shower tray which they broke renovating the bathroom. I'm a large chap and so was not keen on a plastic shower tray and they assured me they would source and fit a ceramic tray. Yes they fitted a plastic tray 800x800. I went nuts and they told me to source my own tray. I cannot find an actual ceramic tray anywhere, there are lots of Stone resin showertrays but my Google-Fu is weak and I cannot find ceramic anywhere. I am not sure if anyone can tell me if the stoneresin trays would be an acceptable replacement or not, I might consider a Steel enamel tray as well. The shower is on the ground floor and there is a concrete slab floor, it cannot be flush mounted so needs a riser kit of some description. Advice on a source of a shower enclosure of the right size would be helpful also.

I am installing a very heavy stone resin shower tray Crosswater Linear 1500x800 in a u shaped 1500wide x800 deep space plasterboard walls in upstairs bathroom with P5 flooring. Instructions insist on setting tray on mortar 5:1 ratio with a plasticiser my questions are: 1 )do I need any form of additional waterproofing 2 )how much plasticiser do I use in the mortar mix 3 )how much sand do I need for this area 10mm thick 4) plan to use my mate and glass suckers to lift onto mortar difficulty in u shape area is there a simple trick alternative

Onto the next dilemma swirling around in my head. In the not too distant future I will be tackling the en-suite install. The shower tray is enclosed by 3 walls the intention was for a 1400 x 900 tray however the opening is now only 1350. This is as a result of plastering and probably the blockwork being just too much on the tight side to begin with. The intention has always been to multipanel the enclosure. I really don't know what to do with this out of the following options:- - Chase the walls to get a 1400 tray in and tank the bottom section. My concern here is that after the panels are fitted there would only be approx 10mm upstand of the tray showing. - fit a 1300 tray and box out to suit. The problem here being using multipanel it will not go to the ceiling as we have 9ft ceilings, hence why the enclosure was plastered. - find a custom fit tray or a 1350. Any advice or suggestions welcome.

I previously posted about using a wet room former in our ensuite but have since remembered that my 22mm egger is well and truly glued down to the joists and removal will be a stretch too far. In light of this I'm planning a 1600x800/900mm tray and hope the floor levels with tiling etc result in a fairly flush finish into the tray. Room is 1700mm x 3600mm and 100mm will be boxed out at one end to contain shower valve etc much like @Crofter design. I've read various threads about what to use under tiles and just want to check I've not missed anything before ordering materials in... Floor build up: 22mm P5 glued and screwed on 400mm cc posi joist. 6mm ply (and under tray?) glued and screwed at 150mm cc's Electric UFH mat (eBay) covered with self levelling (latex?) Tiles Walls: Shower area will be water resistant PB or cement board (brand?) ? both to be tanked fully as per @Nickfromwales excellent thread. Then fully tiled. Rest of walls to be water resistant PB and skim finish. In theory a fully tanked shower area will be fine with the water resistant PB but many seem to use cement board so I need to make a decision here. I can see the logic in cement board but if it's getting wet something else has gone wrong?! Have I missed anything important? Many thanks

I'm on the final stretch now with this little house. The last room to need significant decisions made is the en suite so I figured I would stick all my questions in the same place on this thread. The room is 1600x2400 and has a basin/wc unit (already in place, although the install is temporary for now). The shower will run along one full wall and have a fixed glass screen and full length tray. Flooring is just going to be vinyl, and I'm planning on a part tiled, part paint finish on the walls. An electric heated towel rail will fit on the wall beside the door- a tight space but I can get a 500mm wide one in, just. So.. first question. When looking at the tray and screen, is it best to get these as a package? If sourced separately, am I running the risk of incompatibility where the screen seals to the tray?

We are again planning the wet room for my elderly parents as the builder seems like he may be finally starting work soon. We planned to have a tiled floor with a simple drain in the shower area, maybe using a former or letting the builder do it by eye (he says he's done it before). However, my father has seen our new shower and wants a shower tray like ours! But if the floor will be made of concrete, with insulation and electric UFH mat, how does the waste connect? on previous shower tray installations, we (okay - the OH) have had access to the area under the tray (wooden floorboards) to connect the waste but in this case, we won't. so how is the waste connected when lowering the shower tray? Its late when I ask this. I shall try UTube tomorrow to see if there are answers there but any advice will be gratefully received.

Okay, for our ensuite renovation - we have decided on the Aqualisa quart digital shower where we can have the control unit to the side of the enclosure so I can turn it on and off, without getting a wet arm. https://www.plumbworld.co.uk/aqualisa-quartz-digital-shower-concealed-qzd-a2-bv-14-2672-28388 So now, we need a shower tray. we are looking at 1600 x 900mm with a small shelf at the very end which I will tile. The room is 1660mm wide. Blanchards (my local BM) has a catalogue of QX bathroom Products which has a Genisis 40mm tray in the size we want, with a 5 year guarantee, http://www.qualitex.co.uk/Bathroom_PDF/index.html?pageIndex=200#p=204 They do have other types with a 10 yr guarantee but they don't come in 900mm wide. Has anyone any experience of these or any recommendations for better ones. The tray will sit on the floor and the drain will go straight down, through the ceiling of the kitchen, where the pipe will run on top of the kitchen units, into the SVP. That way, we dont have too much of a step into the shower.

Hi all, Been getting a few prices from my local BM Eastbrook volente 900 x 900 - £104 excl Kartell kt35 900 x 900 - £66. Both need waste on top. No idea how to guage quality except based on price (dubious I know) - has anyone heard of either of these? Would you buy online? Any recommendations? Thanks Cc