Please help me decide what to do re bath!

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

I am installing a new bathroom after endless problems with leakage and seepage from a wet room shower. There isn't room for an actual shower cubicle and a bath, so if I want a separate shower (which I do) I shall have to stick with the existing layout, which has an open showering area to one side of the bath.
Fitter has advised shower tray rather than tiles, which I'm fine with.
What kind of bath and panel would be best to avoid water seeping into the join between bath and floor? I suspect a free-standing bath on legs would be best, but then we'd have to tile under the bath (money) and as space is tight there'd be nowhere around the bath for unguents.
The current bath is an inset one with tiled surround, which has been a nightmare as you can't remove the panel. If we went for this option I wouldn't want a tiled panel, but acrylic looks a bit plastic and I'm worried that wood wouldn't cope with being so close to the shower. Also, there is bound to be a small gap between the shower tray and the bath - how best to deal with this?
Apologies for long post. It's doing my head in!

[minipie]

Any builder should be able to make a tiled panel that is still removeable - it's basically a wooden panel with tiles attached. There would be silicon around the edges of the panel so if you need to remove the panel you have to cut the silicon and then re-silicon afterwards, but that's not a big deal. We had this in our last flat.

I don't really understand your proposed layout sorry. Any chance of a drawing? Seems to me the obvious thing is to put in a full height partition between the shower and bath (so the partition forms one side of the shower) but I may have misunderstood the layout.

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

Thank you - that's really helpful. Tiles may be the answer. I'll try to sort out a drawing - but basically it is a long narrow room. Against the back wall is the end of the bath with the shower beside it, so you step into the shower area to get into a bath. A partition would make it too cramped.
The room is too narrow to position the bath across the end. There are also two tall windows which limit options.

[minipie]

Hmm I think I see. So the shower is open on two sides and the bath gets a bit splashed when you shower? So it's a semi wet room really?

I would have the shower tray right up to the side of the bath panel and avoid having a gap between. You can install the bath slightly out from the other wall if necessary to close the gap. Depending on the size of the gap, this could also give you a narrow flat shelf along the side of the bath which is useful for shampoo etc. If you do this, make sure that shelf is tiled very very carefully as it will be an obvious leak risk. If you have the budget a solid strip of stone would be great there.

Another way of closing any gap between bath and shower is to bring the wall that the shower sits against a bit further out, i.e. a bit further towards the bath. Or do the same on the bath side. I don't mean move the existing wall of course, but just put a fake plasterboard (wediboard) wall a couple of inches in front of the existing wall.

Then the builder could insert a recessed niche into the bath or shower tiling, as a place to put shampoo.

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

That is very very helpful indeed. Two more questions, as you clearly know what's what in the world of plumbing, tiling and sanitaryware :

1. Would you advise against a wooden panel?
   
2. Do you agree that a shower tray is better than a tiled shower floor?
   

Very many thanks for your help!

[minipie]

A tiled shower tray is hard to get right. And yes it will also be more leak prone as there is grout. It also means all the shower pipework has to be recessed under the floor (whereas with a tray some of it sits under the tray, usually). Under the floor is harder to fix if something goes wrong.

So yes since you have leak issues, a shower tray is a much safer option.

If your shower is going to splash against your bath panel all the time then I would definitely avoid a wood panel. Another option is mermaid board.

Have a look at Bette by the way, they do shower trays and baths with a built in upstand that will avoid the need for so much silicon and reduce the risk of leaks.

[minipie]

PS I am by no means an expert!

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

Well you are compared with me! I really appreciate your taking the trouble to reply in such detail.

[RTKangaMummy]

We have got a wet room with ALTRO FLOORING it is the same sort of flooring as used in hospitals and hotel wet rooms

It goes up the wall a bit to create a totally waterproof room but more importantly it is sort of rough so very safe to walk on, there are different types for completely bare feet use or bare feet and shoe use iyswim

You can get cheaper copies

[RTKangaMummy]

It goes under the bath btw so the whole room is sealed in and waterproof

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

That looks as though it would do the job, but it's a bit utilitarian for my taste.

[RTKangaMummy]

As I am disabled we needed it to be safe to walk on when wet and soapy

The other thing was that we wanted it to be completely waterproof, hence why it goes under the bath, around all of the walls and up them a bit so water is totally contained and can't leak out anywhere

I get what you mean about the look, it might not be to everyone's taste but there are lots of colours available

[Wingedharpy]

We have Altro flooring in our new wetroom/loo.
Before we had it fitted I was very nervous about it looking like some sort of institution but, now it's down, it looks lovely and is very practical.
As RTK say, lots of colours and shades available.
The issue with tiles, IMHO, is the weak part is the grout if it continually gets wet.
I don't know if this is of any use to you but one thing I looked at to help
keep water contained in our shower room is a concertina type shower screen which can be folded up and pushed back into a cassette fixed to the wall.
See //www.outasight-vb.com for details.
Not cheap and we didn't go for it in the end for various reasons but it may be of some use in your situation.

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

All food for thought! The problem with the current set up has been caused by movement of the tiled shower floor when water got through the sealant between it and the bath. I think a proper shower tray would stop that happening again?

[bojorojo]

Not if it is not sealed with the tiled surround. The floor should be tanked and stable so it does not move (and then leak). I would hate to access a bath via a shower! Odd layout.

[RTKangaMummy]

What is width and length of room?

Cos you could get short bath to go widthways at end of room maybe?

Please draw diagram so we can help you

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

I will try to draw a diagram but am out and about today so difficult. The room is about 150 cm wide so a short bath would be possible but not much fun. I am a showerer during the week and then like long soaks on weekend mornings.
Haven't found it a problem at all getting into the bath from the shower, though it might perhaps be different from a shower tray. Remember it's an open area: the shower is bordered by the back wall and the side wall of the room.

[minipie]

Definitely look at the Bette upstand idea - if you get a shower tray with upstand on three sides (both wall sides and the bath sides) the weak points will be much more protected. Not as protected as with something like Altro mind you as that goes all the way up the walls, bath etc whereas the upstand is only a few cm high.

I'd forgotten you have to access bath via shower. Shower tray could be less good for that as it may feel less solid and more slippy compared with tiles or Altro. Make sure you get a very solid shower tray and consider getting an anti slip one (again, Bette can do built in anti slip on their shower trays, if you ask).

[minipie]

Or, can you not have a shower which is shorter than the bath, and thus access the bath from the bit that is longer than the shower iyswim? This would mean you can put in a more standard shower cubicle arrangement - less spacious feeling than current open set up but def less prone to leaks!

[Deux]

Would you not consider a large bath with a shower over? One of the P-shaped ones where you get a large shower area?

The set up you want will have inherent problems with potential for leakage whereas a shower over a large bath means the water is enclosed in what is effectively a giant high sided shower tray.

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

Mini pie - that is possible. There would be room to shunt the bath forwards along the long wall and so not have so much overlap between shower and bath.
When I get home I'll do a diagram!!

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

Deux - no, I really don't enjoy climbing in and out of the bath to shower.

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

OK - here's a diagram. Hope it works. Basin currently to the right of the door as you go in, opposite the bidet.

[AspasiaFitzgibbon]

Btw, bath is not P-shaped!

[munchkinmaster]

We looked at putting our bath and shower at 90 degrees to one another. So your bath would be along backward wing a shower cubicle on the right hand wall and again too was open to the bath. Same issue with seals etc. We were tiling bath side and using a shower tray. Is that any different to putting shower tray next to a tiled wall?

Anyway. I'm not much help with your actual question but a wee thought about layout.

[RTKangaMummy]

Is that from your house or a random plan?