wood floor shower

Re: wood floor shower

JohnV

cedar or cypress. No finish. you are right, it takes diligent maintenance.

Re: wood floor shower

Yonak

I made an ipe bench for our showers ten years ago and I expected to have to have to keep it oiled regularly. However I haven't in these 10 years and it still looks fine. Even on the bottoms of the legs (end grain) it's solid. We have to brush it off every once in awhile to remove soap residue but, other than that, no maintenance.

Re: wood floor shower

JohnV

IEP will stand up fine, but the lighter weight for removing the floor for cleaning underneath will be essential. several square ft of ice grating will be too heavy for many folks and discourage cleaning the pan.

Re: wood floor shower

Dick Coers

I'd suggest a two piece mat. Hauling out a 5' mat out with soap scum and hair on it would not be a fun task. If they clean it in the shower, rotating a 5' mat would be nearly impossible. I'd suggest you aggressively round over all edges. Splinters from any of those woods will fester very quickly. No finish would be suggestion. Wood has a natural resistance to bacteria, not so much sitting on a coat of finish.

Re: wood floor shower

Mike McNerney

I like the look of redwood unfinished a lot more than cedar unfinished. I called 20 places today & finally found some redwood. Now I'll price it up for the customer & see if they go for it. Thanks for your thoughts. definitely 2 pieces.

Make sure no sapwood!

Dick Coers

Todays redwood is just a shadow of what old growth was like. Then if you use any sapwood in today stock, it seems to rot faster than fir.

think outdoor deck without the UV

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Do not finish. Finish will not last 2 years. After exposure to water any wood is going to look the same. Anything that makes a good deck will do. Ipe is an inexpensive choice that will last. Cypress also a good choice. Real Teak is boggling expensive and offers no advantage in this application. If as a result of its design flexibility is an issue redwood and cedar are not stiff. Ipe is like steel. Cypress in between. Bronze or stainless steel fasteners.

Re: wood floor shower

TomD

If I was doing it I would build it like a boat. Find a marine plywood they liked you can get any surface look you want including slats, or you could rip ply into 2 inch pieces and then re-assemble from contrasting colours. You can even veneer it in something eyeopening, like birds eye. Or veneer in a wooden pattern. or you can use solid wood.

You could then pretty easily build it like a metal pan so that it drains. All gluing would be epoxy. Final finish would be fiberglass. It can look as good or better than a gloss piano finish. It will last pretty much forever, and will not require hardly any maintenance. If there is a worry about it being slippery, you can add texturing to the final coatings, or procure some transparent mats. If properly done it will not expand or contract, or shift in any way.