The Artisan
Adventurer
You could also make one out of sealed wood like a short Japanese short walled soaking tub..
Kevin
Kevin
Stainless steel shower tray suggestions?
- Thread starter grizzlyj
- Start date
We made ours out of plywood, covered it with fiberglass cloth saturated in West System epoxy. I say "we" but my husband, who was a boatbuilder for 30 years. did it.
Pros: it is cheap if you do it yourself, or not so cheap if you have to get someone to help, depending on how much you can do yourself. Also, you can bring the cloth and epoxy treatment up the sides of the enclosure so water doesn't drip behind the edges of a pan. Final surface is sanded a bit to fair it and just painted with Benjamin Moore bathroom quality paint and has held up fine for 6 years.
Cons: you needs something non slip to stand on - we just put a Bed Bath & Beyond teak shower mat with rubber feet on the bottom. Looks nice, dirt and hair underneath day to day and easy to lift out to clean. I guess another con would be it is not as easy to take out as removing a stainless pan if you ever need to remove it.
Pros: it is cheap if you do it yourself, or not so cheap if you have to get someone to help, depending on how much you can do yourself. Also, you can bring the cloth and epoxy treatment up the sides of the enclosure so water doesn't drip behind the edges of a pan. Final surface is sanded a bit to fair it and just painted with Benjamin Moore bathroom quality paint and has held up fine for 6 years.
Cons: you needs something non slip to stand on - we just put a Bed Bath & Beyond teak shower mat with rubber feet on the bottom. Looks nice, dirt and hair underneath day to day and easy to lift out to clean. I guess another con would be it is not as easy to take out as removing a stainless pan if you ever need to remove it.
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I'll just add that we positioned the bathroom and the kitchen sink so that we wouldn't need two sinks. The bathroom is very small so you can literally almost reach out through the curtain and use the kitchen sink, which is across an aisle from the toilet. This sink is pictured here.
We also like not having a door on the bathroom - the curtain lets light through from the window in the sliding door which is partially in the bathroom and can be easily tied back so the inside of the van feels more spacious.
We also like not having a door on the bathroom - the curtain lets light through from the window in the sliding door which is partially in the bathroom and can be easily tied back so the inside of the van feels more spacious.
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IdaSHO
IDACAMPER
Solid Surface acrylic (think Corian) is also an awesome material for shower pans, surrounds, benches, shelves, soap holders, etc.
Works like wood, only easier. No grain, so you basically machine it using wood working tools.
And bonds together using epoxy. Cut/fit/bond Once done it is as strong or stronger than a single piece fiberglass unit.
Works like wood, only easier. No grain, so you basically machine it using wood working tools.
And bonds together using epoxy. Cut/fit/bond Once done it is as strong or stronger than a single piece fiberglass unit.
Thank you again for the replies 
I hadn't heard of a Japanese deep tub before, or actually thought about looking at compact tubs.
The nearest Corian "type" supplier mentioned a silly figure starting price so I've left that at that.
The couple of resin shower trays I've found locally are the right size but have thick edges encroaching on floor space, weigh a ton, and I'm not sure how their support requirement might not be up to being in a vehicle.
Baths are even worse with losing edge space from what I've found so far, so that once I've put my composting toilet in it that's where you'll sit what ever you're doing. So no floor space to sit in the bath! And the loo can't go anywhere else.
My previous attempts at fibreglass couldn't exactly be called barefoot friendly! There is a quite big marina near me where I was going to sound out for stainless fabbing, so may as well ask around for glass experts too!
Stainless steel will still eat up less edge space in the room from my current search at least, be removable, self supporting within that span and bolt downable. Although the affordable part has yet to be determined!
I hadn't heard of a Japanese deep tub before, or actually thought about looking at compact tubs.
The nearest Corian "type" supplier mentioned a silly figure starting price so I've left that at that.
The couple of resin shower trays I've found locally are the right size but have thick edges encroaching on floor space, weigh a ton, and I'm not sure how their support requirement might not be up to being in a vehicle.
Baths are even worse with losing edge space from what I've found so far, so that once I've put my composting toilet in it that's where you'll sit what ever you're doing. So no floor space to sit in the bath! And the loo can't go anywhere else.
My previous attempts at fibreglass couldn't exactly be called barefoot friendly! There is a quite big marina near me where I was going to sound out for stainless fabbing, so may as well ask around for glass experts too!
Stainless steel will still eat up less edge space in the room from my current search at least, be removable, self supporting within that span and bolt downable. Although the affordable part has yet to be determined!
Last quote I had on a stainless pan from a local fab shop was $500 in the US. Materials, welding, and built to my specifications. 16 gage. My plan is to suspend it from the four sides, so that it rests upon the drain I purchased via Amazon from the UK that has an actual trap and lifts things 75mm (3" for us yanks). P Trap assembly screws to it from above and below. Sides are attached to 3x walls and 1x entrance. Spray foam is sprayed to fill the void around the trap, and between the bottom of the pan and the floor of the van. Once it hardens it provides support for the bottom of the pan, and you don't have to be perfect because it forms to the negative cavity. Use enough that you can support it in multiple places, but not so much that you could never get it out if you had to fix something.
Option 2 as mentioned before is to make something out of wood, then seal it with fiberglass like the boat builders do. The weak link there would likely be the drain interface, but everything has a weak link somewhere. I've done this method, and even added ceramic tile over the top to dress it up with good success. You have to use a special mastic and grout though, which is silicone based.
Option 2 as mentioned before is to make something out of wood, then seal it with fiberglass like the boat builders do. The weak link there would likely be the drain interface, but everything has a weak link somewhere. I've done this method, and even added ceramic tile over the top to dress it up with good success. You have to use a special mastic and grout though, which is silicone based.
hiya
Thank you for the replies
So, I bought a sheet of 316 stainless of about 1.5mm thick. At about 8'x4', and since I'd rather have bends than welds where possible, the sides ended up being more like 140mm high ish. 140 + 140 + 900 plus a bit for the bend. I do have a chunk of the sheet left and I could have cut that up for higher sides with more welds, but the lifted floor plus door threshold makes this about right as is.
I did want all sides to slope a little, but the reality of putting it in a bending machine meant only one pair of sides could slope. Otherwise one sloping side would clash with the other during bending.
It is quite a snug fit which is good, max 10mm big each way. I've put it on small stacks of ply to lift it about 100mm to clear a standard domestic shower trap in two corners.. There's also a sheet of ply across them to help the steel span between stacks. I wondered if an imprint of those pads would end up showing through the steel in time.
The gaps between stacks allow services underneath, like mains and 24v supplies, spare ducts, Eberspacher flow and return, plus waste drain runs. The Eber hot pipes, plus the venting around those runs will help to keep it dry. They also allow a hand to get back under for drain fitting maintenance if needed.
I asked the fabricator to cut holes slightly bigger than the top of the trap fitting, then weld that back on underneath to end up with the top of the plughole a tiny bit lower than the surroundings, so no puddles, but he dished it instead. That is a good solution, but his finishing has left that area looking different to the rest which I was thinking would be left as is.
But I might try a random sanding pattern to both hide that and make it less slippy.
I dropped it in to make sure it fitted, thinking I could put my fingers in one of the plugholes to lift it up again. I could, but because the hole is offset the tray twisted, that side came up the otherside dug in. I used a dent puller/glass carrying sucker to give a more even pull and got it up.
I've put some non-setting Sika type stuff in a few blobs underneath, and run some straps around from one side to the other to get it up again if I have to. A little excess of that has been siliconed in place along the edges that will be out of sight but just about accessible with a pokey stick or knife.
I'll cut some ply with an angled cut top and bottom to direct shower water off the wall and then create a drip away from the tray top edge.
Two drains, but it's flat. I don't really see the point of making a fall because unless the fall is huge at some point how we're parked will keep water at the wrong end. So most water will find it's way out, the last bit will be squeegied like it would have been anyway.
Another hopefully good idea is to have the drain into the grey tank on the opposite side of the tank to the shower. Then if the vehicle is leaning toward the tray the drain entry is at the other dry above tank water level side so no back flow.
I only put some blue tape on the walls for the second fitting, the first try scratched the walls a bit
Sika tell me I can glue ply to stainless using 552, so I have countersunk bolts poking from the back of 18mm of ply cut to the toilet profile that will go up into the underside of my Separitt toilet, ply glued down hiding the bolt heads, threads poking up to receive the loo. The countersinking was done with a drillbit smaller than the bolt head, so tightening the bolt pulled the head into an interference fit in the ply, plus Sika around that too so hopefully thsy won't spin. I can double up on the nuts so they hold gently down onto the plastic of the loo, but then the second nut tightened hard onto the first locking it in place.
I haven't finished yet so a few more pics might follow later. That will probably explain it better than all these words anyhow
Jason
Thank you for the replies
So, I bought a sheet of 316 stainless of about 1.5mm thick. At about 8'x4', and since I'd rather have bends than welds where possible, the sides ended up being more like 140mm high ish. 140 + 140 + 900 plus a bit for the bend. I do have a chunk of the sheet left and I could have cut that up for higher sides with more welds, but the lifted floor plus door threshold makes this about right as is.
I did want all sides to slope a little, but the reality of putting it in a bending machine meant only one pair of sides could slope. Otherwise one sloping side would clash with the other during bending.
It is quite a snug fit which is good, max 10mm big each way. I've put it on small stacks of ply to lift it about 100mm to clear a standard domestic shower trap in two corners.. There's also a sheet of ply across them to help the steel span between stacks. I wondered if an imprint of those pads would end up showing through the steel in time.
The gaps between stacks allow services underneath, like mains and 24v supplies, spare ducts, Eberspacher flow and return, plus waste drain runs. The Eber hot pipes, plus the venting around those runs will help to keep it dry. They also allow a hand to get back under for drain fitting maintenance if needed.
I asked the fabricator to cut holes slightly bigger than the top of the trap fitting, then weld that back on underneath to end up with the top of the plughole a tiny bit lower than the surroundings, so no puddles, but he dished it instead. That is a good solution, but his finishing has left that area looking different to the rest which I was thinking would be left as is.
But I might try a random sanding pattern to both hide that and make it less slippy.
I dropped it in to make sure it fitted, thinking I could put my fingers in one of the plugholes to lift it up again. I could, but because the hole is offset the tray twisted, that side came up the otherside dug in. I used a dent puller/glass carrying sucker to give a more even pull and got it up.
I've put some non-setting Sika type stuff in a few blobs underneath, and run some straps around from one side to the other to get it up again if I have to. A little excess of that has been siliconed in place along the edges that will be out of sight but just about accessible with a pokey stick or knife.
I'll cut some ply with an angled cut top and bottom to direct shower water off the wall and then create a drip away from the tray top edge.
Two drains, but it's flat. I don't really see the point of making a fall because unless the fall is huge at some point how we're parked will keep water at the wrong end. So most water will find it's way out, the last bit will be squeegied like it would have been anyway.
Another hopefully good idea is to have the drain into the grey tank on the opposite side of the tank to the shower. Then if the vehicle is leaning toward the tray the drain entry is at the other dry above tank water level side so no back flow.
I only put some blue tape on the walls for the second fitting, the first try scratched the walls a bit
Sika tell me I can glue ply to stainless using 552, so I have countersunk bolts poking from the back of 18mm of ply cut to the toilet profile that will go up into the underside of my Separitt toilet, ply glued down hiding the bolt heads, threads poking up to receive the loo. The countersinking was done with a drillbit smaller than the bolt head, so tightening the bolt pulled the head into an interference fit in the ply, plus Sika around that too so hopefully thsy won't spin. I can double up on the nuts so they hold gently down onto the plastic of the loo, but then the second nut tightened hard onto the first locking it in place.
I haven't finished yet so a few more pics might follow later. That will probably explain it better than all these words anyhow
Jason
Attachments
Shower under 1 shows part of the ply supporting the tray, one domestic trap and dent puller to get the tray up again.
Shower edge ply pic shows the ply strip cut at about 45 degrees top and bottom to hopefully direct water away from the tray/wall join which was siliconed anyway.
Separett 5 shows masking tape to loo footprint, plus the Sika products used.
Separett 4 shows loo and ply strip in place.
The dishing around the plug hole means the trap washer doesn't tighten up uniformly flat to the underside as it's supposed to. The top is supposed to be sealed with silicone only anyway.
It's quite cold out at the moment so I'm leaving it alone for a week despite a heater in there before I test
Shower edge ply pic shows the ply strip cut at about 45 degrees top and bottom to hopefully direct water away from the tray/wall join which was siliconed anyway.
Separett 5 shows masking tape to loo footprint, plus the Sika products used.
Separett 4 shows loo and ply strip in place.
The dishing around the plug hole means the trap washer doesn't tighten up uniformly flat to the underside as it's supposed to. The top is supposed to be sealed with silicone only anyway.
It's quite cold out at the moment so I'm leaving it alone for a week despite a heater in there before I test
