Bathroom Renovation / Creation

[RedRock]

Folks,

I'm only new to this forum, so first of all Hi !
I have recently purchased a 'renovators dream', and need to stem the flow of water from the shower recess. The amount of water exiting via the wall cavity seems to continually exceed the amount going into the drain :-). That's an easy one, but the question I need to ask, which has been touched on in another thread I have read, is, can I realistically have a cypress timber polished floor in a bathroom ?. I am adding an ensuite when I renovate the bathroom, and I currently have really nice cypress floors, which, with a polish would come up a treat. To save money, actually, really for the look, I would like to do apolished timber floor in the bathroom, but am a bit weary of the best way to approach it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Paul

[journeyman Mick]

Paul, I have done a bathroom like this at the request of the owner and it is still fine after 19 years but having said that I wouldn't really recommend it. If you really must however here's a few pointers:
1) It sounds contradictory, but don't rely on sealant to waterproof anything. If you imagine you live in a world without sealants and design all joins, junctions, corners, flashings etc. accordingly and then apply sealant afterwards you'll go a long way towards avoiding problems.
2) Avoid a shower bath (unless it is a factory made one piece unit) as they will ALWAYS LEAK eventually.
3) Install a floor waste, even if they aren't required in your state.
4) Always use a waterproof membrane (to the manufacturer's specs) under tiles.
5) If you have a tiled shower tray use a "rock top grate" or similar, with the waterproof membrane running down into the waste pipe. This means that any water that makes it through the grout and runs through the adhesive bed will drain off through the waste rather than percolating through the floor or collecting on top of the membrane and going stagnant.
6) Australian standards specify that at every change of angle (ie junction of floor to wall or wall to wall corner) and every junction to another material there is no grout, rather a sealant bead. I recommend a min 3mm tile gap filled with a polyurethane sealant.
7) Use a glass shower screen and door-not a curtain, this will minimise water on the floor.
8) Train all your family members/housemates/guests to mop up any spills or splashes before leaving the bathroom.

Good luck!

Mick

[RedRock]

Thanks Mick, it sounds like you certainly know the deal with this one. I was planning to use a shower tray, and because it's an ensuite, only my wife and I need to worry about how to treat it. I was also planning on a floor waste anyway, and a glass shower screen. One thing I was wondering though, is should I try and seal the floor with a polyurethane or similar, and should I try and seal the join where the walls sit on the floor ?
The way I figure it, is that if there ever should happen to be a leak of some description, if I can contain it within the ensuite, it will have to go down the floor waste, and not into the bedroom :-)

Any comments on that one ??

Thanks

Paul

[journeyman Mick]

The one I did 19 yrs ago was done in two pack estapol and it has lasted really well. Since then there have been a lot of developments in flooring finishes, polycure, water based, single part polyurethanes etc. I haven't kept up with it and I would be talking to a specialist flooring finish supplier for advice. As far as sealing walls to floors goes it's fairly standard practice to seal the skirting to the floor (at least it should be). Some people use silicone but it's not recommended as it plays havoc with any finish you subsequently try to put over it. I would either use a polyurethane sealant like sikaflex or Bostik Matrix and paint over it with the skirting paint, or if you are putting a clear finish on your skirting use a clear paintable sealant like All Clear (there's another made by Ramset which I found much easier to use but the name escapes me). I'd be inclined to put the floor waste pretty close to where you step out of the shower to catch the bulk of the water.

Mick

[RedRock]

Thanks Mick, great advice, I appreciate your help.

Regards

Paul