Rainhead shower with no door-- will it splash too much?

15 years ago

We're building a master bath as part of an addition, and it will include a Lacava freestanding tub and behind this floor to ceiling glass and a walk-in shower with a rain-head in the middle and a hand-held shower on the wall near a corner bench.

The shower area is 5' x 3.5' wide. The entry (without a door) will be on the long end. Most likely the entire bathroom floor will be tiled. We live in Southern California, so not too concerned about the heat loss from having an open end to the shower enclosure.

I've never had a rain-shower head so I don't know what the "splash zone" will be. Anybody have experience with a shower of approximately this size?

We could conceivably extend the shower floor tile another 3.5', but aesthetically I'd rather not.

Unfortunately we didn't learn about the option for a curb-less entry until after the floors were framed. It would be pretty pricy to do it now, because some floor joists would have to be cut down in place.

Any advice / tips would be appreciated. Our contractor is suggesting we put in a door to keep the water in but the architect says "no big deal"...

Thanks in advance!

Here's the layout:

Featured Answer

gryane

15 years ago

I think you will be fine and you will love not having a door to have to clean. We have a 4x5 shower with a small curb and no door. We have a regular shower head which I think would splash a little more than a rainhead shower. The water splashes a little on the curb but it's no big deal. We also live in So CA and do not feel cold without the door sealing off the shower area.

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Comments (7)

MongoCT
15 years ago
You'll likely get some incidental/rebound slashing over the threshold. But what is your floor surface outside the shower? Are those 12" squares tile? If so then no worries.

If you are a worrier, then use a membrane under some or all of that 3-1/2" area prior to setting the 12". It doesn't have to be sloped or part of the shower pan membrane, it's just a bit more protection for an area that may see more incidental water.

Tell your architect that toilet compartment doors should open outward, not inward.
chaparral
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, when sinking this much money into an addition I am a worrier.

Floor surface over threshold will be tile.

Good point about the door. It could hinge out and open against the window, which would be fine because it will normally be closed. And the window is small (8" wide x I think 30" high and tempered glass (we are in a fire zone).
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MongoCT
15 years ago
Then have them add a few square feet of Kerdi (or some other) membrane under the tile just outside the shower. Kerdi is only 8-mils, or 8/1000ths of an inch thick. All you're looking for is for any incidental wetness to not saturate the grout and wet the tile underlayment.

FWIW, my shower is doorless, I did the same just outside my shower. My shower curb is sort of a raised platform, it serves as a drying off area for stepping out of the shower and tub, as well as serving as a raised step to step into the adjacent tub.

Nothing more than Kerdi underneath the tile. Although mine is, yours does not have to be intergrated with the shower's sloped membrane. It's not pitched for slope, it's just there for insurance.
chaparral
Original Author
15 years ago
Very cool--thanks for the pics. Definitely gets me thinking. For one, it shows how we could make a transition from a non-tile floor to a tile floor, which I hadn't thought of.
chaparral
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, looking forward to it! At least we've made one decision.
westvillager
15 years ago
Gryane's post made me lol. Could there be a more annoying task?

Grats to the OP on the decision. Looks like it will be nice.