Shower Hardware Advice for small shower
I'm about to start a full renovation down to the studs for a very small master bathroom. The shower takes up the full width of the room on one end, with just a toilet and 30" vanity tucked into the wall outside the shower. Room for only 1 person to comfortably stand in the open space -- and they call this a master bathroom! The shower is only 32" wide x 43" long, with the shower head mounted on the 32" wall. I'm not a fan of rain showers as I like good pressure, massage feature, and also want a handheld head to be able to reach all the walls to clean and wash the dog!
I was thinking of just mounting a multi-function shower head on a adjustable bar to keep the hardware to a minimum and meet the above requirements. The sales person said the handhelds alone do not have the same strength as the mounted shower heads. I've looked at Kohler Awaken, Delta In2Ition Arm Mount Hand Shower, and Moen Multi-function hand shower. I've also looked at Kohler flip head model that didn't impress but did look very easy to use. None seem to excite me or really fit the bill.
I am putting 12 x 24 tiles on the 3 walls up to the ceiling, going for a transitional look. The attached picture will give you some idea how small the shower is. Also going for frameless or semi-frameless clear glass doors to open the space, with 1 or 2 very small spot lights in ceiling. I plan to add a small niche, and am thinking it should go on the opposite small wall (where I now have a rack mounted) so it stays drier. I thought about the middle of the long wall for some interest, but think it will break up the room, so I plan to use the same wall tile (porcelain white/light gray Dolomite) and line the bottom shelf with a very light gray I am using on the vanity top(vanity is off white) and the shower sill. Is this a good approach or should I try to make a larger niche of interest on the long wall? I have found a pretty multi-color ight gray and thassos type small verticle border piece that could be used for decorative purposes, but it might be too distracting as I don't really want to move the eye to the shower. And won't the back of the niche get hidden with bottles anyway????
(Sample of tile being used without border. Entire bathroom is 4 x 8 feet and I am not tiling the walls outside the shower. Just using matte tiles large format tiles on the floor outside the shower, polished large format tiles in shower, and 2x2 matte tiles on shower floor.
This gives some idea of how small the shower is. There is currently a mounted soap dish on the long wall and a shower caddy opposite the shower head. Getting rid of frosted glass to keep bathroom more open.
I also have a grab bar question, as my husband will need one soon. I hate to mount one into the tile wall, so does anyone know if the better suction cup ones that lock actually work?
Any advice on how to setup the shower (stationary head and handheld on bar or wall hook vs just handheld) and advice on which manufacturer has a good product would be appreciated. Many of the heads look so plastic and cheap. I've looked beyond big box stores and am working with larger bath supply stores/showrooms in the area.
Thanks for any and all advice.
Comments (8)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agowhew,,,lots of questions.
grab bar- plan now so that it can be attached to studs. if the studs aren't in the right place for the bar, the tiler or GC will have to do that for you prior to tiling/waterproofing the walls.
shower heads. are you in Calif? we have the low water usage mandate. they won't even ship the good stuff to you. I had to have mine shipped to AZ at my FIL's place. (yeah, whatever. I take short showers so it's really not a big deal. I have to rinse shampoo from my hair and the low-water rate ones are garbage) I went w/the Brizo line. As for the hand held, they all have plastic components due to weight. I guess they don't want them falling and cracking the tile or someone's foot (if they were solid metal) Go to an actual bath place, or research yourself and order them online. I've found that ordering individual pieces from Amazon (I did Kohler Purist for a clients shower) was the best budget option. But, you have to know all the components and what goes w/what piece. you can't mix and match (usually) also know that your tiler will need the rough in valve first, before any waterproofing goes in.
I like a good sized niche. figure out how big you want it and put on the farthest wall. the less water that hits it, the better. they have pre-formed niches that are water tight. the tiler just installs them in between the studs and waterproofs around it. (but sizes are limited)
your tile selection seems fine. go with all porcelain and smaller grout joints on the walls.
do you already have a tile guy lined up? Do your homework on this one. like really do your homework. check references, question as to how he will waterproof, etc. that shower should run you in the 5K range. maybe less, maybe more depending on where you are and who is doing it.
here is my shower to show you the Brizo fixtures.
(one other factor, see the valve? it has a double lever to control the handheld. I can run both at once. Not all valves will do this. and some require a separate rough in valve. I didn't want two plates (valves) on the wall. so make sure you check on this before ordering)
I did have to get the shower head spout from another company because Brizo didn't make one long enough. I like this handheld on the bar, although I rarely adjust it. you can choose to have one fixed like in the second pic. (this was my neighbors that I did for them. Kohler Purist line. they also did the wall mount Purist faucet over the vanity)
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