How to make a shower cubicle from tiles and glass blocks with your own hands

Recommendation points

• Step-by-step installation of a shower cabin made of tiles and glass blocks
• Preparation of the surface for the shower
• Drain installation and pallet arrangement
• Installation of tiles on a pallet and shower walls
• Laying glass partitions
• The classic way of stacking glass blocks
• Glass-block screen with reinforcement
• Frame method for installing glass blocks
• Door installation
• Care features

On the plumbing market, there are a huge number of varieties of shower enclosures of all kinds of shapes and colors. But if you want something truly original and at the same time aesthetically attractive, you can create a unique design with your own hands from tiles and glass blocks.

The popularity of shower cabins is growing every day. And of course, many people want their design not to be similar to other stamped factory plumbing blocks. However, not everyone can afford to buy an option with a unique design. This is not a reason to be upset – a shower stall, created with your own hands from glass blocks and tiles, can compete in all external and technical parameters, with any ready-made design structure at much lower costs..

Advantages of glass shower partitions:

• creativity and originality;
• relatively low turnkey cost, if you do the installation yourself;
• a large selection of sizes, shapes, colors of material, light transmission;
• the possibility of installing both coal and radial shower partitions;
• strength and durability;
• naturalness;
• ease of installation;
• high rates of heat and sound insulation;
• ease of care.

Step-by-step installation of a shower cabin made of tiles and glass blocks

Before starting installation, read the approximate work plan.

It consists of:

1. Surface preparation.
2. Arrangement of a podium for a pallet and installation of a drain.
3. Installation of tiles on walls and a pallet with outlets for plumbing fixtures.
4. Laying glass-block partitions.

Preparation of the surface for the shower

This stage, in fact, does not even include the adaptation of the surface itself to the upcoming installation, but the preparation of the room itself.

The bathroom should be freed as much as possible from furniture, plumbing fixtures, remove the washing machine and other equipment.

All free drains should be covered with protective caps or wrapped with plastic wrap.

Drain installation and pallet arrangement

Consider how to install a drain and at the same time equip a shower tray.

The work is done in the following order:

1. Mark the place where the structure will be located, taking into account the thickness of the glass block partitions and their shape.

2. Dismantle old floor tiles in this area.
3. Grind the surface of the screed, eliminate cracks, if any.
4. Treat the floor with a deep penetration primer.
5. For waterproofing, carefully apply a layer of bitumen mastic or other waterproofing, paying particular attention to seams and corner joints..
6. After the waterproofing has dried, brick sides should be installed along the perimeter of the location of the future pallet or formwork should be made, again coated with mastic and filled with concrete.

7. Next, you need to cut off a piece of polystyrene foam (50 mm thick), and put it tightly into the pallet. It will serve as a heat and sound insulator.

Note! It should be laid exactly expanded polystyrene, and not so beloved by would-be masters “reflective”, which they stubbornly put under the screed, reducing its strength.

8. After that, make a cutout in the material under the ladder, install it and connect it to the sewer outlet. It must be installed flush with the finish, so immediately raise it to the desired level and lock.
9. Then fill the starting layer of the rough screed with a cement-sand mortar mixed in a ratio of 1/3.

10. After drying, melt isoplast on the screed, filling the entire surface with a membrane.
11. Pour in a finishing screed with slopes towards the hopper at least one centimeter per meter.

12. After drying, you should cover the final filling with mastic, after which you can start laying the tiles.

Installation of tiles on a pallet and shower walls

Installing tiles or mosaics on a shower tray and adjacent main walls is no different from laying it on other surfaces. The only thing is to choose products with moisture resistance marking “I” or “AI” and “BI”, meaning that this tile is moisture resistant, its water absorption coefficient is not more than 3%.

Before installation, you should also treat the working areas with an antiseptic primer, so you will improve the adhesion of the ceramic to the screed..

If you use grout, take a moisture resistant.

Don’t forget the conclusions. During installation, be sure to cover them with something to prevent moisture and solution from getting into the holes.

Laying glass partitions

Consider the installation of a rectangular glass screen.

It can be done in one of three main ways:

• classic;
• using fittings;
• frame with honeycomb module.

The classic way of stacking glass blocks

The easiest installation of glass blocks on an area of ​​up to 15 m².

The work is divided into several main stages:

1. Prepare the surface – clean it from dust, dirt.
2. Apply markings with a level and a simple pencil, for a guide of a plastic, metal or wooden frame, taking into account the tile seam (width of the crosses) on the floor, ceiling, adjacent walls.
3. Fix the starter profiles to the bases with dowels.
4. Install metal inserts if the dimensions of the glass blocks in the height or width of the structure are not enough, since it will not be possible to cut these products.
5. Prepare a mixture – cement-sand mortar 1: 3 plus 40 g of PVA glue for each bucket of mortar (the glue will increase the plasticity of the mixture). You can also purchase a specialized white mixture, if the glass blocks are transparent or light, the masonry will look much better with light seams..

Lay the glass blocks as follows:

1. On the horizontal and vertical of the guide, apply about 1 cm of adhesive along the height and width of the block.
2. Lay the block down and press down to secure.

3. Further installation is carried out in the same way. Place special crosses between the blocks for an even seam..

You can lay out no more than three rows per day, otherwise the masonry may “float”.

A fully laid out screen will dry for about five days, during which do not apply any unnecessary mechanical impact to it.

Glass-block screen with reinforcement

Allows you to create structures from 15 m², and besides, it is a durable and reliable way of fixing glass blocks.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Clean the installation area from dust and dirt.
2. Using a spirit level, check the horizontal and vertical evenness.
3. Attach two wooden slats to mark the boundaries of the partition.
4. Lay the first glass block following the instructions above.
5. In the middle of the seam between the first and second piece, insert a reinforcing bar or plate with an anti-corrosion coating and a diameter of 6 mm. Fix it to the base surface.

6. Repeat the procedure with subsequent blocks to the end of the row, remembering to expose crosses to maintain an even seam.
7. Lay the first side rod or plate horizontally on the mounting crosses of the row. Fix the ends of the rod into the base – a wall or a guide.

8. Install the fittings both in vertical and horizontal rows, while excluding metal contact with glass blocks, completely recessed them in the adhesive mixture.

Stack no more than 3-4 rows per day.

At the end of the installation, without waiting for the solution to dry completely, carefully remove its excess from the seams and from the glass surface. If the structure is curved, the reinforcement should be bent along the structure..

Frame method for installing glass blocks

It consists in installation at the level of a modular structure, wooden or metal with a size range of cells that coincides with the dimensions of glass blocks exactly up to 2 mm. If you choose this method, screw the module to the base surface with dowels and paint it in a suitable color.

Fix the blocks with special silicone sealant. it solidifies much faster than a conventional solution and such a structure is ready for operation completely after 12 hours.

The advantages of this installation include – quick installation and structural strength. By cons – the high cost of the module.

Door installation

If the presence of a door is implied in the cab, then its hinges should be fixed to the base surface using dowels. Attaching to the screen is only possible if it has a sturdy modular frame.

It is also possible without a door frame, in this case you can curtain the opening with a shower curtain.

Care features

The glass screen is no more difficult to care for than ordinary tiles. It is easy to clean with warm water and soap or other detergent. However, it is not recommended to use abrasives, both media and metal brushes, they can scratch the glass.

A shower cubicle made of glass blocks and tiles, created by hand, even according to ready-made sketches, is a unique, inimitable design that can decorate any bathroom, show the individuality of the owners with minimal installation costs.

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