Wetrooms... Fixtures needing screwing that break the membrane?

Guv, I'm sure you'll get some good advice coming along soon.

As for the last point - silicone on the non-shower side - that caught me as being strange the first time I came across it when fitting my own cubicle a few years back. But it does make sense - if you seal along inside joints, any water that gets past that seal anywhere will then have no option but to end up outside - 'cos it can't get back in! By sealing the outside, any water that tries to get through is stopped from getting outside - so it stays in...

Logical when you think about it

I think.

 

Guv, just because it's a wet room doesn't mean you have to get everywhere wet, surely you don't want what ever going to be on the outside of the glass getting soaking wet do you !!

As for screwing through your flooring, I can see your point to a degree, but if you seal it properly it should stay waterproof, or maybe you could just stick the bracket to the floor as opposed to screwing it.

 

Ah! I see, Guv. In a wet room case, it's not really important how well you seal the actual frame to the walls or to itself, as any water getting through will, as you say, end up draining away in to the central drain anyways .

I was referring to installing shower cubicles in general, and I assume that the instructions you are reading apply to 'general' situations where you don't want water getting past seals and joints. In which case what I said above applies .

Anyways, there's silicone and there's silicone - many different qualities and strengths out there. I did look this up a goodly while back, and I think what you would want - should you wish to avoid screws - is 'neutral-cure', 'low modulus' stuff.

Very tough, great adhesive properties, won't let you down. There are many other products out there too, such as the 'Stixall' type stuff I've been using recently - sets to a tough rubbery finish, superb adhesion, very strong.

Your shower screen frame has a flat flange at the bottom so a reasonable contact area? Once that's bedded down, it ain't going to move. (Er, provided your floor covering isn't going to either...)

Some research required, but there is no doubt in my mind you can 'stick' these things down should you wish to.

 

The shower sealing issue - is the silicone the only thing to fix the glass panel to the walls as well?

Anyways, which side to sili? Ok, the recommendation I read in my last set on instructions was to seal the outside only. If you seal the inside, and a wee leak/break occurs half-way up the panel, where will the water then go? Once past the inside seal, it will end up outside 'cos it runs down hidden inside that corner-jointing or wall-mounting strip and can not get back in - so it goes ootside.

I recall it made sense when I read it...

 

here's an alternative view

I wouldn't seal under the glass at all - when you shower using water at 35 - 45 degree there'll be a temperature differential of around 15 to 25 degrees between the faces of the glass - you WILL get condensation building up on the non shower side

if you seal the base of the glass the route back to the drain for the condensate will be blocked

it's a wet room, it's designed to get wet - assuming that the route to the drain isn't uphill it'll all drain away whatever gets wet

 

having just spent a lot of time making it all wet proof it does defy logic to penetrate it - but what other options are there

drill the holes, fully fill them with a good quality polysulphide mastic, coat the base of the bracket, filling any voids under it if there are any - it'll be watertight for sure

but as you've got UFH be sure your fixings won't hit the loops/wiring below

 

Ah - sorry, Guv, I misunderstood. I'd assumed a glass panel in an ali frame. (Mind you, with return panels you will have ali corner pieces...)

Do not misunderestimate (I had to...) the strength of current sealants - they would undoubtedly hold the bottom of that panel securely in place, but would likely require a bead on both sides (as well as underneath). And that brings us to the main problem - cosmetic. It would almost certainly detract from the overall appearance of that rather nifty screen.

So, I'm pretty sure that what I would do in this case is drill, plug and screw. Sealing well as Sean says, and using SS fittings.

The good news is that there will be no bending force on them screws - it'll be almost purely shear. So you don't have to go deep into the floor, in fact in theory no deeper than the tile thickness.

For the wee size of these brackets where they touch the floor, bed them down in the most sooper-dooper sili you can find.

Don't worry about any water that gets under that panel - that should be taken care of by the slope you've built in to the floor.

If you do decide to run a bead along there on the inside, you will see it - so might as well go the whole hog in that case and bead the outside too - for strength. And you can then leave out the brackets altogether.

 

the instructions say something daft like - seal the outside of the glass, depending on customers choice

which usually means, our design department didn't have time to create an effective base fixing, so do whatever you think is best

 

I think I'd be happy to do away with those fixings - but only if there was a decent rigid fixing at the top

you'd need to sit the glazing on a few mm of mastic, or some silicone that's specified for structural glazing (so not the stuff you get from Poundland) - raise the glazing up (maybe on a couple of tile spacers) while the glue/sealant/mastic is curing - make sure you leave it long enough to fully cure - then remove the spacers and trim the excess

you'll then have a couple of mm of cushioned seal under the glass that'll have just a little bit of give in it

 

Gluing only the two brackets might be chancing your arm.

What is the worst that could happen in that shower? Someone slips and falls against the glass. It needs to be prevented from slipping away at the bottom - the glass itself won't (shouldn't) break, but you don't want it detaching at the floor and sliding away...

So, a couple of short studs/bolts/screws fixed firmly in the bottom bracket and sitting in a shallow hole drilled no deeper than the tile thickness (10mm-ish?) A nice bit of clearance in that hole ( 1 to 2mm) around the chosen bolt, and then hole filled with the best stuff you can find and the glass lowered in place. Smooth around the bottom of the brackets, and...

Hopefully.