image source: wikibase.info

Ever notice how water never stays where you want it to? It’ll always run downhill, but it so often seems to be the wrong hill. Now, in defence of your average shower enclosure, it’s not an aquarium. It’ll keep most of the water where it should be, but you can’t expect miracles. The big problem spots in most showers are where different materials or panels meet. So, assuming that everything has been installed properly and cleanly, in shower waterproofing let’s look at where your damp spots are coming from.

If you have an acrylic or synthetic granite shower base and your walls are damp right where the base meets the wall or floor, you probably have water running behind the door along the tiling flange. Look for spots where the shower walls meet the base where the calking has failed or isn’t sticking. Once you’ve eliminated that possibility, it gets a bit messier. If you can’t keep the water from getting into that spot, you have to keep it from running out, so clean up that front corner and fill it nice and full of silicone. Maax actually recommends doing that and leaving a 1” gap in the calking at the inside corners to let water in there run back into the base and drain.

If you have a leaky shower door, check where it’s calked. I know this is going to sound counter-intuitive, but the calking on shower doors is almost always done on the outside of the door. If you have silicone on the inside of it, there’s a good chance that’s what’s causing the problem. Shower enclosures are designed to drain back into the shower, so you need to let them.

Those two sources cover almost all of the leaky showers I’ve seen. I know it may not cover everything, and if it doesn’t, let me know. I’d be glad to share what I’ve learned if you’re having drips.

I’ve been out to look a lot of fairly new bathrooms (not ours, by the way) that people say leak or don’t work and want the whole thing replaced. Imagine their surprise when I tell them that the shower door is calked improperly or that their shower valve is installed upside down. Easy fixes most of the time. It would have been even easier to do it right the first time though. To paraphrase the carpenter’s adage of measure twice, cut once: Read first, trust it, do it.

Come see us and we’ll walk you through any questions you might have!

Source: Fleurco.com

I was reading a Fleurco acrylic shower wall installation manual the other day. Ok, I know, it sounds like a pretty lame read, but I was actually impressed by this one. I had sold a shower door, base and walls to a nice couple and I gave their contractor the installation manuals in advance of the delivery.

I was impressed by two things, actually. First, their contractor actually read and followed the manual to the letter. I really should get his number. What really impressed me though was how Fleurco wanted the corner shower put together. It goes without saying that corner showers need to be built as level, plumb and square as possible for the door to fit, function and retain water.

I was surprised to see that Fleurco wanted you to level and fit everything and then bolt the walls to each other and then both walls to the base. They are the only manufacturer I’ve seen so far to do it this way. By the time it gets installed, it’s been turned into a one-piece unit. It’s a great idea! And it solves a bunch of issues related to joints and calking.

If you’re shopping for a corner shower, have a look: www.fleurco.com. At Kitchens and Bathrooms First we distribute and include Fleurco showers in our bathroom design and renovations in Ottawa. Contact us for more information on our design services and Fleurco products in stock at our showroom.

Now I walk into a grocery store or Home Depot and a courteous clerk pressures me to use their self checkout. The first time it happened, I thought “This is great! I can save a bit on the bill by doing their work.” So I asked what the discount was for doing their job. The clerk was flabbergasted. I was told that there wasn’t a discount but that it was much faster and easier. Sure, for them. I figure that since I’m paying for the service anyway, off I go to a normal register. The clerk asks me if I want bags. Of course I want bags, I’ve got a cart full of groceries and not a bag or bin in sight. I’m told that there’s a charge for the bags and then after he’s rung everything in he hands me the bags and points to the groceries. Apparently I’m now doing his job too. I ask if I get a discount for this. The look I got in response was answer enough.

I know that you can’t walk into a bathroom showroom and walk out with a bathroom in a bag. We do offer the next closest thing though. We offer customer service here. It’s not something you find anymore. When you buy a bathroom or a kitchen, you shouldn’t have to run all over town to find your fixtures, faucets, and everything else.

When you invest in a renovation, you should be able to sit down, and buy a finished job where everything just happens with little to no effort on your part. That`s customer service. It`s what we do. Think of it like this: We`re a full-serve station. We`re going to bag your renovation and carry it home for you. It`s customer service the old fashioned way. It`s what we do.

The Design Team

Monika Slater – Bathroom Designer and Sales
Monika holds a diploma in interior decorating from Algonquin College and she has been active in the design industry in Ottawa for over 7 years. Monika has been specializing in Bathroom renovations for 2 years now. She is attentive and meets the needs of her clients. Monika is passionate about design and has an exceptional eye for colour.

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