Master Bathroom Renovation Project - Glass blocks & shower door
GLASS BLOCKS:
Now it is time to finalize the shower back wall - Glass blocks. Pittsburgh Corning web site provides the instruction for four different glass block installation methods. Since I have decided to use ProVantage II method, I bought spacers for the Thinline blocks and the wall brackets. I realized that they do not have brackets for the Thinline blocks so I had to cut the side of spacers to use with the regular-sized (for 4-inch thick blocks) brackets (Fig 41).
Because the side walls for the glass blocks are tiles, I had to drill the holes at each side of the bracket, total 14 holes. I have used regular drill bit for the bricks, but it did not last long. It became dull after drilling 5 holes. So I bought better ones as in Fig 42. These worked great and did the job much faster.
I have used the special adhesive for the glass block (Pittsburgh Corning Glass Block Sealant from Homedepot) as recommended in the instruction. Due to poor precision of the hole location on either side, the grout lines should be carefully inspected before the sealant dries. After one day, the glass blocks became very sturdy.
GLASS BLOCKS:
Now it is time to finalize the shower back wall - Glass blocks. Pittsburgh Corning web site provides the instruction for four different glass block installation methods. Since I have decided to use ProVantage II method, I bought spacers for the Thinline blocks and the wall brackets. I realized that they do not have brackets for the Thinline blocks so I had to cut the side of spacers to use with the regular-sized (for 4-inch thick blocks) brackets (Fig 41).
Because the side walls for the glass blocks are tiles, I had to drill the holes at each side of the bracket, total 14 holes. I have used regular drill bit for the bricks, but it did not last long. It became dull after drilling 5 holes. So I bought better ones as in Fig 42. These worked great and did the job much faster.
I have used the special adhesive for the glass block (Pittsburgh Corning Glass Block Sealant from Homedepot) as recommended in the instruction. Due to poor precision of the hole location on either side, the grout lines should be carefully inspected before the sealant dries. After one day, the glass blocks became very sturdy.
I have used the special adhesive for the glass block (Pittsburgh Corning Glass Block Sealant from Homedepot) as recommended in the instruction. Due to poor precision of the hole location on either side, the grout lines should be carefully inspected before the sealant dries. After one day, the glass blocks became very sturdy.
Fig 41. Spacer for Thinline does not match with the regular-sized metal bracket.
Fig 42. Bosch glass and tile drill bit set from Homedepot (Courtesy homedepot.com).
I have installed 7 rows of glass blocks in a few hours. The most time consuming job was to drill the holes at each row. Installation using the sealant was clean and easy. I personally think it is as good as the traditional mortar method for my indoor application. I let it dry for about 24 hours and worked on the grout. I used white grout that is designed exclusively for the glass blocks (Pittsburgh Corning ProVantage 15 lb. Grout Mix). My local Homedepot did not carry this item so I have to drive about an hour to Fairfax, VA to pick it up. After the grout is dried, I applied the sealer because the spec said Mold/mildew resistant: NO, Stain resistant: NO. Figures 43 and 44 shows some pictures during the Glass block installation.
Fig 43. Glass block installation.
Fig 44. Picture showing after putting the glass block grout.
SHOWER DOOR:
Frameless shower door that I used is 3/8 inch thick tempered glass manufactured by Dreamline (DreamLine SHDR-61487610-07 Frameless Sliding Shower Door 44-48 by 76 Chear 3/8 Glass Door: Brushed stainless steel). I purchased it from Amazon.com. One thing you have to keep in mind is that the price at amazon goes up and down very frequently. So you have to be careful not to buy this item when it is too expensive. I recommend you check the price change even after you place an order. If it drops, call or chat with them to get price adjustment.
My shower width is 46 inch so I had to cut the rail pipe by 2 inches. Since I do not have blade for the metal cutting, I used hand tool to cut it. It takes time but it is doable. Sliding door is more expensive than the regular swing door. The sliding door works better in my situation because of the location of the sink. The particular sliding door I bought had 4 inches of wiggle room (between 44 and 48 inch width). But if you want to use swing door, the width can only be adjusted within 1 inch.
The glass door is very heavy. Moving or installing the glass door requires at least 2 people. Instruction was straightforward so I did not have any trouble installing. Vertical and horizontal level is the most important factor at this moment. Spend more time to make sure the levels at different surfaces. Figure 45 and 46 shows the pictures of the bathroom after clean up.
|
| Fig 41. Spacer for Thinline does not match with the regular-sized metal bracket. |
 |
| Fig 42. Bosch glass and tile drill bit set from Homedepot (Courtesy homedepot.com). |
I have installed 7 rows of glass blocks in a few hours. The most time consuming job was to drill the holes at each row. Installation using the sealant was clean and easy. I personally think it is as good as the traditional mortar method for my indoor application. I let it dry for about 24 hours and worked on the grout. I used white grout that is designed exclusively for the glass blocks (Pittsburgh Corning ProVantage 15 lb. Grout Mix). My local Homedepot did not carry this item so I have to drive about an hour to Fairfax, VA to pick it up. After the grout is dried, I applied the sealer because the spec said Mold/mildew resistant: NO, Stain resistant: NO. Figures 43 and 44 shows some pictures during the Glass block installation.
Frameless shower door that I used is 3/8 inch thick tempered glass manufactured by Dreamline (DreamLine SHDR-61487610-07 Frameless Sliding Shower Door 44-48 by 76 Chear 3/8 Glass Door: Brushed stainless steel). I purchased it from Amazon.com. One thing you have to keep in mind is that the price at amazon goes up and down very frequently. So you have to be careful not to buy this item when it is too expensive. I recommend you check the price change even after you place an order. If it drops, call or chat with them to get price adjustment.
My shower width is 46 inch so I had to cut the rail pipe by 2 inches. Since I do not have blade for the metal cutting, I used hand tool to cut it. It takes time but it is doable. Sliding door is more expensive than the regular swing door. The sliding door works better in my situation because of the location of the sink. The particular sliding door I bought had 4 inches of wiggle room (between 44 and 48 inch width). But if you want to use swing door, the width can only be adjusted within 1 inch.
The glass door is very heavy. Moving or installing the glass door requires at least 2 people. Instruction was straightforward so I did not have any trouble installing. Vertical and horizontal level is the most important factor at this moment. Spend more time to make sure the levels at different surfaces. Figure 45 and 46 shows the pictures of the bathroom after clean up.
|
| Fig 43. Glass block installation. |
|
| Fig 44. Picture showing after putting the glass block grout. |
SHOWER DOOR:
Frameless shower door that I used is 3/8 inch thick tempered glass manufactured by Dreamline (DreamLine SHDR-61487610-07 Frameless Sliding Shower Door 44-48 by 76 Chear 3/8 Glass Door: Brushed stainless steel). I purchased it from Amazon.com. One thing you have to keep in mind is that the price at amazon goes up and down very frequently. So you have to be careful not to buy this item when it is too expensive. I recommend you check the price change even after you place an order. If it drops, call or chat with them to get price adjustment.
My shower width is 46 inch so I had to cut the rail pipe by 2 inches. Since I do not have blade for the metal cutting, I used hand tool to cut it. It takes time but it is doable. Sliding door is more expensive than the regular swing door. The sliding door works better in my situation because of the location of the sink. The particular sliding door I bought had 4 inches of wiggle room (between 44 and 48 inch width). But if you want to use swing door, the width can only be adjusted within 1 inch.
The glass door is very heavy. Moving or installing the glass door requires at least 2 people. Instruction was straightforward so I did not have any trouble installing. Vertical and horizontal level is the most important factor at this moment. Spend more time to make sure the levels at different surfaces. Figure 45 and 46 shows the pictures of the bathroom after clean up.
No comments:
Post a Comment