Sliding Shower Stall Door
Tempered glass sliding shower doors are easy to clean and they keep water where you want it--inside the shower stall. Because they are clear or frosted, the doors allow light into the shower area, making the entire bathroom appear larger--a much preferred alternative to the old, opaque, plastic shower curtain. Another benefit of sliding shower doors is that they are considered permanent additions and thus add to the value of your home. Sliding shower doors are available in many sizes and finishes, and can be purchased or custom ordered at most plumbing or building supply stores. Usually, the doors come with installation instructions, which you should review several times before starting the project to make sure you have all the necessary tools and supplies to complete the job. It is not a difficult process, but you do need to take your time to complete it correctly. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Ensure you have the correct size sliding door for the opening. Measure the front width of the shower pan where the base track will be placed. Use that measurement to mark the base track length, and cut it to the proper length using the hacksaw.
2. Center the base track on the top of the front wall of the shower pan where the base of the doors will move from side to side. If the track is too snug, remove it and use the hacksaw to take off 1/16 inch, and fit it on the shower pan again. When it goes into place easily, center it from front to back on the top front wall of the shower pan, and use a pencil to mark along the inside edge so you can reposition it if it shifts.
3. Place one door jamb up one side of the shower opening. The base of the jamb should fit over the edge of the base track and keep it in place. Use a pencil to mark the screw holes in the jamb. Remove the jamb use the pointed steel punch and hammer to gently tap the point where the screw will enter the tile. This tapping should gouge out a small nick in the tile so that you will be able to drill into it without cracking the tile itself.
4. Place the door jamb back into place and using the proper size drill bit, drill the holes in the tiles and then screw in the screws to hold the jamb in place. Repeat the procedure on the opposite side to install the other door jamb, being careful to ensure the base track is straight and aligns with the pencil mark you made earlier.
5. Measure from the tile edge of one door jamb to the opposite one and use the hacksaw to cut the top track to the correct length. Fit the top track over the tops of the door jambs and if necessary, use the hammer to tap it down over the tops of the jambs.
6. Slide the rollers onto the bottom of the doors, and if the door requires rollers on the top that were not installed at the factory, now is the time to slide those into place, too.
7. Lift the inside door first (the one that does not have the towel bar screw openings on it). Tip the door so that the top rollers go up inside the inner top track. Lower the door so that the rollers go inside the inner lower track. Repeat the process with the outside door, using the outer tracks and making sure the holes for the towel bar are facing away from the shower stall. Use screws to attach the towel bar.
8. Caulk down the side of each door jamb where the tile meets the jamb inside the shower stall. Caulk across the base track where the shower pan meets the edge of the track inside the shower stall.
Tags: base track, door jamb, into place, pencil mark, shower doors, door that
