DIY bath screen

Not for every bath you can find a ready-made screen. For some, it is set high, for someone, on the contrary, it is low, there are also bathtubs of non-standard sizes. In addition, not everyone wants to put plastic – there is no trust in the material or they don’t like it outwardly. In all these cases, you need to make a screen under the bath with your own hands or call the master. In any case, knowing how you can and should do everything will not hurt. 

Materials and requirements for them

Do-it-yourself bath screen is made from:

• galvanized profile sheathed with sheet material:
  • moisture resistant drywall;
  • moisture resistant or laminated plywood with a thickness of at least 10 mm;
  • GVL (a good choice, as it is absolutely not afraid of moisture and does not deform);
• bricks;
• aerated concrete 50 mm thick;
• plastic panels and guides for their installation (this option is purely decorative, suitable only for cast iron or steel bathtubs).

All of these designs, except for the last one, need finishing. Most often it is porcelain stoneware or ceramic tiles, the same as laid on the walls of the bathroom.

The most common version of a homemade bath screen is from profiles and drywall. In order for the structure to be reliable and not to bend under loads, the profile must be taken with a thick wall, it can be reinforced. Also a prerequisite is a good quality of galvanizing. If possible, you should take branded profiles so that there are no problems later – after all, high humidity in the bathroom is the norm.

Sheet material for the frame must be moisture resistant. This is a prerequisite. And even in this case, before installation, it will not hurt to prime it with a composition that increases water-repellent properties. Not bad if this composition is also antibacterial – protection against mold and fungi will not hurt.

Brick screens are made mainly for acrylic bathtubs – so that part of the load can be transferred to a brick wall. Although, if desired, the profile frame can be made with sufficient bearing capacity – to make double reinforced racks.

If it is decided to make a screen for a brick bath, it must be used ceramic, red. Silicate is better not to take because of its hygroscopicity. Ceramic brick is also hygroscopic, but its absorption capacity is less. To minimize possible problems (painting from high humidity), it is desirable to cover the masonry from the inside with a layer of plaster. This is not easy, but if desired, it is possible to apply the solution as the screen is erected. Special care is not required, the main thing is to protect the brick from moisture.

Another version of the screen under the bath, which you can do with your own hands – from aerated concrete. This material is easy to process. The required relief is formed easily, even with a sharp piece of iron, and the block is cut with an ordinary saw. For all that, the blocks have a good bearing capacity. So this material can also be used for a homemade acrylic bathroom screen. In addition, the blocks are large, so this small wall is formed very quickly.

Note! In the photo above you see a block worked on one side. This is done so that after laying the tile, it is flush with the sides of the bathroom, and does not protrude outward. For the same purpose, during installation, the blocks are slightly recessed, leaving a gap equal to the thickness of the tile and tile adhesive.

In the photo, the master keeps the underworked part pointing down, but when laying the block, they turn it over. In this position, glue is applied to its lower part, which fixes the block to the floor. Glue is applied to one more side face and to the top. This ensures fixation with the side of the bath and the previous block. The technology for making a screen for an aerated concrete bath is simple, if you have at least some experience in masonry, you can handle it.

Designs

We will talk about how you can make a screen under the bath with your own hands so that it is functional, beautiful and comfortable. Everyone has their own idea of ​​comfort and beauty. Therefore, we will consider possible options, and you yourself decide how best to do it.

Wide rim or not

Sometimes a wide side is made around the bathroom. It looks like it’s in a box. On the one hand, this is convenient – you can put something on the sides and, from an aesthetic point of view, the bath fits more harmoniously into the interior.

But not everyone can afford to allocate a large space. Bathrooms usually do not please with their size and extra 10-15 cm can be critical. In addition, this type of installation may be inconvenient for older people. To enter the bath, you have to take a big step, which is not always possible for them.

But this option has another positive point: under the bathroom, you can make shelves of large width. They can be open or with sliding / hinged doors.

Similar shelves are made without a wide side, but their depth is much less. Although, maybe this is not a minus, but a plus – less different things will be collected, it is easier to get something and clean it up.

Leg notch

It is more convenient to wash a bath or wash clothes in it if there is a recess for the legs in the screen. Its depth can be small – 10-12 cm is enough, width – about 35-45 cm. Such dimensions allow you to reach the walls and the opposite side without stress.

We decided on the dimensions, it’s up to the small thing – to choose how it will look. The easiest square notch to organize. It can be made of brick, aerated concrete and profile.

A non-standard variation looks more interesting – the entire screen is made of two levels, when the upper part hangs over the lower one (pictured below). In this option, you can mount a moisture-resistant LED strip for backlighting. Should be interesting.

The next option is to make part of the screen tilted. In the case of a profile, this is easy to implement – with a brick – it is almost impossible, with aerated concrete – it is possible, but difficult.

There is another option – to raise the upper edge of the screen above the floor by a few centimeters. It will turn out on legs and no problems with legroom. But there are cleaning issues. You can’t lift the cladding high – it’s ugly, but if you leave a small gap, then how to clean it? Problem.

In general, from all these options, you can choose something most suitable for yourself, although they also make a blank flat screen to the floor.

Hatches for revision

The bath screen must necessarily have a removable / opening part through which you can access communications. There are several possibilities to do this. The first is to install a plastic hatch. Not everyone likes it outwardly, but this is the easiest and cheapest option.

The next possibility is to make a removable panel, which will be attached to the frame with magnets. Not to say that this option is difficult to implement, but it requires more experience – you need to calculate the installation location of the hatch so that whole tiles fit on it.

One moment: if you rub the seams with a light paste, the hatch will still stand out. There is no grouting in this place, but there are small gaps that are very noticeable against a light background.

The most technologically advanced, but also the most expensive way is to install special hatches for revision. They are of two types – folding on chains and rotary.

These hatches, unlike plastic ones, are designed for laying tiles on them. With a good installation and correct calculation, it is not easy to see it.

How to make a screen under the bath with your own hands

It is far from always possible to guess how to make it by the general appearance of the same screen. Those who have at least some experience in repair and construction work will probably understand, but ordinary people are unlikely. To make it easier to navigate, we will post several photo reports on the manufacture of home-made bathroom screens of various types and types.

From the profile and drywall

Making a screen for a drywall bath takes place in three stages: first, the frame is assembled, then it is sheathed with drywall, and then tiles are laid on the glue.

The order of work is as follows:

• Markings are made on the floor and walls.
• Cut profile pieces to size.
• The lower guide from PN 27 * 28 is fixed to the floor with dowels.
• Install side strips from PN 27 * 28. Height – from the floor to the side. They are attached to the walls, mainly with dowels.
• From the PN27 * 28 profile, a piece is cut off, equal to what lies on the floor. This piece will go under the edge of the tub. It is supported on the previously installed side racks. The result is a frame. While it is fixed only on three sides. Nothing is fixed on top. We’ll fix it later.
  

• Racks are cut from a profile 27 * 60. Their height is the distance from the floor to the side of the bath. Racks are inserted into the resulting frame, attached to the floor. The distance between the uprights is 35-40 cm. It is also advisable to make horizontal jumpers approximately in the middle of the height. So the design will be more rigid. If the horizontal jumper is not installed, the screen may break under load (if someone rests their knee).
  

• Do not forget to put racks under the selected hatch, as well as under the footwell.
• When the entire frame is assembled, we take a can of mounting foam, we foam the upper profile.
• When the foam has polymerized, install the hatch.
• Moisture-resistant drywall primed on both sides (can be painted with oil paint).
• We cut to size, mount on the frame.
• The joints of the sheets can not be smeared, but you can putty.
  

• We breed glue for tiles (for wet rooms), lay the tiles.
• A day after laying, we overwrite the seams.

The plasterboard bath screen is ready.

An interesting option for a more rigid screen design is the floor of the bathtub in this video. It will definitely not break even under heavy loads. And all that is needed is to fix the racks to the body of the bath. To do this, a piece of profile is glued to the wall of the bath on liquid nails. Then the racks are fixed to this profile with the help of short segments.

For curved bath

When making a screen for a curved bathtub, the main task is to repeat its smooth curves. In this case, you can also use a galvanized drywall profile PN 27 * 28. Instead of drywall, put EPS (extruded polystyrene foam) 50 mm thick, high density (preferably the densest). Since acrylic bathtubs most often have a non-linear shape, they require a more reliable support than a drywall sheet. High-density extruded polystyrene foam is a fairly rigid material that will withstand the pressure of the walls of a bathtub filled with water.

You will also need a grinder or metal shears, two or three bottles of polyurethane foam. The order of work is as follows:

• We cut profile PN 27 * 28 of the desired length (measure the side of the bathtub), leaving only one shelf intact. The incisions are made approximately 3 cm apart.
• We apply the cut profile to the edge of the bath, we fasten one edge with adhesive tape.
• Smoothly and gradually give the profile the desired shape. Having bent a small section, we glue it with adhesive tape to the side. It is important to repeat the form correctly.
• Having finished bending, we take adhesive tape and glue the profile on the side where the petals are cut. They must be securely fixed. So that the shape does not change, we glue it twice.
  

• We remove the adhesive tape that attaches the profile to the side of the bath.
• We fix it on the floor (dowels). In order for the screen trim to be flush with the side, the profile must be moved inward for a certain distance. This distance is equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the tile (measure yourself), tile adhesive (2-3 mm on average) and putty (2-3 mm).
• We fix the profile segments to the walls.
• We cut the EPS into strips of small width. It is difficult to say exactly which one – it depends on the curvature of the bends.
• In place, we cut the EPS segment to the desired dimensions. We start it from below in profile, from above – under the side of the bathroom. At the top, so that the tile does not stick out either, we put spacers of the required thickness on the front side.
• By placing the plate vertically, we fill the gap between the bathtub wall and the XPS with foam. In order for the foam sheet not to move, it must stand firmly, make sure that the gaskets securely fix it in the required position.
• So gradually we expose the screen, leaving a place under the revision hatch.
• After polymerization of the foam, cut off the excess. We put the revision hatch of the selected design.
  

• Putty. It is better to take waterproof putty. After drying – skins.
• We lay the tiles. For curved baths, either very small tiles or mosaics are suitable.

This technique is suitable for making a do-it-yourself screen for an acrylic bath. Mounting foam will support the walls and also insulate them. In such a bath will keep warm for a long time.

PVC bath screen

You can’t call this product durable, but it is built quickly and the costs are scanty. You will need two planks of PVC panels, starting guides for them, corners, liquid nails. Of the tools – a ruler or tape measure, a sheet of metal floor, scissors.

For ease of use, the walls are tilted inward. This design determined the assembly order: if you glue the profiles right away, you cannot insert PVC strips into them. Therefore, first we assemble the wall of plastic into a profile, then we put the entire wall in place, gluing the profile (we apply glue, slightly pushing the wall back, then we move it into place). Such a trick was a success with a short end wall.

With the length of the wall had to be done differently. First, all the pieces were assembled in place into a single canvas (without the starting profile at the bottom). The slats rested on the floor and the notch of the side. Then a guide was inserted under the finished wall. This was made possible because the planks are cut 1-2 mm shorter than necessary. In general, all dimensions were measured very accurately, all slats have the same length. The wall stands securely and without glue. They did not glue it, since it is long, and it is not clear how to return it to its place.

It remains to close up the joints with the walls and finish the corner of the screen. We carefully measure the piece that is missing, transfer the dimensions to plastic, and cut it off. We put the cut parts in place.

Now we need to refine the joints. Profile guides are slipped under the strips that are adjacent to the walls. They could be installed immediately during installation – there would be fewer problems.

Here with a corner it was necessary to tinker. It is necessary to drive two planes into it at the same time. It was possible only with the help of a steel ruler. A lot of time has passed.

It is not difficult to make this screen under the bath with your own hands. Just be careful with it – the plastic is pressed through very simply. Another disadvantage of this option is the lack of an inspection hatch. As there will be problems, you will have to disassemble the part.