Shower cubicle

[Manxcat54]

Something that worries me when I get to fitting a shower to my boat (which is a long way off, but best be prepared) in the area of the shower the ceiling will simply be 6mm Ply, probably painted. My concern is the condensation from the shower attacking this wood, so what is the norm for the material above the shower, should I use a waterproofing, maybe even some lining as in the shower walls, I have not actually seen anyone in all the video blogs fit anything, but it might be me going goggle eyed by watching too many.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 hour ago, Manxcat54 said:

Something that worries me when I get to fitting a shower to my boat (which is a long way off, but best be prepared) in the area of the shower the ceiling will simply be 6mm Ply, probably painted. My concern is the condensation from the shower attacking this wood, so what is the norm for the material above the shower, should I use a waterproofing, maybe even some lining as in the shower walls, I have not actually seen anyone in all the video blogs fit anything, but it might be me going goggle eyed by watching too many.

The one I've seen have been plywood. Painted, or varnished. They seem fine after many years. Perhaps their owners don't shower?

I have a small bath tub on board, which makes an excellent coal bunker!

[Bacchus]

I would use a breathable paint for preference - waterproof paints can trap moisture behind as well as preventing ingress

 

Something  like Sadolin Superdec.

[blackrose]

I just have standard varnished oak faced ply above my glass shower quadrant, but there's a 3" or 4" gap between the top of the glass and the ceiling. I also have a 12v extractor fan under the mushroom vent. 

 

It wouldn't make any difference if the ply above my shower wasn't varnished. Water vapour and condensation won't do any damage unless it can't evaporate and sits there in perpetuity. You just need some ventilation while you're having a shower and leave the bathroom vented for an hour afterwards.

 

[alan_fincher]

An a previous boat the "ceiling" above" quite a small and enclosed shower was the same as throughout the whole boat - 9mm oak faced plywood.

 

This suffered no damage at all from hot and steamy showers.

[Tracy D'arth]

A good coat of varnish on both sides is all you need.

[ditchcrawler]

Just now, Jen-in-Wellies said:

The one I've seen have been plywood. Painted, or varnished. They seem fine after many years. Perhaps their owners don't shower?

I have a small bath tub on board, which makes an excellent coal bunker!

A friends boat we moved for them had a varnished wood shower cubical, we gave it a wipe down after using the shower and it looked fine

[Tony Brooks]

I noticed the ceiling in the shower compartment on our boat seemed to be a separate piece of varnished ply held in place by obvious screws and cup washer. If the varnished has suffered in the 20 years we had it, it looked easy to take down for refinishing.

[ditchcrawler]

My "ceiling" is MDF like it is through the rest of the boat 

[Momac]

[JohnB]

I used Foamalux ( foamed PVC, comes in sheet form and many colours) for the deck head lining in our shower cubicle.

It has served well for a good few years. We used it at work for casings etc. for  experimental scientific equipment.

The material will warp round nicely (maybe a bit of heat) to make excellent linings for  the port holes.

 

Hope that helps John

[Sue68]

Kitchen/bathroom paint on far eastern ply worked on our boat.

[Quattrodave]

I used lino on my bathroom/ shower ceiling, water proof, hard-wearing and wipe clean...

[blackrose]

Hard-wearing? Is that for all those Lionel Ritchie music videos that are made in your boat?

 

I've got to say that all the beneficial properties of lino you mention sound completely unnecessary for a bathroom ceiling, as does the lino itself.

 

The plywood above my shower is now 19 years old and it's never suffered from any damage or adverse effect from the shower. 

[rusty69]

On 20/03/2024 at 02:56, blackrose said:

Hard-wearing? Is that for all those Lionel Ritchie music videos that are made in your boat?

 

I've got to say that all the beneficial properties of lino you mention sound completely unnecessary for a bathroom ceiling, as does the lino itself.

 

 

And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun
But it's sinking

 

 

 

Edited March 21 by rusty69
Edited to change some words

[blackrose]

11 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

 Billie Ocean. Not only does he specialise in areas of extreme damp, he won't let you down when the going gets tough. 

 

But isn't Billy Ocean more interested in getting people into his car?

Edited March 20 by blackrose

[truckcab79]

Sounds like most people don’t have an issue. I’d intended to tile ours when I get to that point.  Have looked as plastic tile panels but even the good ones look awful. In terms of waterproofing it’ll be boarded out in 6mm Wedi and then taped, and tanked with Mapei Aquadefense. 

[ditchcrawler]

I did an old hire boat job and glued vinyl floor covering on the ply bulkhead before installing it.

[Lady M]

My boat bathroom has vinyl floor covering glued on the walls round the shower bath.  No problems with it and the boat is well over 30 years old.  Only used for living aboard when moving house (twice).

[blackrose]

6 hours ago, truckcab79 said:

Sounds like most people don’t have an issue. I’d intended to tile ours when I get to that point.  Have looked as plastic tile panels but even the good ones look awful. In terms of waterproofing it’ll be boarded out in 6mm Wedi and then taped, and tanked with Mapei Aquadefense. 

 

Are you talking about the shower area itself rather than the ceiling above the shower?

 

Check out Showerwall panels. They're not cheap but they're good quality.

 

https://showerwall.co.uk/

[truckcab79]

Either or both really. There are good quality faux stone panels on the market but for silly 

money and minimums way more than I need. Then the quality drops to ‘student rental’. I’ve had a few samples of companies to check and yet to find one that isn’t absolute crap. 

Edited March 20 by truckcab79

[agg221]

3 hours ago, truckcab79 said:

Either or both really. There are good quality faux stone panels on the market but for silly 

money and minimums way more than I need. Then the quality drops to ‘student rental’. I’ve had a few samples of companies to check and yet to find one that isn’t absolute crap. 

Have you run across Levantina? They make porcelain tiles in very large format in 3mm and 5mm thickness - it's the Techlam range which is worth looking at. Some are stone effect, others are quite an interesting range of different looks and styles. They are not cheap, but there is no minimum order quantity. Their website appears to be down at the moment so no link, but it is easier to deal with them directly than through dealers.

 

Alec

[truckcab79]

3 minutes ago, agg221 said:

Have you run across Levantina? They make porcelain tiles in very large format in 3mm and 5mm thickness - it's the Techlam range which is worth looking at. Some are stone effect, others are quite an interesting range of different looks and styles. They are not cheap, but there is no minimum order quantity. Their website appears to be down at the moment so no link, but it is easier to deal with them directly than through dealers.

 

Alec

Cheers. I’ll have a look at those.  Not one I’ve used before.  
 

Many thanks. 

[agg221]

10 minutes ago, truckcab79 said:

Cheers. I’ll have a look at those.  Not one I’ve used before.  
 

Many thanks. 

You're welcome. I have found a working page - https://www.levantina.com/es/productos/sinterizada

 

We have gone for Steel Marine for the hearth and the kitchen splashbacks.

 

Alec

[Dobba]

I fit my bathroom last year and mine is marine MDF (I believe - it's MDF at least I know) on a new build boat which is painted a cream colour (Collingwood Sailaway lined). Been no problem so far. If it's undercoated and painted, especially with something like kitchen and bathroom paint you'll be fine. Just use a belt and braces approach to the shower enclosure and make sure that's water sealed against leaks. Far more important. 🙂

Edited March 26 by Dobba