My 85 year old mom is having the bathroom in her master bedroom changed from a bathtub/shower combo to just a shower. This gets rid of her having to climb in and out of the tub. I’m helping from a bit of a distance.
The contractor is apparently giving her the option between shower doors at an extra expense ($1000ish) and a shower curtain. I think there must be a short lip at the bottom of the shower. I can’t think why she would chose a curtain over doors. A curtain just seems more sloppy to deal with plus I would think more chance of water spilling out creating a slip hazard. Am I missing something? I’m asking my niece who actually brought the contractor over when I see her this weekend but I just can’t think of a reason that a curtain would be helpful over doors.
Yes, if you think she may ever need a shower chair, opt for a flexible lip and a curtain. When my mom had to redo a bathroom to accommodate my dad after his stroke, they eliminated the shower door, added a silicone flexible lip, and went with a shower curtain. The lip, along with a drain that sloped to the center of the shower, kept the water where it belonged.
My mom had a glass shower door and put a rod and white shower curtain liner on the inside of the door to keep it clean! I thought she was nuts at first, but her shower door looked like new when we sold the house. She hated the thought of a grimy shower door and said it was easy to put on a new liner if needed. Wiping down the shower door daily was too much for her, and now I understand where she was coming from!
Our shower has a very low lip with a door. It’s considered handicap accessible (not wheelchair though) and if needed the doors can be removed and a curtain used because the floor slopes toward the drain. It can easily hold a shower chair. It also has a hose attachment like in a combo tub/shower for assistance if needed.
That said, we just put in a new door on that shower—-upgraded the frosted acrylic to clear. And it cost about $800.
Shower doors are a bear to clean. And they make it hard for someone to help you bathe if you need it.
Fwiw, I, like @dentmom4 , would also recommend that the shower head be detachable – it helps in cleaning the stall and is invaluable for someone who showers seated.
How large is the shower stall? I would want it to be large enough that the shower head is placed well back from the opening so water won’t be spraying out. I think a curtain is the better choice if the person ever needs assistance.
When my dad needed help to get into the shower, we removed the shower door, used a shower transfer bench and a curtain. We cut slits in the curtain to allow it to fall straight down with the bench extending into the bathroom.
If the space is large enough, perhaps a solid wall vs glass door/curtain with opening large enough for walker/wheelchair. If budget allows, sloped shower floor allows for no lip. Built in bench, hand held shower head (include regular shower head as well if budget allows with switch to go between options) grab bars and you are good to go. Still looks wonderful and bonus of being accessible. We did beautiful tiles inside our new shower space and for floor of shower a slip resistant (no shiny) smaller tile.
Probably too late but the ideal scenario is a wet room with no lips and all at the same grade (with drainage). Then ideally some glass contains some of the shower spray so your loo roll stays dry. As this was an ex master bath, one assumes space isn’t a real issue.
You’ll want to install a curbless shower (no lip). Relatively few people know how to install this type of shower since it’s not common. You’ll see this at hospitals. It requires some precision to install the floor of the shower to have enough tilt to allow for water to come back to the drain yet at the same time for the tilt not to be noticeable. About a 2 degree tilt. You’ll need to waterproof the entire bathroom and probably install a linear drain at the back of the shower, so that the tilt can be continuous.
Thanks for your comments. My mom is only going to be willing to do so much $$ wise for this revision in her bathroom - she actually rarely showers at home - she still goes to the Y and swims and exercises a few times weekly and has showered there for years! (she just retired from working at the Y within the last year!) She is VERY stringent with her $$ but has agreed to do this change but it’s going to be as basic as “right for her” will allow.
I/we realize her health could change at anytime - thus us encouraging this bathtub removal but adding in shower only with basic surround and then either doors or curtain is going to be her limit!
We have a curbless shower with a partial wall. (Glass block about three feet.) It’s great. She should make sure that the wall is reinforced for a grab bar even if she doesn’t want to put one in now.
Anyway, I agree glass panel, low or flexible lip if completely flat is too pricey.
When we re-modelled our bath, we removed a fiberglass shower stall and installed tile all around. The best thing we added was a built-in recessed wall shelf to hold shampoo/conditioner/razors, and a grab bar for safety. When it came time to install, the contractor tactfully pointed out that the shower pan base we had picked up was probably not strong enough to last more than a couple years if it regularly was used by a people our size - he said “it would not support the weight of both you and your husband…” or one of himself. Our contractor was huge man and I appreciated his humor and insight.
We decided on a tile floor with a small fiberglass lip, we have a glass panel and a shower door. We made the shower 10" larger by reducing the size of the closet. This allowed us to add built in tiled bench - it makes it easier to shave my legs, but as we age it will be much more accessible if needed. We can have the door easily removed to put a curtain in.
