Add the luxury of steam to your shower
(As featured on Cityline, April 14 2011)
Like many of us living in the city, I have a small ensuite with a beautiful shower, but no bathtub…but why should that stop me from having the relaxing Spa experience we all crave? As a great alternative I decided to install a steam shower within my existing walk-in shower area.
The steam shower has been in for a few short weeks, but I LOVE it – it’s soothing, relaxing and I swear my skin has never felt better. I’ve been raving about it so much I think all my friends and gals at the office wish they had one!
If you’d like to install one too, there are just a few things to remember:
Preparation
Steam, obviously, creates a lot of moisture in your room. All areas, including the ceiling, should be tiled and impervious to water (if you are using natural stone products in this application they must be sealed regularly). Also, in a conventional glass shower enclosure there’s a space left between the ceiling and the glass for steam to escape. When introducing a steam shower this space must be enclosed to capture all the steam being generated. In my bathroom a small glass transom was added above the door to enclose the existing shower area. This was tricky since the existing glass was tempered (meaning you can’t drill into it or cut it), so this piece was siliconed in place.
Installation
Thermosol Steam units are compact and can be placed up to 50 feet away from the actual shower. However access must be provided for plumbing and electrical service. If you are thinking about installing a steam unit, ideally plan where it will be positioned during the construction phase of the shower, even if the installation of the steam generator will take place during a later phase of your project. The plumbing and electrical can even be roughed-in during this phase. For my bathroom project I created a niche behind the shower, in the adjoining guest bedroom, during construction. This allowed us to run the plumbing a very short distance through one wall straight into the shower enclosure during our retro fit. You may have the option to use an adjoining linen closet or space in a bedroom closet. The closer the unit the faster you get steam.
Once all of the shower preparation, including tiling and glass installation, was completed the installation of the new steam generator only took one day.
Watch me on Cityline on April 14 to see the finished shower makeover!
Sources
Steam unit – Thermosol Pro 140 with SEC NTS PC controls provided by Centon Sales Corp: PMF Plumbing
Hot water on demand unit – AO Smith Water Heaters, Next Hybrid, provided by Watermarks.
Tiles – SK 3/8” Pennies in Multi Brown LT : Saltillo Tile
Contractor services:
Plumbing provided by J. Currie Plumbing
Electrical contracting provided by John K Electric
Tile installation and contracting by ChrisP Contracting Inc.
Glass and installation by Classic Glass and Mirror
Like many of us living in the city, I have a small ensuite with a beautiful shower, but no bathtub…but why should that stop me from having the relaxing Spa experience we all crave? As a great alternative I decided to install a steam shower within my existing walk-in shower area.
The steam shower has been in for a few short weeks, but I LOVE it – it’s soothing, relaxing and I swear my skin has never felt better. I’ve been raving about it so much I think all my friends and gals at the office wish they had one!
If you’d like to install one too, there are just a few things to remember:
Preparation
Steam, obviously, creates a lot of moisture in your room. All areas, including the ceiling, should be tiled and impervious to water (if you are using natural stone products in this application they must be sealed regularly). Also, in a conventional glass shower enclosure there’s a space left between the ceiling and the glass for steam to escape. When introducing a steam shower this space must be enclosed to capture all the steam being generated. In my bathroom a small glass transom was added above the door to enclose the existing shower area. This was tricky since the existing glass was tempered (meaning you can’t drill into it or cut it), so this piece was siliconed in place.
Installation
Thermosol Steam units are compact and can be placed up to 50 feet away from the actual shower. However access must be provided for plumbing and electrical service. If you are thinking about installing a steam unit, ideally plan where it will be positioned during the construction phase of the shower, even if the installation of the steam generator will take place during a later phase of your project. The plumbing and electrical can even be roughed-in during this phase. For my bathroom project I created a niche behind the shower, in the adjoining guest bedroom, during construction. This allowed us to run the plumbing a very short distance through one wall straight into the shower enclosure during our retro fit. You may have the option to use an adjoining linen closet or space in a bedroom closet. The closer the unit the faster you get steam.
Once all of the shower preparation, including tiling and glass installation, was completed the installation of the new steam generator only took one day.
Watch me on Cityline on April 14 to see the finished shower makeover!
Sources
Steam unit – Thermosol Pro 140 with SEC NTS PC controls provided by Centon Sales Corp: PMF Plumbing
Hot water on demand unit – AO Smith Water Heaters, Next Hybrid, provided by Watermarks.
Tiles – SK 3/8” Pennies in Multi Brown LT : Saltillo Tile
Contractor services:
Plumbing provided by J. Currie Plumbing
Electrical contracting provided by John K Electric
Tile installation and contracting by ChrisP Contracting Inc.
Glass and installation by Classic Glass and Mirror
posted by Sealy Design Inc. |
12:40 PM
