We recently had a client approach us with a vision to install glass blocks onto his new shower tray in order to create a truly unique shower experience.

Gary ( not his real name ) asked our advice on whether glass blocks could be installed onto one of our shower trays.

Gary was interested in one of our larger shower trays, the 1600 x 900mm Urban shower tray. Inspect the Urban Shower Trays here 

Gary wanted to create a glass block wall on one side of his shower and engaged with our technical team to ask whether we had done this before, and if so how we achieved it, and if not, would our shower tray support the nearly 200kg weight of the glass brick wall.

 

We’ve been making showers for the last 40 years and can honestly say that we have never before been asked this question.

Usually glass blocks would be installed onto a concrete floor, next to a tiled shower floor, on a ground floor residence.

Gary, ( not his real Name ) wanted to customize his ensuite shower which is upstairs on a wooden floor, with a glass block wall.

 

It is generally accepted that tiled showers located in an upstairs bathroom are not a great idea. Houses move, and the integrity of the home relies on the waterproofing of any tiled shower to remain 100% intact for the life of the house. This is, and has been proven to be true, a hard thing to achieve in a timber house in a land of continually moving tectonic plates.

 

Gary, very wisely decided to specify an acrylic shower tray which does not rely on grouted tiles to remain waterproof.

So, the question is, can Gary feel comfortable specifying glass blocks to sit on top of an acrylic shower tray.

Will the plastic shower tray carry the weight without collapsing ?

Can the glass blocks be effectively sealed to the acrylic shower tray and remain waterproof ?

 

Gary shared his dream with us and we confidently assured Gary that our shower trays will handle this weight easily.

In fact, the Henry Brooks range of shower trays have been tested by an independent laboratory in a  controlled environment, to withstand a 300Kg weight being repeatedly placed in the centre of one of our trays for a total of 10,000 cycles. The Henry Brooks shower trays  are constructed to a strict standard with numerous support feet, overweight materials and state of the art production techniques to ensure the products will withstand this type of abuse. Our products survived these extreme punishments with flying colours and we are therefore confident in recommending our products for the situation Gary is hoping to achieve.

Gary also requested technical specifications of the width of the ledge where the glass blocks were going to be placed. As you can see in the header image. 

We were able to quickly provide Gary with sizes, composition and ledge slope specifications so that Gary could complete his design specification for the builders.

We were also able to recommend what appropriate sealants would be best for use in this construction and how to go about the assembly of the glass blocks onto our shower tray.

 

We eagerly await photo’s of Gary’s completed shower, and will share these with you at some future time when they become available.

 

For any specialised technical inquiries please email your requirements to us with any supporting photos of your dream outcome.

We will be happy to share our experience with you and offer suggested remedies for those hard to answer questions.