With the help of polycarbonate, light but reliable and durable structures of various directions of use are created. One of these areas is the creation of a shower cabin made of polycarbonate.
Dependence of the cost of polycarbonate on the size
Manufacturers on the market offer various types of polycarbonate, which differ in size, color, linear parameters, wall thickness and number of cells. There is a correlation between the size and price of polycarbonate.
Cellular carbonate is produced in the same width - 2.1 m. The length can be 6 and 12 m, and the thickness - 4, 6, 8, 10, 16, 25, 32 and 35 mm.
Monolithic polycarbonate has a length of 2.05 m, a width of 6.05 m and a thickness of 2 to 6 mm with an interval of 1 mm, from 8 to 12 mm with an interval of 2 mm.
In this case, sheets having a thickness of 4-6 mm, it is better not to use for outdoor work.
The dependence of the price on the size of polycarbonate may vary in different regions. On average, the price of cellular polycarbonate having a 12-meter length at 4 mm thickness is 3,500 rubles per sheet, and at 10 mm thickness it is already 7,500 rubles per sheet. About 2 times lower than the price of 6-meter polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate Benefits
This material has a low specific gravity and high strength.
Sheets are easily cut and bent to give them the desired shape.
Polycarbonate can be used as partitions and roofing materials.
It can be operated in a wide temperature range - from -40 to +120 o C.
The outer layer of polycarbonate has a special coating that prevents the penetration of ultraviolet radiation, which preserves the plasticity of the sheets for a long time.
The heat loss inside the rooms created using polycarbonate is small, due to the presence of air cells.
Polycarbonate Shower Enclosure: General
For the construction of a shower cabin, you can use polycarbonate with the smallest thickness - 4 mm. Each one selects color independently, based on their own preferences.
There are many instructions for the manufacture of the shower cabin in question. The scope of the article does not allow us to consider all their diversity, so we will consider one of the ways.
They mainly use a polycarbonate shower for giving. It can be made on a wooden frame or plastic pallet. Following the instructions given, you can make a shower cabin that can be used for a long time during the calendar year, and with warming - in the early spring or late fall.
Getting ready to design a shower
The design for a shower cabin made of polycarbonate is prepared in several stages.
At the first stage, a place is selected. Preferably, the shower is located in a well-lit space. This will contribute to faster heating of the water. If the cabin is located outside the house, it is better to place it closer to the entrance. If possible, make a locker room next to the cabin. If this is not possible, it is necessary to push the booth to the entrance as much as possible. It is better for the cabin to stand in an elevated place, which will allow for effective drainage of water.
The second step is to create a sketch. Since the polycarbonate shower cabin is home-made, it is necessary to determine its shape, dimensions, technology and the performance of work on its construction and design. You need to decide which frame from which material will be used, what is available, and what you need to buy.
At the third stage, we prepare the tool that we will need for the construction of a shower cabin. This is, first of all, a grinder and welding for working with metal, also for these works you may need a drill with drill bits for metal and a 3 in 1 varnish for corrosion protection.
In the case of using a wooden frame, you can prepare a circular saw or a jigsaw, corners for joining the walls of a shower cabin made of polycarbonate and self-tapping screws with which these corners will be attached.
It is better to impregnate a tree with special means from decay and fires.
Building a shower: preparing the foundation
Construction is also carried out in several stages.
At the first stage, we remove the soil layer and cultivate the soil with herbicides to prevent weed germination. It is better to pour sand and gravel on the ground, and then tamp.
At the second stage, we outline the contours of the cabin on the intended site. The lines should be at right angles. This can be achieved using a square, a large protractor or by measuring the length of the diagonals of the resulting quadrangle, which should be the same.
At the third stage, at the corners of the quadrangle, we dig or drill holes to a depth of 40-50 cm, having a diameter of about 20 cm.To prevent the land from swelling when freezing, in order to prevent the cab from moving into frosts in different directions, pillows should be made at the bottom of the holes. To do this, sand or gravel 15-20 cm thick is placed there, after which they are rammed.
At the fourth stage, we install pipes with a diameter of about 100 mm in the pits. Above the surface, the protrusion of these pipes should be about 15 cm. After that, fill the pits with concrete prepared in the ratio of 1 part of cement to part of sand and 2 parts of gravel. When pouring with the help of a level, we check the verticality of the pipes.
The fifth stage is carried out on the day after preliminary solidification of concrete. Cut the pipes in height using a level.
At the next stage, we pour concrete into the pipes, and so that later it would not be necessary to drill the solidified mass, we insert the anchor into the concrete. After that we wait 2 weeks, the concrete is gaining half the strength, after which the construction of a shower cabin made of polycarbonate for summer cottage will be continued.
While the concrete is solidifying, you can prepare a place for wastewater. To do this, we dig a hole not far from the shower, the dimensions of which are determined by the granulometric composition of the soil: for clay - more, for sand - less. Then we fill up the pit with solid waste, leaving it to the surface about 10 cm. We cover the pit with water protection and level it with earth. In order to move around this place in the future, it is necessary to cover the pit with dug turf. We put the drain pipe in the waste.
Shower bottom rail
This is the most difficult work and the most responsible. They begin to be performed after preparing the foundation and the sewage pit.
At the first step, measure the size of the lower harness. Then we assemble it from a wooden beam 50 x 100 mm in size, connecting them together with corners or making them in a quarter. We make sure that the pieces of timber are located at right angles.
In the second step, we mount the harness on previously prepared columns and fix it with anchors.
At the third step, we install the central strapping beam, which will serve as a support for the plastic pallet and cab flooring. The location of this beam will be determined by the size of the pallet.
In the fourth step, we make the frame on which the pallet will be attached, from the bars 50 x 50 mm, screwing to the binding corners. The top edge of the pallet with the cab flooring should be flush.
At the fifth step, we nail the board with a thickness of about 20 cm to the outside of the strapping. The board should protrude above the strapping by the amount of floor thickness.
At the sixth step, the stele is a floor made of slats or solid. The latter excludes blowing.
Thus, the lower part of the shower cabin is made of polycarbonate with your own hands.
Make the frame
So far we have prepared only the foundation. A polycarbonate shower cabin assumes the presence of not only a base, but also walls. Work on the manufacture of the frame is best done together in the following sequence:
- We prepare vertical racks for corners from a beam of 50 x 50 mm. We carry out their installation on the lower harness with temporary fixation with something, while you need to monitor their verticality.
- We procure the details of the upper harness from the same beam. We fix them on racks and with corners.
- We make the doorway, which was provided by the sketch.
- In the corners mounted jibs. We test the design for strength by reel. If in doubt, increase the number of struts.
- On the upper strut we make jumpers for the location of the tank with water.
- If necessary, you can build a roof on the cab.
A drawing of a shower cabin made of polycarbonate is shown in the figure in the article.
Make the roof
It’s better to plan a gable. To do this, we make rafters from a beam of 50 x 50 mm, connecting them with corners with a bar in the center. We put them on the roof, under the roof we nail the crate, we close the sides with polycarbonate. We trim the sides with an impregnated board, leaving room for ventilation. After that, the roof can be covered with tiles or ondulin.
Last works
We impregnate all wooden structures with antiseptics, stain, yacht varnish. We get thermowells for polycarbonate and polycarbonate itself.
We cut it into the necessary parts. When cutting, the knife cannot be tilted more than 30 ° , otherwise the material will tear.
We attach the sheet of the required size to the frame, use a milling cutter to make a hole for the thermal washer, which we fix with a self-tapping screw and close it with a decorative plug. Fasteners are made from the outside.
We seal the honeycombs with a silicone sealant or additional.
We make a door from a bar 50 x 50 mm. We hang it. We connect the drain hose of the pan to the drain pipe.
We place a tank with heating. The shower cabin is raised above the ground, we make steps.
Using monolithic polycarbonate instead of cellular
Monolithic polycarbonate for a shower cabin has several advantages over a cellular one: it does not have a honeycomb, resembles glass, but is more flexible and resistant to mechanical stress. But this material is more expensive than cellular.
So, the dimensions and prices of monolithic polycarbonate are 2.05 x 3.05 m with a thickness of 1 to 12 mm, while such a sheet with a thickness of 4 mm costs about 9,000 rubles.
Finally
Thus, a shower cabin made of polycarbonate can be made by yourself. You need patience, accuracy, tools and materials. Depending on the amount available, the latter may be different.