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Chapter 4: Built-In Bath, Shower And Powder Room #2

Mount grooved bottom strip in opening of sliding door section. Recess the strip 1/16".The corresponding top strip is grooved 1/4" deeper than bottom strip so sliding doors may be lifted into the top grooves, then lowered into the bottom grooves.

On the bottom of hinge-door compartment, mount an equally thick wood strip, again recessing 1/16". Use glue and nails. Notch out grooved top strips, as shown in exploded view, and mount flush with top, recessing 1/16" from front edge. Use glue and screws inside.

Mount door for smaller unit with piano hinge. Mount sliding doors in place in larger unit.

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Before vanity cabinet is mounted, wall should be prepared with a waterproof material. 1/4" Duraply wasused here. Author packed insulating rock wool between Duraply and wall, and around the water pipes to protect them from freezing.

Attach top cabinet to bottom cabinet with screws. Then secure entire unit to the wall with screws through top cabinet into wall studs.

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Mount a matching hardwood moulding where top of  cabinet joins wall.
 
Mark sink opening in bottom of top cabinet, and cut  out, leaving sufficient clearance for water and drain pipes. Mount sink, following manufacturer's instructions.

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To begin shower installation, mark outline on wall for shower door cutout. A feasible size is 25" wide and 76" high, leaving 4" at bottom for step. Cut opening by first removing plaster board or chiseling out plaster with knife or other sharp instrument, then cutting away the studs. Next fill in the edges with studs and headers, making the opening safe and perfectly square.

Shower compartment is framed next. The author used 2" by 4" fir to build a 30"-wide-by-48"-deep-by-7'3"-high frame. When frame is finished, install hot and cold water lines and drain. If a ready-made shower bottom pan is used, now is the time to install it. If you don't use a ready-made pan, install a tin basin cut to the size of shower floor. Then, ceramic tile must be laid over the basin.

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Fig. D. Louvered-door cabinet is not hard to make. It opens on piano hinges and has adjustable shelves.

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Ceiling and walls of shower are covered with waterproof, prefabricated panels, which are1/2 "-thick plywood sheets covered with plastic laminate. It is wiseto use a pattern which will conceal nail holes. The shower shown here has a waterproof light, located in the center of ceiling.

Mount ceiling panels first by driving 6dfinishing nails into studs or rafters. Before nailing, puncture holes with sharp nail-set. Sink nails and putty holes with matching, waterproof caulking. Walls are mounted next. Use caulking on all joints,

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Cover edges of door cutout last with prefabricated panels cut to size of the cutout. Make sure the opening is perfectly square and level. Cover front edges of door frame with solid wood mouldings. The step at the bottom of the door should be covered with ceramic tile.

Ready-made shower doors can be obtained from hardware or department stores, and should be installed according to manufacturer's instructions. The door used in this project was made to order by the Lehman Sprayshield Co., and all necessary hardware for installation was included with the door assembly.

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To begin building utility cabinet, from piece of 3/4" plywood, cut cabinet sides to dimensions in Fig. D. Make a plywood template from 1/4" piece of plywood and bore 1/4" holes 3/8" deep through template into each side. Place holes as far apart as you wish, depending on desired location of adjustable shelves.

Cut top and bottom pieces of cabinet, and assemble cabinet frame with glue and 6d finishing nails. Sink nails and fill holes with matching putty.
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Cut and mount two 2"-wide matching plywood strips inside back of cabinet, along top and bottom. Keep flush with back edge. Use glue and 6d nails.
 
Cover front edges with matching wood trim. Do not   miter corners but mount them the way panels are assembled. Next cut to dimensions shown in Fig. D four pieces of solid walnut to make stiles which serve as louver mounts. Into a guide strip cut dadoes at 45-degree angles. Dadoes should be 1/2 wide by 1/2 deep. (Dado cutting instructions continued in No. 44.)

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Use dado saw blade in a radial arm machine so that "with one cut dado is made. This may also be done with a miter block and saw. Line up one stile at a time with guide strip. Nail small block to guide strip to hold stile in  place. Next, nail a larger block to cutting table so pieces cannot move too freely, and cut dadoes in stile.

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Cut door crosspieces from solid walnut to dimensions in Fig. D. Make a template the size of the door crosspiece ends to be used to mark dowel holes in the stiles. Repeat the marking on inside ends of all four stiles and the ends of all four crosspieces.

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For dowels, bore 3/8" holes 1/2" deep in stiles and in crosspiece ends. A guide block is used here to gauge depth of holes. After dowel is made, test for fit before gluing.

Detail a. Dowels hold louvered-door pieces together.

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With glue and clamps, assemble stiles and crosspieces, making sure all sides are even, square and flush.

Cut louvers from solid walnut strips. Bevel them degrees so back edges of louvers will be flush with inside of cabinet doors.
 
Round front edges of louvers so they are even and smooth.

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Mount louvers into dadoes with glue. Make sure back edges are flush with insides of cabinet doors. Secure with clamps.

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Using piano hinges, mount doors to cabinet. Leave 1/8" play between doors and cabinet. Mount one touch latch at bottom of each door.   

Mount finished cabinet to wall, using roundhead brass screws through back strips. Make sure cabinet hangs straight and plumb. If desired, mount a 1" strip between cabinet and ceiling, flush with cabinet edges and side, to be used as a base for a hardwood mould.

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If you wish, you can make the simple magazine rack, shown in Fig. E, and mount flush to wall below utility cabinet. To mount mirror inside vanity lid, it is best to have a glazier size and cut holes in mirror. Then attach mirror with cement and screws with rosettes.
 
To provide lighting over vanity cabinet, a fluorescent light fixture is mounted on wall 4" from ceiling.

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Fig. E. Magazine rack is made of five simple pieces.

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To give indirect lighting effect, assemble pieces of matching plywood around sides and front of light fixture.

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A swing-out ash tray can be mounted under the " vanity cabinet top near the toilet bowl.

Built-in bathroom conveniences, such as a glass and toothbrush holder, can be installed in the wall over the washbasin. Ready-made units can be bought at hardware or department stores, and are easily installed, following manufacturer's instructions.

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Another built-in bathroom feature is a toilet paper  holder. It conceals the paper and opens when a button is pressed.

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Vanity lid serves two useful purposes—table area when down, vanity mirror when in raised position.

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