Walk in shower without tray

Hi please forgive my ignorance but I'm a DIY novice!

We're buying a new (very old and unloved) house and are planning on moving the downstairs bathroom upstairs. As part of the plan we'd like to include a walk in shower with a glass block wall. We're trying to keep costs down - and a decent 1400mm shower tray is about £200... does anyone know whether:
* it's possible to avoid buying a shower tray and just continue the floor tiles (travetine) and put in a shower waste?
* How wide the glass block wall would need to be to avoid massive spillage / avoid it being a complete wet room?
* Any advice / thoughts on glass block walls - good idea / nightmare?

Thanks in advance

Claire

I think that unless you purchase a proper wet room base (which you can get just for the shower area, it doesn't have to cover the whole room) you'll get water through the ceiling sooner or later. The cost of buying and installing such a base will be far more than your £200 shower tray.

IMHO glass block walls look hideous, much better to get a shower screen and probably not too much different cost-wise either

What you suggest by having a tiled floor with a waste in it will take more than you think. The floor and walls will have to be tanked/sealed with a wet room lining system, which in itself is not for DIYers. Tiles on their own won't withstand immersion in water, and the waste is sealed into the floor liner.

You are talking about a wet room, which aint cheap. Best to get a nice stone resin tray and enclosure.

I installed a wet room upstairs on wooden floor as you are contemplating with this aqua dec and used clear glass blocks as a screen.

The dec is quite a job to do and the glass blocks have to be laid with 'wet' mortar. The blocks are also reinforced with metal rods up through the vertical joints. Again not to difficult but any mortar splashes onto the glass blocks takes ages to clean off. Also the pointing of the blocks to make waterproof is relatively easy to do, but again, takes ages to clean deposits off the glass.

Having done all that, I (IMO) think it's great. I have no silicone mastic at all in the shower. The worst thing about silicone is it always goes mouldy and black, despite it claiming it won't. The glass blocks wipe down really well with normal shower spray and look as good as new each time.

Floor laid with 2'' square travertine, walls larger random size ceramic tiles. No crappy hinged doors and plastic/rubber seals that always fall off and leak!



www.impey-showers.com/technical-information