Suspended/Hanging/Floating stud wall

[fabgav]

Hi all, after a few ideas/pointers or comments/concerns if you wouldn't mind.

Basically, I was to build a stud wall in my bathroom and hold the shower mixer etc.
It will be tiled with I guess 15kg of tiles and then x amount of weight of tile adhesive, grout, and everything else.
I will also be covering it with a sheet of ply board.
I want it to be 'floating' in respect that i want a 20mm gap at the bottom of this fake wall for the water to run under.
Obviously all of this will be waterproofed etc etc my main concern is how can i have it 'hanging'

I have drawn and scanned a diagram to try and explain it a bit more.
The left side of the wall will be attached to a brick outer wall of my house, the back will be about 200mm away from the back wall of the house.
The red bracket type drawing are just that, I thought I could use shelf brackets and support noggings that the stud wall would be attached too.
The blue bits are cross sections that I thought would be better at angels rather than horizontal's.
The top of the wall I propose to bolt through to the roof beams above in the loft which i will put noggings in between to bolt too.

Cant really explain anymore at the moment, brain freeze.
I just want to know really if this will be okay with the weight?

Any comments??

Untitled

• fabgav
• 15 Aug 2010
• 2

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

why do you want water to get under?
and forget the the blue diagonal nogins it sevres no purpose, stick to horizontal once

 

[r896neo]

It's probably too much weight to hang from your ceiling joists with at best the existing plasterboard ceilings bowing and cracking and at worst cracking and breaking some of them.

Also flexibility wise it is not a great plan if you want to tile it. If you are really set on this you may need to attach it to the floor using stainless steel rods or bolts which then attach to a spreader plate of some sort maybe??? something which will hardly be noticable but could take a lot of weigh.

 

[fabgav]

Prentic:

I thought the blue noggings would help with the angel and downward force of weight? flying butresses and all that.

I want water to flow under it due to it being a shower area but I want the waste water to flow away and out of sight rather than down a plug/drain hole in the shower area, I just think it will lok nice

Neo:

I could cut the ceiling plaster away so the top would be direct onto roof beam?

Good point about the felxi part and good idea about the stainless bolts/feet, but what may iI ask do you mean be spreader plate?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You'll never be able to access the drain if it ever blocks up, how you gonna pull all that hair out etc. Its a terrible idea!

You can get attractive/slick looking drains you know.

 

[joinerjohn]

You'll never be able to access the drain if it ever blocks up, how you gonna pull all that hair out etc. Its a terrible idea!

You can get attractive/slick looking drains you know.

Have to agree with Freddy. Access would be needed to the drain. Shower drains are very prone to becoming blocked with hair etc. Unless you can come up with some way of allowing access?.

Must admit the idea sounds quite intriguing!! Unseen drain, but unless you can sort out access to the drain, it's a no go .

Also you'd need ventilation of some sort behind the studwork.

 

[fabgav]

Access will be via a trap door as such on the right hand side where the 'shelf' brackets are to be on the wall, i'll build a shelving unit in that gap and have a panel that will remove, behind that will be a formed plastic tray with a standard white shower trap which has a removeable centre plug bit.
(just standard bottle thing from B&Q etc)

Also, I know you can get attractive drains however all I have found are in excess of £150!
Unless you know anywhere cheaper?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Well it's going to have to be supported from underneath, rather than suspended.
Timber frames are not really designed to float, the weight of timber, Ply and tiles could be a bit heavy.
Using ply in a wet area could also be something that is worth reconsidering, aqua panel could be a better method on a metal grid stud wall.

 

[r896neo]

Regardless of whether you expose the ceiling timber you can't simply hang all that from the ceiling joists as they are weedy and not designed to be a proper floor and adding that extra weight will as i said bow them so badly your celings crack, or at worst pull them down on top of you. The ventilation is a real important consideration and your best bet would be to have your floating wall open at the top too to get the circulation going a bit.

As for spreader plate i meant that you cant simply put metal rods into the floor as they are putting all the load through a tiny point so you would need to devise a way to spread it perhaps using steel plates

 

[fabgav]

Cheers for the advice/pointers
I've had a slight brainwave and possible idea.

How about at the bottom of my stud wall a couple of these - http://www.screwfix.com/prods/36243...t-Hook-Rail-Polished-Chrome-Effect-290-x-40mm

upside down so the hook ends will be on theshower 'base' and will support the bottom beam of the stud wall.
Think it would look okay?

hmmm, good pointer re' ventilation, I will have to look into that.

 

[mointainwalker]

Seems strange that you want to design something for a "visual effect" and then try to shoe-horn in a couple of coat-hangers which would look as naff as hell to save a few pounds as well as being as useful as the proverbial chocolate tea-pot.

Materials that you could use that could also be striking are stainless-steel or good-quality chromed steel bar/rod/strip. You would have to look around to find the ideal fittings/plates/adaptors whatever to attach to your wall and floor.

 

[RedHerring2]

Have you considered the type of material used for public toilets/showers/cubicles. It's a rigid durable material that stands on its own hard plastic legs and you can get connections to the ceiling.

It might need to be cut on an industrial type CNC machine though.

 

[fabgav]

good idea re. the plastic stuff you get in public loo's etc
I'll look into that.

I thought it might look okay mountiainwalker but maybe not, an as you say it would probably not offer much support.
I think i will be able to tie it down to the floor at both sides but I need to know what wood is best to use?
B&Q do that £240 a 3m length of wood (not sure what its called) but I am doutful about its strengh.
What would be best? kiln dried hard wood soft wood mill sawn etc etc ??

Thanks in advanced