DIY Shower Pan Using Fibreglass & Epoxy for our RV | BOX TRUCK CONVERSION
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- We built our shower over several weekends. First, building our fibreglass and epoxy shower pan was all Moritz, but it was basically our self-made SUV rooftop tent turned upside down (keep an eye out for our pandemic getaway video in the future!). Luckily, we had leftover materials from the tent, so we only spent $43 on our shower pan (fresh materials would’ve cost $111). Compare this to $300+ pre-fab ones! In full transparency, this project DID take us 3 days to complete.
For building our shower stall, we considered several alternatives and settled on using vinyl sheets and sealing with silicone. This option was not only cost-effective, but it was unbelievably easy - it only took us 6 hours!
Oiling the butcher blocks was more of a side-chore than a side-project. We used the Watco Butcher Block Oil - this was the most hassle-free and noob-friendly option (vs. epoxy or varnish).
For step-by-step instructions, check out our blog here:
road-to-pitche...
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Quick links to products used in this video:
Chopped Strand Fibreglass Mat (amzn.to/33poATf)
Fibreglass Veil Cloth (amzn.to/2EQBgIJ)
Watco Butcher Block Oil (amzn.to/31hO8z8)
Tack Cloth (amzn.to/31hO8z8)
Cheap & water-efficient Shower Head (amzn.to/2DyO2Lc)
Cake scraper (amzn.to/2EH0KrN)
Vinyl Supplier in Toronto (Missisauga) (www.endofthero...)
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Our truck is a 2009 GMC Savana G3500 cut-away with a 12 ft box and our dream is to convert it into a camper van for a year-long, North American rock climbing tour. Hence the name, Road to Pitches. Our departure date is set for June 2021.
Blog: road-to-pitche...
Instagram: / roadtopitches
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Journey - Atch / atch-music
Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: bit.ly/atch-jo...
Music promoted by Audio Library • Journey - Atch (No Cop...
Track: Marin Hoxha & Caravn - Eternal [NCS Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: • Marin Hoxha & Caravn -...
Free Download / Stream: ncs.io/Eternal
Image of building: "The Future? (Wien)" by Giampaolo Macorig is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We would never recommend anything we haven’t used ourselves or 100% vouch for. See our full disclosure here: road-to-pitche....
Something about the creativity really resin-ates. The project seems to have panned out.
I am very impressed with the shower pan. I am a composite specialist for Boeing and I took the easy way out and did the Amazon thing. The shower looks good 👍
Fantastic job and you managed to do it all right on the boulevard. Good for you, The two drains are the way to go. Many thanks.
I love that shower! I went from a Class A to a Shuttle Bus, then to a Van, I didn't finish the shuttle bus as I didn't like the curved walls. and I don't like the van, too small! Even with a box top, --- so going to go back to the box truck! Enjoyed you video, and stay safe!
Thanks R.D. On The Road! Moritz when through a similar thought process...Sprinters = curved walls (and hella expensive), busses are hard to come by here in Toronto (also curvy). We MIGHT be biased, but great idea on the box truck ;). Be well!
I'm having fun watching you build this van out. Looks good so far😎
Thanks for putting out great videos, I upgraded from my small van home to a bigger box truck, and am living in it fulltime as I build, it’s been a challenge, but rewarding at the same time. I try and put decent videos together, but building alone most of the time makes it difficult to film.
Loved the DIY shower pan! Saves a bundle over the ridiculously priced plastic or metal ones. Very well made too! I am going to make one, then tile over it. It was very useful to see how you made the shower stall too. I found some waterproof PVC vinyl tile marble pattern that you can stick with adhesive to the plywood. This is easier than using FRP sheets. Look for Innovera Palram, or Palisades Vinyl tiles. Use Loctite Power Grab Ultimate construction adhesive and some mildew resistant silicone caulk. I think this is a very easy to use product and goes up fast. Also very lightweight, comes in multiple finishes, and cost is low - Home Depot or Lowes.
With regard to your butcher block counters, I have a 'patented' technique of using Boiled Linseed Oil - let dry 15 mins, wipe off excess, let dry 2 days aired out. Then dilute oil-based Satin Clear Interior Polyurethane with Mineral Spirits 50:50 and paint on. Let dry 15 mins or less, and wipe off excess, drips, and smear a very light coating on. Let dry a few hours then repeat 2-3 times. The diluted Poly soaks in and hardens the wood. When you wipe it off, it leaves a hand rubbed finish. Watco is too pricey, and I don't like the tackiness, and constant maintenance. Poly is good for 100 yrs no problem. I do fine furniture like this too. Beautiful finish, minor cost over Watco. The Linseed oil conditions dry wood before you seal it off with the Poly. Try this. Saves you money and its a very durable finish, impervious to damage or stains. Don't ever use epoxy on wood - it makes natural wood look like plastic - yuk. It also scratches up a lot, not durable. Varnish is useless - stains, burns, etc. My method is durable, and thinning it prevents a tacky shiny top coat, you want the wood to come through like an oil finish but waterproof. This is the same as Wipe On Poly without the high cost.
Great job!!! Thanks for the money saving tips as well. You guys work well together. 😀
Thank you! When we were researching, we couldn't find a lot online talking about the finance side of things. Hopefully this will help someone make a better-informed decision.
even if they don't work together well 100% of the time, great editing.
@@Gantzz321 true story
Thats a good man. Take care of him, i promise hes worth it! Nice work!
Love the Channel and I just got here. I really want a box van as well
Do it! What's stopping you?
You guys are real life savers. I have been spending hours trying to find someone that made a custom built fiberglass shower base. I am finishing the bathroom in a studio apartment I'm building and the fiberglass shower bases at home depot are too big or too small so this is what I am going to have to do. Thanks for the great video
Nothing wrong with the way you build your shower trailers were built like that in the 50 and 60s. I have a 66 lens kill trailer and the shower walls are made like that with chrome trim in the corners.
Phew - happy to know that. We did find some blogs online that said this was a good method, but nothing on RUclips. Guess we're not as imaginative as we thought though ;P.
8:39
Ya not having audio can be frustrating. I have been going live and creating content for years. In those years I started by holding my phone while doing the project. So I feel your frustration. Only I wouldn't find out if the camera wasn't pointed at my face or their was background noise overwhelming my mic or that my phone stopped recording because there wasn't enough storage until I watched the video myself. Then I would edit it. Your both blessed to have each other. My ability to articulate is devastating for my audience. Finding the right words is something I could use alot of help with.....
Thanks for showing the shower fix. Big help.
hey guys love your channels you seems both very kind. for the shower I would add a vertical flange on 3 sides and then put the vinyl so it cannot drip in the space between vinyl and fiberglass shower. cheers from Quebec
That is a great idea! Luckily we haven't sealed the bottom yet, so we can definitely do this. Thank you so much for your suggestion.
I am remodeling the shower's wall of my RV with plastic "play wood" what I bought at THD, for make the corners with out cut the material, I using my hair dryer to apply heat and molding it more easier, like that I don't have to be worried about water leak through the walls 😊
Definitely doing this method can I leave a link in my video I was going to do tile work but it’s too extensive and I know fiberglass all day it’s all I used to do for subwoofer enclosures at a shop I worked at.
Top job guys, Cheers from Michael. Australia.
So glad I found this channel. A little bummed I didn't find it sooner
You're here now! So happy to have you.
you made your own, custom design shower pan! Amazing, all by itself , ,
Can u tile the bottom of this pan?? The epoxy job should certainly hold up well!
Great job
Brilliant work on all your vids. Appreciate your hard work soo much
Thanks Magni 1! More to come in 2021.
Great video you inspired me to make a new shower pan for my RV i been watching videos on how to fiberglass for weeks now and was very curious why making the shower walls out of epoxy and mat laid over the pink half inch thick foam board was not on the list that's what i had settled on after watching a few videos on it .light weight strong and the 12v lighting and color possibilities. Real awesome project y"all got going i cant wait to see more of the videos from y"all real awesome job on that shower pan
I’m loving the progress! Keep it up :)
Thank you Bob! Stay tuned for more!
@@RoadtoPitches q
Great, lite ideas guys
Good job guys
God bless you. I love how these looks beautiful 👍🏻❤
Thanks Master Barber! 😁
Thanks.
Love the channel♥️
Very nice. There is a chance, though, that your setup will delaminate from the wood. Typically, the wood is presoaked with resin until it stops absorbing. Then proceed with the laminating process. There is a chance that the initial layer of glass did not properly bind to the wood. Hopefully, all worked for you.
Hey thanks for your comment! That's definitely something to keep in mind on the next build!
With our pan I'm not too concerned though because I did use a lot of resin and I'm certain the wood got soaked well enough and gave a good bond. Maybe the side walls didn't get as much resin as it would run down by gravity.
At least the side walls don't need to bear any weight.
Looks great! I love the marble design 😊
Thank you for making us feel good about our choice :), we were unsure about it!
Thx, I was looking into making custom size shower box and want to make my own but not for RV just my bathroom.
I made one too with wood and flex seal
Watch Gone Boondocking hour shower you'll love it very helpful
fibreglass can't bend at 90 degrees which means air gaps and less strength so watch those corners..
Hey there! Great job. I have not found another video showing how to use fiberglass sheets to make a shower floor. I am doing a complete wet bath. Do you recommend doing the entire TT bathroom floor using fiberglass sheets? Is it too slippery? I don't want to waste time or money. Any advice you give is appreciated. Thanks!
It looks and feels like a commercial shower pan, so yes it can definitely be slippery when wet. You could look into adding grains into your epoxy on the top layer to add some grip, but that will make it harder to clean.
We ended up putting some wooden tiles on top.
Congratulations on new shower!l! We are converting our 16' box aswell! I noticed understorage boxes at 11:24. I wanted to do the same, but got a bit spooked, thinking that a pot hole or uneven ground could mean scraping the bottom... ANy issues with the boxes there? PS you guys were some of the 1st box builders we watched a year ago before we started... Thank you for the inspiration!
Thanks and happy you enjoy our videos. I would say it depends a bit on the vehicle you have. Our box sits on top of the wheels, there are no wheel wells which means it has a lot of ground clearance. So far we cannot recall ever scratching the storage box. There has been an occasion where the metal grate at the very end touched the dirt (it was kind of a V-ditch but driving over it diagonally it only hit the side without the storage box).
On regular roads there's always been enough clearance.
Thank you!!! @@RoadtoPitches Wahoo! See you out there sometime!
Thanks for the video. It was very difficult to find someone, who actually built the shower bed of fiberglass, which I would like to do. Can I ask you if it turned out to be waterproof in reality after frequent use?
We don't use our shower super often, sometimes once a week, sometimes less than that (if we shower at rec centers, etc.)
But so far it has held up perfectly fine. Also around the drains is no cracks or leaks visible.
We'd do it again, it's cheaper, fits custom layouts and isn't that much work either.
The result looks OK (of course not as pretty as a factory made one). With a better setup, like a real garage where you can properly level things, it can also look even better.
Using the vinyl sheet for the shower walls seems a fantastic idea. Do you have any regrets and has it stood the test of time? 👍🤞
No regrets it held up really well, is easy to clean (we use a squeegee after each shower to wipe it dry) and we like the looks.
@@RoadtoPitches Great, thanks!
How heavy was the shower pan? Also how much did the entire pan cost you? Thanks for the alternative to really poorly made icon bases.
It is heavier than a commercial pan for sure, I think in the realm of 10 to 15 kg. You can take a look over on our homepage, we've created an extended blog post describing the process.
Question: how do you attach the walls to the shower pan to keep it watertight? I'd appreciate any advice. Cool video.
On the back wall, there is a small piece of wood that's attached to the shower pan that we attached to the wall. On the left side where it is open, we added another piece of wood that is affixed to both wall and shower pan. We couldn't reach the right side to do anything :P. The wall also sits over the shower pan (you can see at 16:32) and we added silicon. Fingers crossed this works lol. Thanks!
@@RoadtoPitches Thanks!
How did this custom shower pan hold up over the years?
Why did you not wet down the surface first, then add the first layer and then the second layer?
I guess two reasons: first, I'm not super experienced when it comes to working with fiber glass. My experience comes from tiny model air planes many years ago and building the rooftop tent. And the second reason cause it didn't matter much for this application. I didn't have to save on weight or material, so I everything just got soaked when I poured the epoxy onto the webbing. If you need thin layers, you'd epoxy the wood first, then apply the first layer, let it bind to when it's sticky and put the second layer on.
What about FRP?
We failed and couldn't find any here lol. It was also on the more expensive side! Otherwise, we would've gone with that.
do you still have the RV? if so how is the vinyl walls holding up....
Thanks for reaching out. Walls are still doing great, basically looks like the first day.
thanks... my shower in my cargo trailer (in progress) has a curved wall and I thought this would be a great way to over it
great vid! super helpful! what did you spray onto the shower pan at the end? thanks!
It's just some white spray paint. On top of that I added another layer of epoxy to make the paint scratch proof.
Hello! It’s been two years. I’m wondering how this held up??
Still works fine, no leaks or cracks.
I have a question buddy, it was commercial truck before, but when you own personally for personal use, do you still have to have some kind of commercial truck insurance? any info would be helpful. thanks.
Hey there! Yes, it's a commercial truck policy even though we are legally allowed to drive it without a commercial drivers license. The insurance process was stressful, but we were able to find an underwriter who would insure our truck. There are some limitations placed on it, such as driving distance (while it is being built), but nothing that limits us RIGHT NOW. We have to reassess once we meet the criteria to register it as an RV. If you'd like, email us -> hello at road-to-pitches.com and we can share our agent's details with you (if you're on Ontario). We will publish a blog post about this shortly and I'll notify you here.
@@RoadtoPitches Thanks for the tip! unfortunately, I live in the US D.C. but it helped to get some clear ideas. Thank you! oh and your fiberglass resin shower base solved some of my problems. I am planning to build Japanese style jacuzzi in my truck. I don't care if I don't have kitchen, no bathroom, no shower, but I definitely need jacuzzi. so I am trying to get 100gallon water, rainwater filtering system, hot water system, and hand made jacuzzi. lol
@@5ChG hey e-dev. I’m building out a stepvan with a GVWR of 14,100lbs. In NH anything under 26k GVWR can be registered private. My insurance is commercial policy with Progressive commercial insurance. You can contact them, they’ll probably hook you up.
...PS, I’m currently learning the eagle PCB software so I can build my own power distribution and PWM boards and control them with some Wemos D1 mini’s....
Hey guys! I was wondering what drain you got, I searched all web, but I can only find drains for really thin showerpans!
We just used a 2 inch drain we found at home depot. A reduction piece gets it down to 3/4 inch if I remember correctly, because we ran into some spacial issues with our box frame. Originally I just wanted to use 1.5 inch like I used for the rest of the drain system.
I think that drain is not even meant for showers necessarily, but could be used as a garage floor drain, too.
Great vid. What did the shower tray weigh do you think?
Thank you! Not too heavy, about 10kg or so.
@@RoadtoPitches great. Think I will use this method also! Have you found the waste pipe / metal bit at the top has stayed tight?
@@alexmoody591 We've done a few tests and no issues with the waste pipe. If we could do it again though, we would make the outside edge a smidge higher to catch the shower curtain better.
@@RoadtoPitches That's really useful to know. Thanks a lot!
That drain is going to be a disaster. Waaaaaaaay too small. Measure 12 times, cut once. Haha. Neat pan but that drain is going to be a headache. Take that from a 20 year plumber.
After a year of use we haven't had any issues yet. Keep in mind, this is a low flow shower head, on a 20 gal water tank. This is a very different use profile from your daily shower in a house. We rinse in there for 5 minutes after a hike... it's not your half hour full hair and body care.
Obviously I had wished to have regular size drains, but it has not turned out to be a problem. Also keep in mind that all the plumbing is accessible, it's not like in a house where the pipes are buried behind bricks. If it would ever clog up to a degree where I can't clean it with a bit of twisted wire I'll just change the 20cm of 3/4" pipe.
Treated or untreated ply? Thanks, good ep
We used untreated.
Thanks man I’m building a box truck camper myself and this video has helped me a lot, I decided to go with treated ply shower base, even though the I heard resin might not adhere to the resin as well, but anyway peace and positive vibes from New Zealand to you both! Yeww 🤙🏾
Why not simply fiberglass the plywood shower walls?
Hey, we used vinyl because we found it hard to source FRP boards here in Canada. But we actually also like the look of the stone tiles better now.
Lol inch monster.
18:56 I had thought you might have been Vietnamese. :D
What's the inspiration behind the Road to Pitches name?
I am also Vietnamese :). Road to Pitches...kinda like "road to riches," we'll be on the road to do some rock climbing! Climbing routes are broken up into sections called "pitches". Another viewer also commented that we pitch a lot of tents 😂 so that makes sense as well!
@@RoadtoPitches
Viets unite! ;)
Heh heh. Thank you very much for the explanation. I had thought pitching tents. But interesting, rock climbing! Not something many female Vietnamese ladies do. That's pretty dang awesome.
He seems like a Nice Guy.....But He Dress's like a Dutch Sailor...
WEAR gloves when working with fiberGLASS unless you want tiny slivers of glass in your hands.
😭 I learned this the hard way. 🤠 Moritz SOMEHOW had zero issues. Maybe because of his calloused climber hands?
My question is whether you skipped over the slope part that shower pans need so all the water drains out through the drain you have installed?
That is correct, the pan has no slant towards the drains. In our experience this isn't a problem though because the van is almost never perfectly level. Having 2 drains helps in those cases, but we also always wipe the shower stall dry after using it as you don't want all that moisture lingering in there. So if any water is pooling in a corner of the pan we'd just wipe it to one of the drains at the end.