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How far from wall to place rainshower?

LE
10 years ago

Shower is 3 x 5 ft, rainshower is 10 inch diameter and there's a handheld and bar on the short wall. Shower is curbless and we're hoping to have just a glass panel and no door.

If the rainshower is too far from the wall, more splashing potential. But too close and it could feel crowded. Opinions? Guidelines? Rough- in is coming up quick!

Comments (12)

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    10 years ago

    Stand in the space with your hands on your head, elbows out, and turn 360 degrees. The shower should go over the center of your head when you can do that maneuver w/o clanging into the walls. I think you will feel as if you are hugging the walls otherwise. If you are entering at the far short end, (with 5' of glass or wall) I think you won't have a problem with splashing, otherwise you probably will. Water hits your shoulders and flies out every which way, to say nothing as to where it goes with your arms up washing your hair! Our shower is just 3'x4' and we splash water on all the walls with just a hand held on a bar mounted way up high.

    We don't have a rain shower, but encountered 3 of those foot wide ones in hotels on a recent trip. IMHO you need more than 3' feet of glass, and at least 2' of entry, so I think you need to rethink this. Maybe someone else here has your future set up and can advise.

    -Babka

  • nycbluedevil
    10 years ago

    I have your exact setup in terms of size and rainshower head/slide bar. (We also put in body sprays, which I love to use with the rainhead).

    We have a curb, but we only have glass, above a pony wall, for 3 feet of the 5 foot length. The remaining two feet is open with no door.

    The rainhead is centered in the shower.

    The placement of the rainhead is just right.

    And no water sprays on the floor.

  • enduring
    10 years ago

    Nycbluedevil, I know you have posted pictures, but could you post the shower picture that you describe above. I would like to see the panel and no door setup.

    Thanks :)

  • nycbluedevil
    10 years ago

    Enduring--the second and third pictures in my original post show the panel/no door setup. I don't think I could get a better picture, actually. The glass is on top of the pony wall. There is a curb at the opening. The shower is about 5 feet by 4 feet but there is a structural column which shortens the 5 foot width by about 20 inches, so the whole shower is sort of Utah-shaped. The 4 foot side is the back wall with all the bling and the 5 foot side is the side with the opening. The rainhead is centered on the space, taking into account the column. The opening to step in is 33 inches wide. The pony wall with the glass panel above it is 25 inches wide. I hope this helps.

  • Babka NorCal 9b
    10 years ago

    Nycbluedevil - Please link your original post..or put the pics here. Please?

    -Babka

  • nycbluedevil
    10 years ago

    I am so bad at posting pictures. I have only done it a couple of times and each time it takes me so long to get it right. If you google "pics of my new bathrooms nycbluedevil" my post will pop right up.

  • enduring
    10 years ago

    Posting pictures is SO EASY :) here is a link from the kitchen forum to explain 2 options for posting. I personally use the photobucket option, but occasionally post direct from my computer.

    Save this link to your "clippings" page. It has more information than just the photo instructions. The photo instructions are near the top of the separate links Beuhl created on a variety of topics. She did a great job over the last few years keeping this thread updated and pertinent. Now there is a sticky at the top of the kitchen forum, but it is not as helpful at the threads Buehl kept up.

    Here is a link that might be useful: New to Kitchens...

  • LE
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Sorry, have been out of town and unable to respond. Thanks for your input.

    Babka, I was thinking that actuall hairwashing, etc. would be done with handheld and the rainshower would be used for a relaxing minute or two at the end, so not so much armwaving at that time. So splashing would just be whatever bounces off the body from a standing-still position. Still, there is some distance that is simple too close to the wall psychologically, but I'm not quite sure what that is!

    nycbluedevil, I'm glad to hear yours is working for you! Based on your response and photos, I've made myself a sketch of what I think you have. With the rainshower centered in a total length of 33" opening plus 36" pony wall, you have the center of the rainshower at 34 1/2 inches from the wall? Or did you subtract the 20" for the column before you centered the shower? That would put the center of it 24.5" from the wall. Would you mind measuring for me when you have a chance? Your example is the closest I've found.

    My husband originally specified 24" from the wall based on what felt comfortable, but we thought we could shrink it to as little as 20" if the overspray would be problematic. I think it wouldn't feel crowded if we were just standing there facing away from the wall... so glad to hear you don't have a splashing issue.

    We'll have waterproofing under the floor throughout and a bathmat at the opening to dry off on, but I don't want water on the front of the vanity outside the shower. We can also start with a glass panel and add a door if we need to as long as we have blocking there. I'd really rather not have a door. The floor will be heated, and I'm not too worried about it being cold. (The whole room is the size of some showers I see here!)

  • LE
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks so much, nyc-- it really helps to hear from someone who's lived with this set-up successfully!

  • jpap
    last year

    Some great advice in this thread. I'm in the same boat as you @LE, 9 years later. If you're still around, would you please post your experiences with your shower?


    @nycbluedevil, I think I found your bathroom photos here, but I can't see where the rain shower is in the 2nd and 3rd photos. How far is yours from the right wall for you to not have any splashing at your curb?


    I have a 3' deep by 5' length shower area against three walls, curbless "no glass door" entry of 23", and almost 37" of glass for the remaining width. Drawing attached. I am thinking of putting the rain shower center at 18" from the right wall and adjacent to the glass. 18" is about where the "elbows touch the wall with arms above head" and it's right on the "edge" of being cramped, balanced against maximizing distance to the glass edge. The rain shower head is 12" square, which puts the edge of the rain shower at just over 12.5" from the edge of the glass where the entry sits. The sloped floor runs from left to right (i.e. you enter, turn right, then it slopes down in front of you), toward a linear drain on the right wall below the hand shower and valve.


    I'm mostly concerned with water splashing or flowing out of the curbless opening. We too could add a door later, but in that case we'd probably make the door larger than 23": we'd need to factor in space for a hinge on the left wall, so getting it right the first time would be more cost effective.


  • LE
    Original Author
    last year

    Our shower is 3 ft wide and a bit over 5 ft long. Glass is 35”, opening is 28”, rainhead is centered 19” from the wet wall. The linear drain is on tge far wall, at the basebof the tub. Honestly, we rarely remember to use the rainhead, but it does look cool. People who visit always want to try it out and I have to remember to warn them to step back for a few seconds because that water stored in the pipe is cold when you switch it over!


    As for splasjing out, which we also worried about, it has not been much of an issue. we have a thick cotton mat that is usually on a towel bar, but goes down at the opening while showering. maybe 3-4 inches get some water splashed on it, but it isn’t soaking or anything.


    Just make sure you have the controls on the side where you can easily reach them without getting wet and it should work out fine. I couldn’t interpret your drawing, so I hope my measurements are helpful.