Does anybody have a wooden shower floor?

[surferguy]

Was thinking of the idea for a client but was wondering if anybody in the city has something like this.

Ive done a bit of research but looking for some pros and cons from anybody who has first hand experience.

countdown to wood in shower joke 3....2....1...

[nik-]

Well they're great in saunas ... but I think every day use with soap and stray hairs, it would get pretty disgusting.

[ranchlandsselling]

I've got wood in my shower. Man that took 54 minutes... Not to get the wood but to, oh nevermind

[Superflyer]

I don't have one but I would imagine as nik said, the build of soap and such would be bad. Also wood would get slippery even with just water. If you could take care of that without ruining the look then you would be good I would think.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by nik-

Well they're great in saunas ... but I think every day use with soap and stray hairs, it would get pretty disgusting.

From what I have read, grim/hair/keep clean has been the biggest concern of people who like the look but do not have one.

I was thinking of wood slats with a full tile floor below, almost a wooden platform that would be removable to clean.

I really like the look but as far as practicality I am not so sure.

Was hoping somebody had a first had account that stated that it wasn't a huge pain in the ass to keep clean.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by surferguy

From what I have read, grim/hair/keep clean has been the biggest concern of people who like the look but do not have one.

I was thinking of wood slats with a full tile floor below, almost a wooden platform that would be removable to clean.

I really like the look but as far as practicality I am not so sure.

Was hoping somebody had a first had account that stated that it wasn't a huge pain in the ass to keep clean.

Looks cool to me - I assume this is what you mean:

[MoneyGuy]

I used to have one in a rental house. It's a bad idea. It got really grungy. Maybe cedar would work.

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by ranchlandsselling

Looks cool to me - I assume this is what you mean:

Yeah, this is somewhat of the look I am after. I didn't have the time to post photos earlier.

Was thinking cedar, IPE or teak if I did do it. Put a marine grade finish on it.

Maybe CedarMeter has some ideas.

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

I used to have one in a rental house. It's a bad idea. It got really grungy. Maybe cedar would work.

What kind of wood was yours?

[zarrell]

If you're just building it and not having to clean or maintain it I say go for it. I wouldn't bother with cedar. Go with teak and make sure you work sharpening planer knives and saw blades into the price. I've done teak shower benches before but never a floor. Looks great in that picture though.

[Locke]

I need a chair in my shower. That would rock.

[Bigtime]

Hmm, maybe check with the folks at Kayu Canada here in town on the exotics they may have available for it.

[wireframe]

Have you building the floor and leaving it floating on top of tile? That would make it easy to remove and clean if it got gross.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Locke

I need a chair in my shower. That would rock.

It would be awesome to be able to sit down in a shower and take care of the wood......

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Got stuck with these in a few places overseas - I hated them. They may look cool but your feet will think you're walking on pallets.

Definitely a form over function mistake IMHO.

[Madman]

Rob Van Winkle, (Vanilla Ice), did teak slats in one of his last homes on his TV show, I thought it looked great.

I can't find the video right now for it, but if you can find it it might answer some of the questions.

[Bindair Dundat]

Originally Posted by surferguy

From what I have read, grim/hair/keep clean has been the biggest concern of people who like the look but do not have one.

I was thinking of wood slats with a full tile floor below, almost a wooden platform that would be removable to clean.

I really like the look but as far as practicality I am not so sure.

Was hoping somebody had a first had account that stated that it wasn't a huge pain in the ass to keep clean.

If you're planning on floating over the drain pan, why bother with the expense of a mudpan/membrane/tiled pan? depending on the drain system you plan to use, you could easily go with a conventional mud pan/bladder, and over lay your finished wood floor on top of this. Or go deckmud/ Wedi/ Kerdi; and build a floating floor that has mechanical separation from the membrane?
Why waste time and money tiling? The other option would be to take the path that it appears has been taken in the photos attached to the thread... Fiberglass pan and freestanding (removable) wood insert.
If I had a client asking for this? I'd go with a fiberglass pan (if the dimensions worked) and failing this? Deck mud, Kerdi drain, Kerdi membrane; tile the walls up from the deck and build the wood floor in two pieces (to allow for removal). Ipe is a nice material for this kind of application.

[surferguy]

Here is the finished product. Ipe wood built in two sections (mats) that can easily be removed for cleaning. These are laid into a fiberglass pan which was tiled with a 2x2 mosaic.

Thanks for the input guys, both the client and I are happy with the result.