Hi,
I'm looking to replace a shelf that came with our tub/shower unit. I plan to build the shelf out of some scraps of marine plywood that I have lying around, and finish it with BLO. Should I add any other finish? Thanks.
I'd build it out of corian or similar. Cuts and machines like wood, same tools, glues with epoxy. If you are commited to the ply, remember to use stainless fasteners if any, waterproof glue. I'd give it at least 3 coats of polyurethane, more if possible. Then I still would not consider it waterproof. May still hold up for a few years... This IS going IN the shower, right?
You might use the epoxy finishes used on watercraft. Avoid metal fasteners.
If you expect it to survive, use the marine ply as a core.
Cover with a layer of 10 Oz fiberglass cloth and epoxy.
Paint with a good enamel afterwards.
When the house comes down, that shelf will still be there.
HTH
Lew
Oh man Lew - you're cruel.
Matt,
I recently built some shelves for our master bath shower. I used a piece of Redwood 2x10 that I recycled from a 13 year old deck joist. I ran the board through my planer, removing the surface weathering, until it was about 1" thick. Then I made a circle cutting jig to cut a half circle out of the
2x8. I screwed a block of wood to one edge and drilled my pivot point right at the edge. Once I had a half circle, I used my router to put a 3/8" roundover on the upper and lower edges. Then I cut it in half on my table saw to end up with two 1/4 circle shelves.After a good sanding, I applied three coats of a spar urethane. If it's good enough for boats, it's good enough for my shelves. :) I covered both sides and all four edges, totally encapsulating the wood shelves.
I used simple 1" metal "L" brackets to support my shelves from underneath (with stainless steel screws). You cannot see the brackets at all unless you bend down and look up. :) The thickness of the brackets also space the shelf about 1/8" away from the walls, so any water that ends up on the shelf can easily drain down behind the shelf.
Overall, the shelves turned out nice and look fantastic. Our shower is rather large (6'x6') and the shelves mount in the corner. They get very little water exposure, but I think they would hold up well even with constant exposure. The redwood survived fine after 13 years outdoors (with no finish). With a good spar finish I'm hoping it'll last many, many years in our shower. If not, it's a fairly simple matter to make new ones... :)
Anthony
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