Shower Stalls Come in Pieces

Q: Recently, my wife and I were looking for fixtures to lay out a bathroom for a new house we want to build. We asked about a standard shower stall at a supply house and the salesperson asked us whether we wanted a one-, two- or three-piece shower stall. We told them we would look into it. Why so many types of showers, and what would be our best choice? - Richard and Helen, Wisconsin.

A: Shower stalls come in different component setups for the type of construction you're doing. Normally, when I give examples of different models, I start from the first model and work my way up. In this case, I'll work my way down, and you'll see why.

Let's start with a three-piece shower stall. Just as the name says, it comes in three pieces, usually as a base and two wall sections to make the surround. If you're remodeling an older home with narrow halls and small door openings, you easily can move all three smaller pieces into the bathroom, where you can put everything together to make your shower stall.

With newer homes or older houses with a bigger access hall and door openings, you can use a two-piece shower stall and still be able to get them into your bathroom. For new construction, you can get a one-piece unit into the bathroom during framing and build around it. A one-piece shower stall will give you a seamless look and you won't have to put it together.

Master plumber Ed Del Grande is host for Ed The Plumber on DIY Network and Contractor Stories on HGTVpro.com. See eddelgrande.com and send questions to: edtheplumber@diynetwork.com.

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