The bathtub sliding doors product I installed is the Delta Crestfield 60 in. x 58-1/8 in. Semi-Frameless Sliding Bathtub Door in Bronze with Rain Glass. This DiY project is a compliment to my Assist and Grab Bar project in late May to get my Mother-in-Law’s bathroom ready with the features she needed/wanted.
This set of tempered glass doors comes in a kit with the matching aluminum door handles, extruded anodized side stiles, bottom rail and top track/rail/valance plus all the required hardware to install it. The kit is available in other sizes, tempered glass door styles and finishes.
Not included is Tub & Tile Silicone Caulk to seal around the entire door frame assembly once installed,, as instructed.
The installation requires a couple of hours and a few critical tools to get the job done correctly the first time and without incidents. While I took crazy amounts of photographs when the house was under construction, and use those as reference especially for plumbing and electrical routes, I use my Precision Sensor Stud Finder to find the exact location of the studs and headers behind the walls to leverage their entire surface as much as possible. Remember, that magnetic “stud” finder is a nail finder that hopefully was set at the center of the stud when nailed. This work calls for precision and safety.
Luckily for me, there were wood studs behind the tiles where the side frame stiles had to be mounted. I drilled the holes using a Diamond coated drill bit hole saw to drill/cut through the porcelain tile. Several sizes are available depending on your manufacturers recommendations. DO NOT USE a masonry bit for this. It will damage your tile. As always, use a piece of blue painter’s tape over the area to be drilled to protect your tile. The diamond coated hollow core hole saw bit will cut through the porcelain tile easily. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Using the anchoring foot pattern of the bars, mark the other holes’ location and drill through the tile and wall backing material knowing it’s a hollow wall behind that area. Use the wood screws provided with your kit to anchor the bars where the studs are, and use the recommended anchoring hardware to secure the bars through the hollow wall holes.
Once the side frames/stiles are mounted, the bottom extruded aluminum track needs to be measured and cut to fit precisely in between the side aluminum frames/stiles. To cut the bottom aluminum track, I used a Stanley STHT20138 Solid Frame High Tension Hacksaw (12in / 305mm) Prior to mounting the bottom track, I applied a bead of clear silicone to the bottom of the aluminum track. I then laid the bottom track as instructed by the manufacturer and held it in place for a couple of hours while the silicone cured enough to hold it in place.
The top track easily fits over the side frames/stiles and is quickly fastened with the hardware provided. The hardware installation on the glass doors is easy and requires the use of a screw driver.
The door hang from the top track and are aligned inside the bottom track for ease of operation. Notice one handle/towel bar goes on the inside of the tub, the other goes on the outside.
I’m very pleased with the end result and, more importantly, so was my mother-in-law. I hope you enjoyed this Home Improvement projects! Tell me what other #DiY #HomeImprovement projects you’d like to see and subscribe to my blog. Thank you for visiting!