Water, Water Everywhere: Controlling the Water in the Bathroom! MARCH 2012 WHERE HAVE WE BEEN? Beautiful apple blossoms are a sure sign of spring!

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1 1 of 6 3/30/ :08 AM MARCH 2012 WHERE HAVE WE BEEN? Beginning in 2012, we've decided to produce our newsletter on a quarterly basis. That's why you haven't heard from us in a month or so. But don't worry, in order to maintain our relationship with our loyal readers, we will continue to provide valuable information about universal and accessible home design and keep you informed of upcoming events and seminars. We hope you enjoy this edition about water! Beautiful apple blossoms are a sure sign of spring! OUR NEWEST MEMBER IN THE RESOURCE DIRECTORY OF THE CHER! Please join us in welcoming Universal Access Solutions. They provide a solution to barriers in the shower/bathing region of the bathroom. You can find out more about them in the Resource Directory of the CHER. Don't have a free CHER account yet? Sign up here. Interested in listing your company in the Resource Directory and having your products and services at the fingertips of CHER users? If yes, contact Vicki at to get started. Water, Water Everywhere: Controlling the Water in the Bathroom! This month we would like to turn our focus to the bathroom and specifically to "curbless" walk-in/roll-in showers and how to contain or control the water within them. A "curbless" walk-in/roll-in shower will be one that demonstrates no more than 1/2" beveled or 1/4" squared threshold going into the shower region. Many walk-in/roll-in showers will not be "curbless" and may have a "bump" as you enter into the shower unit. Obviously when you have an open shower region, you also have the risk of water going everywhere depending on the circumstances. There are several steps you can take and products available to help reduce and eliminate water drainage issues. Let's start by talking about transitioning from the bathroom into the "curbless" walk-in/roll-in shower area. In order to keep the water from seeping out,

2 2 of 6 3/30/ :08 AM CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES LIVE SEMINARS Below is a list of our upcoming live seminars presented by Scott Anderle, PT, CAPS: one possible solution is a drain at the entrance to the shower area. One can note this type of drain in the image below by QuickDrain, USA. "The ABC's of Home Modifications for Patients with Physical & Neurological Disabilities" Click on the city/state to view details for that location. 04/18/12 CLEVELAND, OH 04/19/12 CANTON, OH 04/20/12 PITTSBURGH, PA ~~~~~~~~~~ "Specialty Products for Home Accessibility and Independence" Click on the city/state to view details for that location. QuickDrain, USA Also known as linear drains or trench drains, these drains are perfect for someone who is in a wheelchair because there is no threshold to maneuver over. Another solution is a product called Waterstoppers from Best Bath Systems. These collapsible water dams (see below) flex to allow a wheelchair to roll over them then spring back up to prevent water from escaping. 05/09/12 WICHITA, KS 05/10/12 KANSAS CITY, MO 05/11/12 ST. LOUIS, MO Registration for both of these seminars is through CrossCountryEducation. You can also contact them at Best Bath Systems For the most up-to-date list of seminars and events that Scott will be speaking at, please visit our Events Now if you have an existing shower or are considering a shower unit that has a step into it, there is another possible solution to make those into a "curbless" walk-in/roll-in unit as well. Also from Best Bath Systems, the placement of a Waffle Ramp provides a firm surface to enter the shower region.

3 3 of 6 3/30/ :08 AM Calendar. ONLINE SEMINARS Our live seminars are also available as online seminars through HomeCEUConnection.com. Click on "title" below for an overview of the seminar. "The ABC's of Home Modifications for Patients with Physical & Neurological Disabilities" Waffle Ramp "Specialty Products for Home Accessibility and Independence" "Evaluating and Writing an Effective Home Modification Evaluation: The Do's and the Don ts" (This course is also available online through Cross Country Education) Waffle Ramp in place around a shower pan. AKW is an international leading manufacturer of wet rooms and shower pans which enable an individual to obtain a '"curbless" walk-in/roll-in shower. One can explore the AKW website to find innovative solutions for water control within the bathroom region. To register for an online class, please follow these steps: For non-medical professionals, please follow these directions to help you in locating and purchasing the seminar titles from their Course Catalog. For medical professionals, please click on the logo to purchase the seminar and follow the steps on their website. For those of you interested in building your own"curbless" walk-in/roll-in shower for your bathroom, you can go to NC State University to download a manual on how to build a curbless roll-inwalk-in shower or visit our website at for this information. Below is a sequence of events from a contractor who custom built a recessed, "curbless" walk-in/roll-in shower for a former client of ours. He has indicated his process and describes how he built the floor for the client. By Keith VanLoozenoord of VanLoozenoord Building and Remodeling

4 4 of 6 3/30/ :08 AM When ordering, please be sure to mention that Scott Anderle sent you. WATCH FOR MORE ONLINE SEMINAR OPPORTUNITIES COMING SOON! ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING Learn how to become a coordinator and/or a business owner in universal and accessible home design. "Getting Into Universal and Accessible Home Design" - a three hour one-on-one course Specialized Home Design, Inc. (SHD) is excited to offer a one-on-one training for those interested in getting more involved in universal and accessible home design and becoming home modification coordinators. Scott Anderle, PT, CAPS offers personal guidance and instruction on how to start and set up your own universal and accessible home design company or division. Scott's years of business experience and expertise in universal and accessible home design can help you as you prepare to enter the entrepreneurial world of owning and running your own business. This training course will allow you the information necessary to make informed business decisions and proceed down the pathway of success. Click on the "title" above for more information about this seminar and you can view the course objectives HERE! Please contact Vicki at (616) or by for further information about this course or to schedule your 3-hour training session. When preparing a new house for a "curbless" roll-in shower application, there are several steps to take: Step 1 - Lower the floor in the area of the shower to allow for the taper from the bathroom floor to the lowered drain of the shower. Step 2 - To accomplish this you would box in the desired area of the shower as you would box in for a stairway opening, then if using, for instance, a 2" x 10" I joist, you would use a 2" x 8" in the shower area to accomplish the desired difference in height from the floor of the bathroom to the lowest point in the shower. Step 3 - To get the desired taper from the floor of the bathroom to the drain height, I would recommend about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch per foot of drop to insure against any pooling of water. Any more than this may give people with balance issues a bit of a challenge. Step 4 - I use a sand mix cement or nay of the manufacturers recommended shower base cement products. You typically mix these products quite dry to you can pack it like a snowball and it will keep its shape. I then give myself a level line from the bathroom floor around the back side of the shower and again to the bathroom floor. Set your drain below the level line by the recommended amount listed above. Step 5 - Install a layer of 30 pound felt over the sub-floor of the shower to keep the sand mix away from the floor and to give one last layer of defense against water. Take the sand mix and lay it in starting on your level line in the back, packing it tightly to give yourself a firm ridge to glide your straight edge along. Then go from the top of your ridge to the bottom of your drain cover with the sand mix, using a hand trowel and straight edge to insure a straight and smooth slope for proper drainage. Let the base cure. Step 6 - I use the Schluter System for the water/vapor proofing (this is the orange membrane that you may have seen on the TV home renovation shows). This product has revolutionized the tile industry (and no I'm not associated in any way with this company, it's just that much better). Since Schluter, there have been other similar products like it. The differences are many, compared to the old traditional ways of flash panning a shower base but we will leave that for another time.

5 5 of 6 3/30/ :08 AM Stay up to date with SHD Follow us on: facebook linkedin blogger You can also contact us by Step 7 - The "Kerdi" membrane is laid over the sand bed by spreading a thin set mortar over the sand base with a 1/8" trowel. Then cut and fit the membrane over the drain and 3" up the wall on all sides. Schluter makes an inside and outside corner for convenience or you can gift wrap the corners. Press the membrane into the mortar with a hand trowel and pick up one corner to make sure you get a good coverage between the membrane and the sand bed. Use a wet-mortar mix for this application because of the absorption rate of the sand mix. Cut out the hole in the drain insuring a 2" overlap on the drain. website Step 8 - Next install the "Kerdi" membrane over the wall of the shower to be tiled as you would wall paper, using a 1/8" trowel and unmodified mortar. Insure a 2" overlay on the base and wall membrane and anywhere a joint is made. Let dry and tile over the top of the membrane as you would in any other application. This system is a complete water and moisture barrier that stops the water at the surface before it is allowed to go into the walls and floor as traditional methods would. We hope you found Keith's process to be helpful. A big "thank you" goes out to Keith for his contribution to our newsletter. SOME OTHER THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: Best wishes for a blessed Easter! And 1.Who will be using the shower region? 2. What assistive devices will be used (i.e. wheelchair, shower bench, etc.) 3. The functional status of the client. 4. Always have a 1/2" beveled or 1/4" squared maximum high threshold from the bathroom into the shower region. Well, for now that s it. Be well and be safe. Scott A. Anderle, PT, CAPS Day From Scott and Vicki

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