Shower flooring advice

[SandyMK]

Hi! We are excited that we were able to find a small ranch a half mile from our house for my son, who was diagnosed in January at age 40. We’re in the process of renovating it to accommodate his needs, and we’re trying to save money wherever possible.

We removed the old carpeting from the whole house, and will have vinyl plank flooring glued down throughout. We are looking for a zero entry shower, but the Freedom showers are very expensive! I saw pictures of one bathroom remodel here that looked like it had vinyl plank floor in the shower area. Is that possible?

Tile installation is also expensive. Has anyone used other wall covering?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[lgelb]

Hi, Sandy, since you can install grab bars (if that's the initial plan) even even on very cheap wall covering (like the glue-in acrylic kits at Home Depot/Lowe's), agree that tile is not needed. Only caveat would be if it's a super tight fit and the shower chair is banging into the wall, that could leave scratches. But of course you would try to leave ample room for the comfort of the user who doesn't want to be banged, anyway.

Flooring, you just want easy cleaning and enough traction for the shower chair and durability if you're going to bring a Hoyer in. Not knowing what your underfloor is, most bathroom options should work. Since many PALS get cold in the shower, I would also look at what materials retain heat and what sources of heat you will be able to use once he is getting dried off -- like maybe leave enough sink or counter space for a portable heater if it's safe.

Anything that's a packaged offering can be more expensive and with fewer options than checking with a local contractor (Google ADA or handicap bathroom contractor and check with your networks) And it's questionable whether you would want something with a bench anyway, given progression time. I wouldn't.

Best,
Laurie