The shower enclosure has two interchanging 3-foot side walls and a 4-foot back wall. The directions recommended that installing the walls was a two-person job. However, a Youtube how-to video showed one guy hauling around the walls without a problem.
I had moved all the walls to the spare bedroom upstairs. It was recommended to leave the plastic on the walls to prevent them from getting damaged. I removed the box from the 4-foot wall and moved it to the master bedroom for the installation. The walls had connectors that would lock the edges together. It was one of the reasons we purchased this shower enclosure. There was no corner strip to install that would give it a retrofit look. I still would need to apply silicone caulk in the joint, but it would not be that noticeable. I installed the locking clips and the wall was prepped.
The back wall of the shower was already furred out. Since I needed less than 2 inches. I notched the top and bottom of each stud and screwed the studs to the top and bottom plates. The studs were plumb and ready for the shower wall.
Even though the wall was not heavy, it was difficult to grab onto it. I slid it towards the shower opening and picked it up from the top. I placed the wall against the studs and put a couple of screws on top. The wall fit well. The corners were plumb. I did not notice the wall was bowed out in the middle
I went to grab the 2 side walls to dry fit the enclosure. I installed the other part of the wall connectors on each wall. I grabbed the back side wall and lifted it up tight against the back wall. I pushed down from the top and the wall locked into place. I put a few screws in and checked for plumb and squareness. The walls were not square. I placed my framing square against the two walls in the corner, the walls were less than 90 degrees. Were my studs not square? I know they were plumb.
I needed to remove the walls to check out the studs. Separating the walls apart was not easy. I got on a step stool and grabbed the top of the back side wall and jerked the wall upward. It took several attempts before it was loose. I took out the walls out of the room. I grabbed my four-foot level and placed it against the back studs. The studs were even and square with the side studded walls. The studs of the side walls were within a half of inch. Maybe I needed to move the back studs on the corners closer to the shower base? I still did not recognize the back shower wall was the problem.
Next, I needed to drill the holes for the shower valve and head for the other side wall. I made multiple checks of my measurements and transferred them to the enclosure wall. I marked on the plastic covering the wall and triple checked the measurements. I went back to the shower valve and verified the measurements again. I was ready to drill out the holes. With my Milwaukee® drill and hole saw, I successfully cut the holes.
Again, I put the walls in place. I had a difficult time locking in the side walls. After numerous exhausting attempts I finally locked them down.
I locked in the front side wall and noticed my holes were off. Not much, and they would be hidden by the covers. I was finally ready to permanently install the walls…tomorrow.