It’s a bit like asking ‘how long is a piece of string’… and it’s a tough one to answer, considering we don’t know your skill set…
What we can tell you, is that approximately 20% of our products are sold as a ‘DIY’ option. We provide a comprehensive guide with step by step instructions and images, to make the process as clear as possible.
Because every single Showerdome® shower top is cut to fit your exact shower measurements at the time of installation – you will be required to trim the oversize blank to size, drill the locating holes, and affix the support rails to the wall or liner with silicon adhesive.
Showerdome® shower tops are made from a high grade acrylic called plexi-glass, so if you’re confident cutting and drilling this type of product – it should be a doddle for you. If not, you may want to consider your options more carefully.
The best piece of advice we can give you if you opt for a DIY install is to TAKE YOUR TIME. Read the instructions thoroughly and make sure you’ve got the appropriate tools required to do the job effectively.
WARM IT UP
Plexi-glass is more brittle when the temperature is low, so if you’re doing your install in the middle of winter – it will pay to try and warm the product up as much as possible before commencing. We recommend sitting your Showerdome® shower top in the sun (if there is any!), near an oil heater, or in the warmest part of the house before commencing your cuts. This will give the product slightly more flexibility, and you a little more mercy!
MAKE A TEMPLATE
Another good piece of advice is to use the large flat cardboard packaging to make yourself a template of your shower shape & size. This allows you to work out any of the tricky angles before working on the real deal.
SUPPORT THE OFF-CUT
Once you’re cutting the acrylic, it is imperative that you support the piece of material that you are cutting away, and don’t just leave it hanging down as you complete the cut. By leaving it hanging as you go, it will put strain on the main Showerdome® shower top, and this is how you create the small feather like cracks along the cut line.
If any of these tips have made you nervous and scared you off – don’t despair. We have a nationwide network of independent installers who can fit your Showerdome® shower top with ease. Many of them would have install numbers running into the thousands, so the experience is most definitely there, and they will guarantee their workmanship.
A professional installation takes approximately 90 minutes, and costs around $150 GST incl.
For anyone who is sitting on the fence about whether to do the install themselves, or pay someone else – we say this… If the installer breaks the Showerdome during install – they own it. If you break the Showerdome during install – you own it. It’s a pretty expensive mistake to make, and when you consider the install fee is only half the cost of the actual product itself – I know what option I’d be taking. A cup of tea and a couple of catch up episodes of Coro while someone else does the hard yards.
Regardless of whether you opt for the DIY, or the professional installer – your Showerdome® shower top comes with a Lifetime Guarantee to remain crystal clear once activated at www.showerdome.co.nz/registration
