Has anyone removed bathroom sink and cabinets to turn into full wet shower?

MelanieAllred

Hello T@B 400 Owners,
Has anyone removed bathroom sink and cabinets to turn into full wet shower?  I don't need a sink in the bathroom where there is sink in the kitchen just four feet away.  I need a wet shower that I don't have to pull an ineffective curtain around to stick to me while I'm showering.  
Thank you,
Melanie

Denny16

@MelanieAllred  While the upper storage unit was not removed, our TaB400 came with a factory mod, eliminating the sink, for the sam reasoning you cited.  This is what our washroom looks like without the sink, which gives a lot of extra room in the shower:

When you re,one the sink, you are left with this:

As you can see, the factory covered this section where the sink was supposed to go with a plain sheet of pebble finished plastic like panel that is water proof, and used in residential shower enclosures.  The bump out at the bottom, covered by the shower pan, covers the black tank and plumbing run areas (Black tank wash, outside shower, etc.). So you can not eliminate it.  The plywood strip is the point the blank covering panel would be attached.  So you gain around 4 to 6-inches in the sink area, and less on the upper cubbies, not the entire space to the trailer wall.

The issue with eliminating the shower curtain is going to be a challenge, as the shower pan is installed after the walls, which are finished birch plywood.  You would need to seal the wood with a good clear marine finish, that would seal the wood (not varnish or a home water based finish) with a synthetic polymer finish.
Then you would need to caulk the seam between the wall and the shower pan.

That said, the upper cupboard covers the tank vents, and the exposed wall is the inside of the Azdel side wall, with a inside covering thst is not water proof, so this would need to be covered, which could be done like my washroom was done, with a shower stall panel installed up to the ceiling at the same location, covering the plumbing and vents.  This would need caulking, and screwed on, so it can be removed to service the pipes behind, if an issue came up.
Then you need to do something about the door, which is outside the washroom wall a d would need a weather seal to keep the water inside, and modify the bottom of the door wall to slant inside to drain water back in the shower pan.

We discovered a better solution to prevent the clinging shower curtain.  Whilst showering, shut the ceiling fan vent, so it blows air down at you.  We also added some magnets to weight the bottom of the curtain, so it hangs straight down better.  The fan blowing down, pushes the shower curtain against the walls, no clinging on you.  After the shower, witch the fan to exhaust (opening the vents) and five minutes or so later, after moisture is gone, switch fan back to blowing down to dry the shower curtain, another five minutes or so, then put it away.

Sounds complicated, but actually easy to do, and the curtain keeps the water off the walls, and into the shower pan.  The upper cubbies are nice, to hold towels and shampoo, etc.  and is above your shoulder height, so the few inches you would gain my eliminating them would not be worth the work.  You could reduce how far the protrude into the space and make just slightly proud of the blank wall covering.
cheers

VictoriaP

As Denny notes, the walls & door are not waterproof, and there are a lot of other components hiding within the cabinet area that would need to be dealt with. Honestly, if a shower curtain is a big enough issue for you that you’re thinking about significantly damaging the trailer’s resale value to fix that problem, you’re probably better off just getting a trailer with a dry bath instead. I get it, we all have different tolerances for annoyances like this, but with all the plumbing and wiring in the cabinet areas and the fact that the entire space would need to be waterproofed, I think this is the kind of mod that really should be skipped in favor of getting one of the many trailers on the market that are better suited for your needs.

Went trailer shopping with a travel nurse friend pre-Covid, and a dry bath was her absolute must-have in what the industry considers a smaller and lighter weight trailer. There were dozens of dry bath models out there that weren’t much heavier than the 400. She had no trouble at all finding one that fit her other criteria and was still towable with her SUV.

ChrisFix

@MelanieAllred
If the shower curtain is sticking to you, then change the fan settings like @Denny16 suggested...makes a huge difference. If the exhaust fan is on and in the 'open' position, it will suck the curtain towards the center and all over you...but if you put it in the 'closed' position, or just turn it off, the curtain stays at the perimeter of the shower and I find works great.
I get that everyone likes what they like. I personally find the factory setup easy to use and really quite nice. For me, not having people spitting into my kitchen sink is more important to me than a few extra inches of shower space gained by removing the bathroom sink.

jimcenname

Been there done that.