House in Progress Diary

Protecting a Wooden Shower Window...Nautical Solution

With the bathroom starting to come together, this weekend we tackled finding a suitable way to protect the bathroom window above the shower...

The Problem
When we first bought the house, our first floor bathroom had a glass block window. Unfortunately, several of the glass blocks were cracked and were very dangerous. After a lot of thought, we eventually decided on a "two light" frosted window of safety glass. We had the window made and installed by Just Sashes to fit the existing sill (which was a non-standard size).

While the window is a safer and attractive solution as a window, its frame introduces another long-term possibility: wood rot.

We wanted a wood exterior frame so we could stain it to match the existing wood windows. Wood exterior frame meant wood interior frame. Not the best choice for a shower. Our tiling friend, Paul, suggested tiling OVER the sill of the window and as close to the glass as we can get. Sounds good. But there is still some wood to protect.

Our Solution

While any paint (like an exterior weather-resistant latex) would provide some measure of protection, we would like to have something even MORE resistant to mildew, water or steam. Our bathroom fan pulls a ton of air out of the room quickly, quietly and efficiently (it will also stay on up to 60 minutes after someone turns out the light in the bath). So, a lot of moisture will be pulled out by the fan.

But there is still a chance of moisture on the wood....even if the window has a sheer, waterproof curtain to draw across it during showers. So, we decided to turn to the boating industry (specifically ideas for wooden sailboats) for a solution to protect the wood of the window. (In the summer, our family sails on an Ensign Class sailboat originally purchased by Keith, my grandfather. It has a classic hardwood interior and he made its latest set of sails.)

How it Went

We chose some products from West Marine that are suitable for protecting wooden boats ABOVE the waterline. This is an important distinguishing characteristic. We couldn't use paint from BELOW the waterline because it includes chemicals that deal with algae that you wouldn't want in your house.

The primer we chose was Interlux Brightside Primer to help prepare for the wood for the paint and to seal it against moisture.

This white Interlux Brightside One Part Polyurethane paint has some of the benefits of a hard enamel. It also works to seal the wood against moisture and resists mildew as well.

So far, we've put on a coat of the primer and still need to put at least two coats of Polyurethane paint finish on the wood that will be exposed when it is complete (the paint comes in a variety of colors...we chose white). Charlie from West Marine recommended a light sanding between each coat (which you clean up with a tack cloth before going on). This helps even out the paint (which is thick and can only be cleaned up with mineral spirits) and makes the bond stronger.

Tools & Materials We Used

- Blue painter's tape for lining the area to be painted and a straight edge
- Tack cloth
- Paintbrush (thin with a slanted edge)
- Interlux Brightside Primer in white
- Interlux Brightside One Part Polyurethane
- Mineral spirits and a tin for clean up

Other Useful Resources

- Staff at West Marine

Posted by aaron on February 16, 2004 at 11:21 PM