The shower opening is 48 inches. And the walls are tiled. Could I put in a shower door without studs? Would I need to use different type of screws? Would a sliding door be more stable than a swinging door?
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1You're wanting to hang a shower door onto a piece of paper faced gypsum?– quillCommented Dec 2 at 14:06
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stud = hinge or nail or peg or column? im almost sure You not think horse... Do not see why tiles are problem. If not to tiles then maybe rails on celling? or post in middle .– k_zCommented Dec 2 at 14:08
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Please post a photo– Rohit GuptaCommented Dec 2 at 14:37
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3 Answers
I wouldn't mount a swinging door without attaching the frame to a stud. The weight of the door will constantly try to pull the frame from the wall and will succeed without a stud. Even if the frame doesn't totally pull away, it will settle on the bottom track and will be difficult to operate
A sliding door would work. I've installed many two sliding door units without attaching to studs. They usually have a bottom track that has a rail on each side screwed into the walls. Then a top track sits on top of the two wall rails. The weight of the doors is on the top track and is transferred down the wall rails to the bottom track which is mounted on the floor of the shower or edge of the tub. There isn't any lateral loading on the wall rails.
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There are also sliding doors without side rails, or just for sealing, where the weight is borne by the upper brackets. If you are following the second paragraph here, make sure your door is as described - weight on tub.– jay613Commented Dec 2 at 15:07
Most all shower door installation instructions state there must be solid wood at the mounting points for hinges. Custom door installers will not instal a door if there is not wood studs to mount to.
That said, there are mounting options for sliding doors. Particularly if the door is designed with one fixed panel and one sliding panel. In that case the fixed panel carries much of the weight. Mounting hardware is designed by the manufacturer.
Look for a sliding door with a fixed panel. You may be able to mount through the tiled wall, but in no way would I put any faith in just drywall or even cement board for a swinging door.
You need wood in the wall to anchor the door to. If you have access to the wall behind the shower wall in question, you can open it up and put in some blocking at the fastener locations.
(I'm assuming you already have the wall tiled—if not, put in blocking before tiling.)
You might be able to get by without blocking for a sliding door, depending on your anchor system. But no way for a swinging door.
