[steveoneal]

Yes, I know this sounds ambitious.

The shower wall is a piece of 1/4" thick tempered glass 6' wide x 7' high. It is very well supported from behind and backlit so light comes through from inside the wall.

And advice would be appreciated for both adhesion and waterproofing ideas.

Thank You,

Steve O

 

[steveoneal]

Grout & Enhancer/Sealer for Onyx Tile 1x2s adhered to a Glass Shower Wall?

Thank You folks for the advice. A few more questions if you have the time. I know we are pioneering here.

It seems we have found a way to adhere the onyx pieces to the glass wall with 100% silicone (see below - I'll post our test findings) and now are turning to grout. Because it is partially translucent for back-lighting we would like to use Bostik's Urethane Grout Dimension Product (Diamond color).

Questions:

1) The onyx is not polished so we would like to use an enhancer/sealer. Bostik says use a waterbased sealer for the stone, but the local tile shop says use solvent based would be better. Any opinions and product recommendations?

2) Our preliminary plan is to:
-- Adhere the onyx to the glass with the silicone - wait for it to cure.
-- Then seal/enhance the onyx with a enhancer/sealer.
-- Then use the Dimension grout - wait for it to cure.
-- Then seal/enhance the onyx (and now the grout) 1 or 2 more times per the tile shops' advice.

Any timing recommendations (we can wait as long as needed)?

What am I missing or not asking about?

Dimension says no need to seal grout, but it is the onyx we're concerned about sealing?

I know this is a complicated post - thank you in advance!

Steve

As an fyi - we set up a test on a extra piece of 3' x 5' piece of glass trying 10 different types of 100% silicone adhesive products. After giving them 5 days to cure, we put the glass out in the sun where it sits in direct sunlight, major temp changes, and so far two rain and wind storms. I'll post results for all.

 

[Blondesense]

You are right, you are going into new territory here. I suspect that is why people are not participating in this thread.

First of all, stack up as much tile as you are going to need for this project, then throw a bag of grout on top. Then try to pick it all up. Keep in mind you are going to have this much weight hanging on glass next to your nekkid body as you shower.

I have no idea if this is safe or not, but this would be my main concern.

Other than that, I think this is a cool idea and have been thinking of doing something similar, in a smaller scale, with stained glass pieces.


Edited to add:
Does this need to go on the wet side of the glass? If you put it on the dry side, waterproofing is no longer an issue and cleaning it will be easier. Which side will be more visible?
Have you ever tiled on a vertical surface? If you proceed with this, you may have problems with the tile either sliding down, or the silicone just not getting a quick enough hold on the vertical glass surface. If necessary, consider how you will hold the tile in place while it cures.