Azek toilet partitions?

[gburnet]

We have been asked to rehab 2 bathrooms for Unity Temple in Oak Park. Part of the rehab includes installing phenolic toilet partitions. After checking out a couple manufacturers, I'm not very impressed. They seem very industrial, & not too attractive.

After thinking about it, I came up with the idea of possibly building our own partitions out of Azek. This would allow us the flexibility to customize the patitions, possibly with recessed panels, to match other elements of the building, an idea the Trustees like.

Has anyone used Azek for something like this? Are there any concerns I should be aware of regarding mold, bacteria, etc? Thanks for any input/advice.

Greg

[Gary Katz]

You're not talking about THE Unity Temple are you? If so, I'm sure that Azek would be great for what you have in mind, but aren't there any historic precendents/details you have to follow? If it IS the FLW church, I can't imagine raised panels, also, if it is, I think that's one bathroom I wouldn't mind working in.
Gary

[gburnet]

Yep, THE Unity Temple.

I guess I should be more clear, though. The bathrooms are in the basement, & were added (I think) in the '50's. They don't fit the style of Wright's work at all, & the congregation wants them to fit in better.

I was thinking of doing flat, recessed panels on the walls & doors of these stalls, in a mission style. The archy has spec'd phenolic partitions, but as I said, I don't think they complement the building at all, which is why I'd like to build something, taking cues from other areas.

What do you suupose FLW would do? ;)

Gary, if you're doing JLC Live in Chicago, by all means check out the Temple. It's undergone a major renovation, & is a great building to explore. It sits in the heart of Oak Park, so there's plenty of other great architecture to see, if you haven't already.

[Gary Katz]

Greg,
Wow.
I'd be happy to work in that bathroom.
Yes, I'd love to visit the Temple. I'll be doing a tour of the Robbie House with a JLC group the afternoon of the All-Day Seminar (the day before the show floor opens). I don't think I'll have time to visit that day, but I'll be in Chicago that whole weekend, as I'm doing a show at Evanston Lumber on Monday. Maybe I can get back to Oak Park and visit the Temple on Saturday.

My only question about the Azek is the white color. I'm sure you wouldn't want to paint the dividers if they're made form Azek--why have the maintenance issue? But you'll know if that plastic white color can work or not from having seen the bathroom. Maybe so, huh?

Yes, you could do some flat panel dividers with that stuff very easily. And it would last a long time.
Gary

[Dancing Dan]

Except the stuff stinks! Maybe not an issue in a bathroom, huh?

[gburnet]

Dan, believe me when I tell you it would be an improvement over how they currently smell! (The exhaust fan repair is on the list).

[billfromill]

Greg-

I've been through the UT several times, also the FLW house walk. It's an awsome space, although I haven't seen the most recent improvements. Great paint color in the worship area.

I do recall some ill fitting "updates", so I know what you mean about the bathrooms. The partitions that were spec'd are pretty ugly, but mold and vandal resistant. How about building the partitions you mentioned, but then giving them a coat of epoxy paint? Just an idea.

-Bill

[gburnet]

Bill, that's kind of what I was leaning towards. I was thinking about building the partitions & then sending them to an auto body shop to get sprayed with some good quality paint, like Imron.

Gary, I know what you mean about the issue with the maintenance of paint, but I'm wondering how well raw Azek will fair in this type of application. I'm hoping that by using a premium paint, it'll be easier to clean these things. Plus, then we have the option to use some color other than white, & have them blend in better.

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Greg

[jwork101]

Greg-
Being from the Chicagoland area & a FLW fan... I can't beleive you're getting the oppurtunity to work on the Unity Temple! Good luck with the project, Azek seems like a fine choice, but I would think a more natural / organic product would be in order..... what about a stone/synethetic product or natural wood with a real good finish on it?
Show us some pictures when you're done! The Temple is one of my favorite FLW houses for the interior trim!
-J

[gburnet]

I agree it's a great opportunity. We're fortunate to do work on a lot of vintage buildings in the Oak Park area, but this should be a really unique project, assuming we get it. There's 1 other contractor looking at it, but we have a good relationship with one of the trustees overseeing the job, so I think we have an excellent shot.

The trustee asked for advice from us regarding some of the details, which is what prompted me to rethink the partitions. I'm hoping we can wow the Board with our ideas, which should give us an edge.

As far as the materials for the partitions, I was going for something that'll be durable, & not require much maintenance. I'd love to use something like quartersawn oak, but being that these are public restrooms, I'm worried about vandalism, graffiti, etc. I like the idea of a stone look. I'll have to check into that.

I'll try to post pictures, both before & after, if we get the job. I still owe Gary pics of the Festool setup in operation, so I'll work on all this when I get a breather.

Thanks, all.

Greg

[Foxman]

Corian comes in lots of colors and you could make a nice prairie style inlay....for a price.

[Msloggatt]

Check with Azek --- They make other plastic sheets that are better suited to your needs as a bath partition - When you rout the PVC you open the cellular structure ..
A denser plastic may be better suited ... Imron paint is NG -- You need 100 percent aacrylic on azek

Mike Sloggatt

[gburnet]

Mike, thanks for the heads-up about the paint.

I was aware about opening the cells, thanks to your Azek workshop at JLC Live. That's one of the benefits of using flat panels; I figured there wouldn't be any "edge grain", other than on the stiles & rails, & that would be limited to about 1/4" in thickness.

Wasn't aware about other products from Azek... I'll check that out as well.

[gburnet]

Figured I'd update this, & let those who've asked know what's happening.

We got word late last night that we were awarded the contract for the bathrooms. Looks like work will start sometime in mid or late October, depending on lead time on materials & permits (Oak Park can be notorious for taking their time on issuing permits, especially on historic buildings).

As of now, it looks like we'll be using stock partitions. There's been talk of possibly dressing them up with some type of applied mouldings, laser cut grilles, or ?. There are still some other details to figure out, & selections to be made regarding finishes, colors, tile, etc.

We did a formal presentation to the Building & Grounds committee of U.T. yesterday evening. It included the plan our designer came up with, along with our budgets (base version & custom version), CAD renderings of the new space,finish options, recommendations, etc.

My wife, Sue, has become pretty good with Chief Architect, & she did the CAD drawings, using ideas our designer came up with. She spent quite a bit of time worrying about details, & I think that helped land the job. Also, our designer, Joseph Gali, came up with some excellent ideas, incorporating details from the building into the cabinetry & accessories. I owe a big thank you to both of them, as well as everyone here who offered advice on the partitions.

I'll work on getting pics. posted, & see if I can post some of the drawings once they're approved.

Greg

[dave_k]

You can use anything for the partitions. I've done nice ones in Birch, maple and cherry for high end offices and I've seen them done in stone and solid surfacing. The key is getting mounting hardware that works with whatever you use.

The simplest solution is to start with the mounting brackets, door hardware etc. and work backwards from there. Worst case scenario and by far the most expensive way of doing this is to have a custom stainless shop fab up your mounting brackets, base protection etc. There is always a solution for door hardware it might take a little bit of looking though.