LED vertical channels in shower

[Rdwyer1969]

Hello all.
We're doing a master bath right now and I'd like to put some LEDs running vertically in a waterproof channel to really create a clean and modern aesthetic. I have a couple of questions though...

If the aluminum channel is embedded within the tile, is it likely that the grout around it will crack over time due to the heating and cooling differences between the surrounding tile and the aluminum?

Once installed, if the LED strip itself were to fail, do the waterproof LED channels allow access to the strip from the front? I ask because i will not have access from the back once the tile goes up.

Thanks for any help.

--Rick

 

[jabe1]

That is more of a grout question. Traditional grout will crack and shrink; vinyl grouts will not. Talk with your tile guy.
thete are many applications that call for aluminum edging, or drains etc in tile work, most contractors know how to deal with them.

 

[DIWdiver]

We would of course have to see the specific channel you are talking about, but I would bet that any channel with a removable part in front would not be sufficiently waterproof for a shower application.

We have a glass walled shower. There are three sections - two fixed and a swinging door in the middle. The fixed pieces are set in an aluminum channel. The channel was filled partway with silicone before the panel was dropped in, forcing the silicone out and providing a perfect, permanent seal, right? How long do you think it was before there was mildew all the way down to the bottom of the channel? Only a few years.

That was a permanent seal done by a professional installer. Now how do you think a removable seal is going to work? Unless it's guaranteed by a reputable manufacturer, I would never permanently embed such a thing in my expensive shower wall.

I would think that a better solution would be to have the tile installer leave a channel, and then after all the grout is dry, install the LEDs using caulk instead of grout. That way when (not if) they fail, you can cut them out and replace them. Or, in a few years when better strips are available, out with the old, and in with the new!