Removed the old plastic shower grate on Tangleberry, and made a new one from teak slats obtained from Island Teak on Vancouver Island. They were reasonable in price and it was a pretty easy job.
Step one was making a paper or cardboard pattern of the shape. The shower pan in Tangleberry is five-sided and no two sides are parallel so this is perhaps as bad as it gets. I counted the number of strips I would need and cross bracing to hold them together and placed an order, which was shipped and delivered within a few days.
I assembled the untrimmed teak strips with stainless steel screws from the bottom. This is where great care is required. Select a screw length which goes no more than half way into the strips. Because the two main sides were not quite parallel I adjusted the spacing of the strips in a fan shape to avoid having one wedge shaped strip. You would never notice it unless pointed out.
Once screwed together, I cut the ends of the strips according to my pattern using a hand saw then test fitted it in place. A little sanding with an orbital sander rounded off the edges and gave a finished look.
To get and preserve a rich teak finish, I recommend Cetol Natural Teak. It seals the surface. Indoors out of the weather two coats will last a very long time.
