Hi Flite

The pedestal that the head is mounted on was loose and very unsightly. Several attempts to reinforce it with screws had not done the job. It was decided to remove the entire structure and rebuild it.

The floor is raised four inches and the head is mounted on a two inch pedestal.  It was made of plywood with a Formica type of covering. The rest of the floor in the head is covered with a teak grate over a fiberglass drip pan.

When I started to take it apart the whole pedestal fell apart due to the plywood being wet for so long.

I tore out the entire structure leaving some of the framing along the back wall.

I framed it in using 3/4 inch exterior grade plywood with two coats of West System epoxy. I also reused some of the plywood that was salvageable from the tear out. I also added a center support directly under the head to make it stronger. The head was originally wired for an electric head and I chose to leave the wiring in place. I also decided to raise the entire surface and eliminate the pedestal.

We debated what material to use for the front and top.  We wanted something that would be easy to keep clean, would not stain, absorb liquids, and not rot. We decided on Starboard Marine Lumber from Taco Marine (www.tacomarine.com). It is a polymer board available in a variety of sizes, colors and several thicknesses. We were able to use a piece 24' X 27" x 1/2". The front has a slight bend to it and the material was easy to curve without having to have a seam.

After drilling holes for the hoses and the bolts I rounded the front edge with a router. The head was mounted to the top and it was dropped into place. Stainless steel screws were used to hold the front and top to the frame as well as stainless steel bolts and oversize washers to secure the head.

The project was finished off by replacing the pump to eliminate leaks that had caused the problem.  We seriously considered installing access ports to utilize the space underneath for storage but chose not to in the end.