Shower Pan Suggetions

[EddieWalker]

I do somewhere between five to 8 bathroom remodels a year. One or two will be showers, but most are tubs. I use a rubber liner on the floor and spread mud over it to get my slope. On the walls, I really like Hardi.

In my experience, the leaks in showers are almost always at the drain. I find that most of them are brass, and have worked themselves loose with cracking over the years. Nothing to do for it but tear it all out and replace it.

In tubs, it's the edge of the tub where the tile comes together. Most of them have grout in there that has cracked and fallen out. Never grout around the tub, use caulking. White or the color of the grout is the only thing that works.

In every bathroom remodel that I've done, all that was under the tile has been two layers of sheetrock. Nothing else.

While my experience might be unique, I can tell you that the sheetrock is always dry and I've never had a problem with a leak anywhere in the tile. If it's not at the tub, then it's at a window or some homeowner modification.

I don't think grout sealer makes grout water proof, and I know it doesn't do anything for stains. From what I understand, it creates a chemical reaction with the grout to harden it. Don't put on a sealer and your grout will rub away. Add the sealer, wait a few days and it's as hard as the tile. In many cases, it's easier to break the tile then the grout!!!

Eddie

 

[KHNewman]

I used the Tile-Redi in my master bath and it works great. I used the kerdi waterproof membrane on the walls over cement board and used travertine tile over everything.

The only caution with the tile-redi is that it uses a 2 part epoxy grout to bond the tile to the surface. It is incredibly strong but with a short open time so once mixed you need to lay the tile quickly and correctly, it is unforgiving of error and delays.

 

[KHNewman]

sorry the grout isn't epoxy the thinset is epoxy. The grout is any regular grout...

 

[gsganzer]

Gomez,
I did a bath remodel and had a cast cultured marble shower pan built by a local company. The same companies that will do custom cultured countertops and tubs will do shower pans. I don't have the price on-hand, but it was very reasonable, considering the time saved and quality of the product. They came out and measured my shower pan (custom sized 54" x 54") and about a week later delivered and installed the pan. It was mixed to my selected color (Mine is a full color blend, with virtually no swirl) and has a textured finish. It has a fiberglass flange that runs about 6"- 9" up the wall. The wall tiles go over that flange.

I can't imagine using anything else. We have no grout or seams on the floor, everything is properly sloped and the drain connection is simple with no chances of leaks. Leave about a 1/8" to 3/16" gap between the tile and the pan so you allow expansion (customary for anytime a tiled surface meets another surface). Caulk this gap with 100% silicone colored caulk.

I'm planning another bath remodel and will use the exact same thing. It's a huge timesaver and a much superior way of doing a shower pan.