HI this is Ben,
I would appreciate any imformation on cultured marble.
I have the cultued marble please give advice on information to help me install it.
I am a novice anything anyone one knows about this application please respond ASSP.
I am making a tub surround for shower walls. I want to glue it to luaun. what kind of glue? what size notches in the trowell? What do I cut it with? After gluing to wall, do I need to keep pressure against it ? for how long? Etc.
Thanks, Ben
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Replies
In a bath, glueing it to plywood does not sound like
a good idea. I would put it on tile backer board (durock).
It's too heavy to mount on greenboard.
You don't say how big the sheets are - tiles or larger?
You need to cut it with a wet saw. Diamond blade. You
can attach it with epoxy or thinset. You have to hold it
in place (with shims and wood jacks) until the adhesive sets.
24 hours is about right.
This is not a good starter project for a novice. I suggest
you get some help.
Lots of questions.........not enough details to give a concise set of answers!!!!!!
First you should read the manufacturer's spec sheet on installation. It will provide you with the correct details. If you have no such directions..........go back to the seller, or to any other supplier of cultured marble and ask for an installation guide.
I would not install on luan.
You sure picked a dandy project as a novice to start the learning curve. Errors will curve right into your wallet.......$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ big time.
Cut the c/m outside, wear a good mask, ear & eye protection.
A good diamond blade will do the job.
Good luck..................................Iron Helix
What you really need is a professional. At least call the manufactor , and ask for data sheets, advice , etc. You are over your head . Call a lifegard. We usually dont say this, but your case is extreme. Get help.
Tim Mooney
Thanks all. When I Said I am a novice, I meant with this product. I am a 76 yr. old retired mason. My father was a skilled frame and finish carpenter. My daughter has a degree in archetecture and a masters in landscape archetecture and teaches at the U. of Ill. in Champaign. I never hired a carpenter to do any of my own work except on the last home my wife and I built for our ourselves. I was past 70, it is a 2 story, so some carpenter friends helped me.
The tub surrounds are usually made 5' hx 5' or 6' long [tub length], the end pcs. are 32" x 5' h. I ordered ours just 50" h. It is 3/8" thick. The maker gives no instructions,assuming that pro. subs will install it. I rebuilt a bathroom over 20 yrs. ago and installed this same material directly over new sheetrock. No Durok or Hardiboard then, and this was the way pros did it then, too. A friend lives in the house now and the bath is still fine. I can't remember anything about the glue,or the size notches in the trowell. The salesman said I could buy glue at Home Depot. A water based glue says not to use on luaun, an oil based one says o.k. on ext. grade plywood. No specific mention of luaun, but isn't luaun rated for ext. use? It used to be. It was considered as good as marine ply. at one time. The reason I'm hung up on this luaun is that I installed this tub against sheetrock walls and need to fur out past the lip on a fibreglass tub. I already have the long wall covered w/1/4" luaun, glued and nailed in place. My thinking was that it was superior to shetrock or pine ply. Thanx, Ben
Just to make sure we are talking about the same product - This cultured marble you have, is it of similar make up as the one piece molded vanity tops?
If it is, don't sweat it.
It will cut just fine with a carbide blade in a circular saw. A fine tooth blade would be recomended if you are trying to take off small or precise amounts. A belt sander or disc grinder with a course belt will work making for final fits.
Your luane is fine (Although luane is made in both exterior and interior grades-The primary differance is the glue used in manufacture)
Most generally, silicone caulk is the adhesive that will be recomended, if they recomend anything at all.
Rather than trowling it, the last manufacturer I delt with wanted quarter sizes dollops about 6-8" on center over the entire area. I also ran a full bead along all edges - with special care around the bottom - so that when i squeezed the panel to the wall, the excess would ooze out.
Prop it up with some furring strips and leave it overnight.
Terry
Installation of cultured marble surrounds is not that difficult. If you are installing a light color,the walls behind the cultured marble should be flat white. Dark colors can show through some light colored marble products.
Use denatured alcohol or something similar to remove dust from the back of the pieces, then apply clear silicone caulk adhesive. Wedge in place with pieces of wood for 24 hours or so until the adhesive dries. Place a clean rag between the marble and the boards to avoid scratches.
Be sure to leave a 1/8" gap where the marble meets in corners and where it rests on the tub edge.
You could also try calling whoever made it for specific info.
Good luck, Barry
It's not the habitat, it's the inhabitants.
Won't you be my neighbor
Your luan ain't what it used to be. What ya buy off the shelf these days ain't the weatherproof stuff you've used in the past.
Go for a 1/4in durorock or similar. I don't know about installing cutlured sheets.....but do know about vanity tops....and they bleed thru bad. That's why silicone is recommended for fixtures instead of plumbers putty.
If thinset seems the way to go.....I'd suggest white. Not sure what mastic would do if the marble is light colored. But ditch the luan. Jeff "That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
Do not use mastic. Use silicone in "dollops" like TLE suggests.
This stuff is easy to work with. Ben, How is the Luan secured to the wall? What is underneath?
Barry
It's not the habitat, it's the inhabitants.
Won't you be my neighbor
Hello there. I worked in a cultured marble manufacturing plant for 5 years and did both the manufaturing and the installation. If it is cultured marble and not "onyx" that you are dealing with then the colour of backing substrate does not need to be light as it will not show through. We used PL 200 adhesive and ran it in a large "s" shaped pattern on the substrate and stuck the marble up against it. 2 of the large size, 800mm tubes would be enough for your entire surround.
For the best results in cutting it we put a masonry plade in a circular saw. If you hold saw firmly and run it backwards it keeps your cut line clearer from dust but the saw can kick back so running saw in normal direction is the safer option. Wear some sort of dust mask as there are known carcinogens in cultured marble. I used to wedge it in place with several spring loaded shower curtain rods but any wedging system will work as long as you don't apply any more pressure than is nessary to avoid cracking the marble. Luan will work fine as long as the siliconed joints between marble panels are sound. We used drywall and have never had problems, the panels themsleves are impervious to moisture so it is only the seams that could be potential problem areas. Hope this helps, Jas.
Ben,
I remodel 10 to 15 bathrooms a year (since 1987) using cultured marble almost exclusively on tub surrounds, shower stalls, vanity tops, and toilet surrounds (yeah, toilet surrounds).
Since we are limited here to the amount of pics we can post, I will refrain from posting the many pics of my work. If you want to see some, e-mail me and I'll send some to ya that way. To e-mail me, just click on my name at the top of this post. When you click on my name, a box will open up. In this box is a smaller box that says "Send E-mail" Click on that and you're ready to write out a message to me.
I will also send ya some detail pics of how to do the area at the outside corners of the tub, down to the floor. This is an area that requires some detail if ya want to get it right, and seal it properly.
I personally use one of three different types of "adhesive" to glue marble panels with. It depends on the size of the panels or pieces, the type of substrate it is being applied to, and where the pieces or panels are to be installed (tub versus shower stall versus vanity etc...)
The three types of adhesives I use are
1. Thinset mortar
2. Bondo (white in color, and I buy it from the cultured marble manufacturer here)
3. Lexell Super Clear Adhesive/Sealant. I use this stuff versus silicone sealants or construction adhesives for a reason.
I could probably write a book on installation of this stuff. Because of this, and the fact that I tend to get carried away in the exchange of information, I will have to come back later (if anybody is actually interested) and finish this post. I gotta go to work now.
James DuHamel
J & M Home Maintenance Service