Well, it’s not mud-bed (at least not the walls), and it’s not Schluter/Kerdi – So it’s in the middle.
Started with this. Taking the advice of a famous person here, to “embrace the suck”, I did not level the old 1×6 subfloor in the shower area – I simply placed the drain at the lowest point – worked out well
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Drain located here – won’t stand on it under the spray
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Covered the old 1×6 subfloor with 3/16″ luan for a smooth surface; mounted the subdrain –
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Built the curb structure
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40 mil PVC liner; corners folded like so – no joints below the curb level
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Mounting the subdrain –
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Compression ring clamps down on the pan liner –
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Important to then strip the stubs 1/8″ out, so the rockboard won’t bulge in over the PVC pan liner –
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Layered on #15 tar paper –
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PVC wraps over curb –
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1/2″ Hardibacker screwed to studs; no screws closer than ~8″ to pan. Joints covered with fiberglas mesh tape – the only thing it’s good for, IMHO. I don’t thinset the tape at this point – it always leaves a hump. i do it as I set the tile –View Image
Here’s the curb. Hardi embedded in adhesive and some 4p ribbed nails up high, through the adhesive. You can see the slope of the pan, down to the right –
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I’ll place the concrete for the shower floor tomorrow.
Forrest
Edited 6/28/2007 8:17 pm by McDesign
Replies
Looks good.
I always notch the bottom of the studs and double notch at the corners for the liner overlap/ buid-up. You may have done so, could not tell from the pics.
Chuck S
...%
Concrete floor in today - then unscrewed top of subdrain asembly. Note the pebbles around the weep holes at the bottom. Michael Byrne (tile god) says do this to keep mud out.
Used wood strips around edges to establish plane, struck it off, then removed wood and filled slots left behind. Never done a shower without a centered drain, but the situation here called for this placement, so we'll see!
It's been mag floated a second after the water rose, just now - I'll go back tonight and steel trowel it to pack the fines.
Meanwhile, I'll sit here on BT and enjoy my Friday night
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Forrest
Edited 6/29/2007 5:07 pm by McDesign
Looks good. I'd be interested to see how well it drains, never done one in a location like that.
You use a very wet mix for your mud pack.
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You may wish to try wire mesh for your curb next time. When the floor is done just set a form inside, keep the cbu high on the outside and fill it up with mud mixed a little looser (in my case).
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Be sure to post pics of the finish.
Eric
[email protected]
Edited 6/29/2007 5:32 pm ET by EricPaulson
Edited 6/29/2007 5:32 pm ET by EricPaulson
Edited 6/29/2007 5:33 pm ET by EricPaulson
Hmmm! Interesting curb detail.
Really wet in the pic 'cuz I just struck it off. Mix was pretty dry - dumped a bucket upside down, went and got another; still a bucket shape when I got back.
I'll pick up the tile tomorrow; hope to get to tiling the walls, but I've got all the honey-dos I've put off while the family was gone; they're back Monday.
Forrest - doin' laundry and vacuuming!
Edit - I see you've thinset your joint tape already - any tips to getting it to not hump?
Edited 6/29/2007 5:42 pm by McDesign
Edit - I see you've thinset your joint tape already - any tips to getting it to not hump?
I use the blue tape when I can find it. It's nice and heavy. I stick it on, then thinset over it with a loose mix using a six inch taping knife.
The smallish hump should not be a problem if you use the right notch trowel to install the tile. I have several 1/4" notch trowels in various states of wear that offer me a variety of depths when I spread thinset on the substrate.
[email protected]
Edited 6/29/2007 6:00 pm ET by EricPaulson
Edited 6/29/2007 6:01 pm ET by EricPaulson
Edited 6/29/2007 6:02 pm ET by EricPaulson
Gorgeous work!
Forrest
Thanks, looking forward to seeing yours.[email protected]
Forrest,
What kind of mix do you use for your mud bed?
My current project is a bathroom renovation with a custom 4' x 4' shower. Been there 2 weeks with long days trying to get the HO her bathroom back.Hope to be done by Mon. or Tues. ; if I work tomorrow.
dug
I just use the fiber-reinforced Sakrete - red bags at Home Despot. Quick and easy. Fiber's supposed to help when the slab is less than 4" thick.
Forrest
Forrest
Forrest,
Never tried that. I've always mixed portland and sand.
What thinset do you like to use. I've been using Mapei Ultra-lite on wall tiles. Kinda pricey; bout 28.00 at Lowes, but man does this stuff stick.
dug
I'm not sure of the name, but it must be HD's equivalent, 'cuz it's also $28.
That tile shower I did last weekend (2x2 on a grid) I COULD NOT get good results with the $8 thinset the HO picked up. Scraped the first wall off and started again - the slight shifting around to align all the little tiles seemed to break the sandy bond.
Love the stickiness of the $28 stuff - makes me confident on walls with lots of small tiles that I can't just stack up on the locating bumps.
Forrest
Just curious...did you pre-slope underneath that mud bed? Or is there a membrane going on top of the mud?
Matt
The existing room sub-floor was sloped - you can see it in the pic of the installed Hardi-board relative to the floor pan. It was almost exactly 1/4" / ft, so I just used it!
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Forrest
Edited 7/3/2007 5:31 pm by McDesign
I see! Very clever!
U done yet? Lemme see some pictures!
dug
Almost set all the tile today - a few left. Finish pix tomorrow. Or Sunday. or Monday.
Forrest - unsure