Hello all,
I need your help with this. I understand I may receive as many different opinions as I have already received but I need to know what is considered best practice when it comes to installing an acrylic shower pan vs. a tile job. Hoping I can gather some consensus for each method.
I am not doing the work but I am having a fiberglass shower stall (approx 36″ x 36″) replaced with tile. Different contractors extol the virtues of an acrylic base while others a tile base.
I have not decided on the exact wall tile but I am leaning towards a simple yet elegant marble 12″ x 12″. Some have said the off-set drain in the current application will be moved to the center and and that there is no guarantee that the connection will be leak proof if I use an acrylic pan. Are all the drains in acrylic pans in the center? Other have said that an acrylic pan with tile will present flex and eventually the grout will crack where the tile meets the pan. Others have said why use an acrylic pan with marble. You lose the elegance. I think that is more of personal taste than a construction issue.
I don’t mind the acrylic nor do I mind tile but I need to feel comfortable with the information presented to me for each case. Thank you all in advance.
Replies
The acrylic base is a budget choice. Nothing wrong with it, but if you're going for stone on the walls I would go with stone on the floor too. You would want smaller tiles on the floor though, 2x2 is a good size, 1x1 even better.
You can find off-center drains. I found one on a google search the other day.
"This is a process, not an event."--Sphere
I've seen a number of showers done with some sort of plastic or composite pan (they look like solid surface counter material to me) and must say I prefer the look to a tile pan. Plus you know they'll be leak free so long as the support is solid so they won't crack.
The main downside I can see is that you're limited to stock sizes, with stock locations for the drain.
You should have very little trouble with either of those types of showers if the installer takes his time and does things properly. For tile, use a rubber or other material membrane over the subfloor and wrap it up onto the studs at least 6". Then use a cementitious board for under tile. Green board drywall is not considered a sound tile backer in a shower. A good plumber should have no trouble extending the drain, and still make it leak-tight. I would stay away from any floor tile that is larger than 4x4 because of the pitch of the shower floor to the drain. Most better tile stores and maufacturers have a 2x2 that will match the larger wall tiles. T%he floor tiles should be set in a bed of mortar that slopes into the drain. As far as the acryllic pan, you most certainly can mix and match, but I think you will want to stay in the white range of tiles with a white pan, and in the beige range with a bone couloured pan. It might minimise the appearance of the difference.
The guys leaning towards the acrylic pan likely do not know how to, or do not know a good tile setter capable of doing a decent mud base tile floor.
It is an art. if you have it done, educate yourself fully and make sure that the tile guy is confident in his abilities. You may consider looking at John Bridge Forum (http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php) to gain more info on tile showers.
There is also a reatively "new" design for bases using products from Schluter. Schluter-Systems
The size of your base lends itself VERY well to the Schluter System.
I do not understand why you would have an offset drain in a square shower, and understand less why moving it would cause your contractor to tell you that he could not ensure a leakproof connection. I would NOT use this guy to do anywork on your home.
As for the acrylic bases, they last and are easy to clean. Properly installed there should be no flex or give as has been suggested to you. You may find that there is a difference in the expansion and contraction rates between the tile walls and the base thus causing the need for a flexible joint where the tile meets the acrylic base.
Best wishes.
Eric
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The Schluter sytem is great. A properly installed and maintained tile base will still look great many, many, years after an acrylic base has become dingy and beat up looking.
Its been a couple of years ago, but I've done two using a product that is sortof halfway between the acrylic version, and the mud-and-tile job.
Its a 'cultured marble' base, with pre-set tiles in your choice of colors -- even colors to match your walls.
It was from a company called Laurel Marble and Tile, somewher in Georgia IIRC.
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