On my current project the specs call for a ‘curbless’ tiled shower. The floor system is 4×6 post and beam construction @ 4′ o.c. with 1 & 1/8 plywood for decking. I am hoping to be able to acheive enough slope for the shower to drain properly through being creative with the tile work as opposed to dropping the shower framing below the floor line of my beams. Follow me? Does anyone have any guidlines to refer to for something like this? The post & beam is done as well as the plumbing rough in. The deck goes down later in the week, so I would still have time to drop this section of the floor, although it would require some slight modifications to the drain. Suggestions?
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Easier to adapt the flooring now then wait till later. Are you doing a mud bed/ or kerdi? The only 2 options I see would be to drop the shower area or raise the entire bathroom floor.
I'm doing a curbless shower now in a remodel with bar joists. The plumbing inspector is requiring a 2" slope because there is no curb. We ended up dropping the shower area to achieve the slope.
"4x6 post and beam construction @ 4' o.c. with 1 & 1/8 plywood for decking."
I could be mistaken, but it sure seems to me that that floor will not adequately support tile.
If no one answers here, try the folks at
http://www.johnbridge.com/
A ton of tile laying experience over there.
Rich Beckman
You are here.
That's a challenging situation if the framing and decking are done. Your designer and/or carpenter should have known better and if it's an after thought then the cost is just part of an education. My guess is you'll need to come up with a way to get at least a few inches of drop. An inspector is going to say it's to provide a cusion to prevent floods when there is a simple water slow down from hair on top of the drain.
From the sounds of your framing, you'll need additional support regardless so I would get used to the idea of pulling up the subfloor and tinkering a bit. Hopefully it will also allow you to get a decent amount of drop, but chances are slim the framing is in exactly the right spot for that. Some creative framing can drop the decking to the top of the 4x6's, but it has to be done well or any joints that move might play heck with the tile.
How far is the shower from the bathroom door?
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
I think Richbeckman has a point about the floor not supporting tile. Maybe someone else can pipe in. The 1 1/3" plywood is plenty strong enough but will have some flex on 4' spacing.
Is the whole floor going to be tiled? Or just the shower area?
It seems that it would be easy at this stage to drop the framing in the shower.
The plywood could be stiffened by gluing and screwing 1x3's on edge under the plywood on 16" centers, but you still have the problem of providing slope to the shower drain.
You could (and probably should) run your membrane well into the rest of the room but this still does not take care of your slope problem. Why not do what is easy now?
thanks for all the input.... look's like the consensus is to drop the floor now, before any sheathing get's installed.... yes, the whole bathroom will be tiled & the shower is about 2' from the door (3'0" pocket). This whole 'curbless' shower thing was just dropped in my lap last friday, luckily it's not too late to create a solution before this even ever technically becomes a problem.... adios...
Interesting picture. Why is it framed that way? What are the posts resting on ... some kind of slab or lower floor?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
The post are sitting on & anchored to concrete piers. This isn't that unusual in this part of the country (pacific NW). How would you normally do a post & beam? lefty 1980
I have no experience in that. Never seen one either. it looked like stub posts on a slab in a warehouse."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
We did one as a retrofit, and just did a mud pan for the whole bathroom. This of course left a big lip at the doorway, but a retrofit in an old house, whadda expect?