*
I am a home owner currently having a shower built with a custom pan by a local contractor. The pan was created by first laying in a sand/cement base, then a waterproof liner and then a layer of sand/cement to form the final contour. The slope of the this final layer from the edge to the drain is one inch per foot. This seems too steep. As I understand it, 1/4″ per foot is the normal slope. Do I have a problem and if so, what can I do about it. No tile has been laid yet.
Also, there is an adjacent dry off area that is only separated by a short distance. There is no physical barrier so minor wetting will occur. They have laid down a mesh and then a red sealant but no backer board was used. Is this acceptable or is a backer board required for stability and waterproofing?
Replies
*
You are correct, the standard slope if 1/4" per foot. In my area a building inspector would not sign off a shower receptor with fall of 1" per foot.
Remedies: 1) tear it out down to the pan liner and start over; 2)apply neat coat, install new mud to correct slope.
Shower receptor without dam sounds ADA compliant. But because you don't mention subfloor construction material it cannot be determined what the build up in preparation of tile should be.
Even so, I wouldn't rely on tile backer board for rigidity or waterproofing.
*Thanks Rich.The subfloor is 3/4" plywood on 16" centers. The red sealant and mesh was laid directly on the plywood. Do you think backer board should be put down over this and then sealed some how or is there another, more appropriate approach?
*I have no clue as to what the red sealant and mesh is. What is the mesh made of? How large is the mesh size? How is the mesh secured to the subfloor?I won't even get into the standard recommended materials and installation methods. Don't want to 2nd guess the tile guy. OTOH; what is he doing?
*Rip it out now. This guy sounds like an idiot.The Tile Standard ANSI standards call for 1/4" per foot. God knows what else he screwed up.You can not fix this. In order to do so, you would have to raise the drain several inches to even out the slope or bust out the permiter. I don't know what you mean about no physical barrier. Do you mean the shower doesn't have a curb? If there is no curb, then the shower membrane needs to continue past the curb onto the floor for 4 feet I think. I would have to check the TCA Handbook to be sure. The detailing here can get complicated.Assuming this is a standard bath, with a shower with curbs, Yes you can tile right over the backboard, and nothing else is needed. The CBU should be attached to the ply with thinset and roofing nails and mudded over with mesh and thinset. I have no idea what red sealant is. Again, this guy sounds like a moron, so I am questioning this.Tile is not waterproof, and some water will soak throught the tiles and the grout. If I were your contractor, I would ask: (1) How often will the shower be used? (e.g., daily?); (2) By whom (kids that spray?); (3) Will you have cotton rugs to absorb the water?; (4) Is this upstairs?; (5) How long will you own the home?Trowel on waterproofing might be necessary. This is a product that is trowled on, a polyester mesh is smuushed into the mastic, and then a second coat is toped over the mess. It dries hard and you can tile over it. The trowel on would go over the backerboard.You have some questions to ask the contractor, and you might want to post your question at a couple tile buliten boardshttp://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1http://www.jlconline.com/cgi-bin/jlconline.storefront/EN/catalog/1136Good luck, and I am sorry you had have a bad experience with this contractor. Tile is a specialty, and not every handyman is competent to do bathrooms with showers.
Thanks for the advice. With some vigorous encouragement, the contractor ripped it all out and started over. I do believe he is doing a good job now that we have come to a certain understanding. The job should be completed in a day or so. Thanks again.
Karl
As Scooter correctly stated, Tile work is a specialty. Unfortunately, there is nobody in our area who is competent to do the most difficult jobs. I would put a custom shower base in this category. We end up doing these ourselves and we are just carpenters. Last year we built a custom base with tiles on two walls adjoining a curved glass block wall. We couldn't find anyone interested in attempting this and so we did it ourselves with acceptable results. We now have a slight problem. There is an array of at least six shower heads and the lady of the house likes to sit in a chair and soak in all shower heads at once. This is like a fire hose on the glass block. Though no leaks can be seen from below (this is on the second floor), a few of the tiles on the curb have popped off. We are going to recaulk the glass block/ curb tile joint and pray for a fix but I will not look forward to redoing work that I did not feel completely competent to do in the first place. It would be even worse if I have to do it for free. At least I'll get rid of that bulge in the wall.