Installed the first part of a shower floor today … my first mudbed. After reading here and in Michael Byrne’s book, I used a Custom premixed product, and got it just wet enough to make into lumps. Actually it may have been a little too wet, cuz I could squeeze a little moisture out of the balls.
How in the world do you get that stuff packed down well enough to eliminate the voids? I worked in small areas and tamped it down with a scrap of 2×4.
When I install the cpe liner, do I stick it in place with a layer of mastic?
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell’em “Certainly, I can!” Then get busy and find out how to do it. T. Roosevelt
Replies
If the cpe is what I think it is, you don't use any mastic.
When you cut the cpe for the drain go EZ and cut a small X on the center of the drain. You just don't want to cut more than the inside opening of the flange.
The Cpe then follows the walls 6"-8" above the finish floor and you use 1" -1 1/2 roofing nails to hold it in place. Only few nails on the very top of the cpe.
The corners,you have to fold them with out any cutting . If you want to make it EZier you can remove 1/4" from the face of the corner stud's. 6"-8'.
Good luck.
YCF
Edited 12/6/2004 6:39 pm ET by YCFriend
just lay the membrane in ....
fold as the other post advised ...
for smacking it flat ......ok .. smakcing it even with the preslope ...
I have a wooden trowel with a wooden handle .... than I slam down as hard as I can ... and simply beat the mud into submission.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry in Carpentry
Pgh, PA
I used a 2x with a handle , beat it with a dead blow hammer or a rubber mallet. I put the handle on after I smacked my hand a few to many times.
When you ready to lay the cement or the premix stuff on top of the membrane ,If you want to make your job EZier better and faster on the long run, you can..
A.make sure your drain is at list 3/4'' minimum above the membrane . You need to have 1/2" min. cement thickness at the lowest point plus (tile and thin set). The drain is adjustable and that should be no problem. You can adjust the height of the drain by turning it.
B,find out the ideal floor height where the floor should meet the wall. +1/4" every 12" works only if the drain is dead center and the shower square.
C.Draw a level line and cut few pieces 1x3 0r 1x4 #2 pine from 3/4"(the drain height) to the level line on the wall. Each piece will be different. But is EZ to mark the wood because you already have the line on the wall.
D. Then put one end of the wood under the lip of the drain (you may have to notch the wood with a knife) and the other end under a 1x3 0r 1x4 that you will screw in top of you level line.
D1. What you have now is a guiding grid for your cement.
E. That should only take you 15-25 minutes. After the cement starts to set, you can pull the wood out and fill the void's with fresh cement.
F. The rest is EZ. And a job well done. (take some pictures)
Good luck.
YCF
Edited 12/6/2004 11:43 pm ET by YCFriend
I used Quikrete Mortar Mix for my bed, because I saw that Byrne wrote of a sand/portland cement mixture. Did I do anything wrong by using this material?
Mortar mix for a bed? WHAOUUU!!!
YCF
Except having pain in your back when you wake up next day I don't see any problem's...
...with the shower floor. That's what I use to.
YCF
haha... oh, i get it. You had me worried for a minute there. I started to think of where I could rent a jackhammer and how much more the demo/reconstruction was going to take vs the likelyhood that any problems would have to be suffered by the NEXT owner instead of me...You got me there, YCF. Good one.btw, this SLEEPING bed sure is comfy right now!
The sleeeding bed ...Sounds good to me. You remind me that I have to sleep to.
good dreams.
YCF