I am tiling a shower enclosure. Do I need to use a waterproof membrane or will hardibacker be enough?
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Depends
Perhaps
and I thought this site might actually be helpful, guess not!
We're just messin' with ya! Early in the morning, lot's of coffee.............
Due diligence is what's needed here. There are a myriad of options and you should take the time to investigate them all and choose which one suits your needs.
I do a lot of mud bases and Denshield on the walls. I waterproof the base with Kerdi (Schluter) and up the walls several inches. I also do the corners as well and any niche if there is one.
Denshield when installed properly is basically waterproof due to the attached membrane. Hardi will absorb water. I don't mind it on floors, but I personally would stay away from it on walls.
Go to John Bridges web site. Keep poking here, there is a wealth of info here.
There is also an excellent tutorial thread here someplace by MONGO. It's probably way overkill bomb proof shower, but it's a good place to get a lot of good info on how to do it the right way.
Eric
Personally, I would include a membrane. The potential problems outweigh the cost by far. A local BT favorite system-
http://www.schluter.com/8_1_kerdi.aspx
Sometimes you need to wait longer than 11 minutes to pass judgement, but hey, in these days of instant gratification...Anyhow...yeah, you probably need something. Typical construction would be your house's wood framing, with 6-mil polyethylene or tar paper stapled to the studs. Then install your cement board over that and tile over the cement board.Or you can go with a topical barrier;1) cement board screwed to the studs, then a roll-on membrane like RedGard or something similar over the cement board, then tile on the RedGard.2) Drywall or cement board over the studs, then a sheet membrane like Kerdi over the drywall or cement board, then tile over the Kerdi.Do realize that your original post was a bit abrupt. "Do I need..." but you didn't tell us anything about what you now have or what materials you intend on using. Every little bit of extra detail in the original post helps you get better answers as a follow-up. Including for some posts, where you live (cold climate, warm cimate, etc).Patience grasshopper.
Why don't you post a link to your thread Mongo? I lost the link to rez' time machine.........
I had to do a it of searching, this thing was buried deep:
Kerdi Shower
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=86714.1
Oh, and welcome to BT. Some have said a good place for a sucker punch...........hey, ya didn't really think you were just gonna walk in here did ya?
Stick around, lots of good folks here. You should fill out yor profile when you get a chance. Techniques and materials vary widely by region and it helps when discussion things.
Eric
Growin' up, there was a WWF saying....."jukin' with the JYD".
Guess the dog don't juke no more?
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Seems like it would take a lot of them, and they'd be hard to change.
God is REAL, unless explicitly declared INTEGER
LOL!
Market's off to a fine start!
Depends, perhaps,
Base, I would use a membrane and on the walls, hardi backer or Dura rock or similar product.
Vince Carbone
Riverside Builders
Franklin,NY
We love you, man! Everyone gets a little ragging from time to time, but that's just what brothers do. Lots of good info here if you hang in there. (The trick is to sort it all out when you get the Kerdi guys and the traditional guys in a p!ssing match.)
I've seen enough damage from leaky showers that, when I build one, I use waterproofing up to the 5-foot mark -- just below the showerhead.
Yup -- that's overkill. But I usually sleep good too.
Look up Hydroban. It is a roller applied waterproofing membrane by Laticrete. It's kind of expensive, like $50 a gallon, but you can probably waterproof your entire shower enclosure for $200. Not much for the long term insurance. Might be more appropriate on the walls with a qualified peel and stick membrane like NobleSeal by DalTile on the floor.
youre a baby