Tag Archives: Drain Holes

You Can Learn How To Tile A Shower That Won’t Leak

Posted on by Scott
Alan Bullington

You can learn how to tile a shower like many others have done.  The shower is usually done first in a bathroom since it involves the most cuts.  The real key to getting a tile shower right is the shower floor.  But there are some basics that must be right on the other surfaces too.

The shower floor is more than meets the eye.  That’s because water seeps right through the tile and grout on the floor.  That’s why some kind of waterproof layer must be in the pan.  Many times a tile ready shower pan is used that is designed for tile to be installed right over it.  Now this isn’t an acrylic pan like you see at a building supply house.  It’s a special pan.

Now the traditional shower pan is built on the job using layers of masonry and a special drain.  It’s a special drain because it has two levels of drain holes.  The lower level catches water from a waterproof vinyl layers that’s built in to the masonry pan.  That’s the trick to a pan that doesn’t leak, the waterproof vinyl layer and the special drain.

Once the tile floor is done, working lines are marked on the back wall and the sides.  Spread adhesive on the walls and then apply tile.  Install tile from back to front so cut tiles are in the front and hidden in the corners.

If you want to tile the ceiling this is usually done before the walls.  The ceiling tiles will usually stick without support.  If not, support each course with a piece of plywood supported by 2×4′s.

Building the curb is another project.  The curb can be formed with wood or brick.  The curb is then trimmed out as part of the finish trim out work.  Grout work is done after the tile adhesive is dried.  Then some careful caulking is completed.  Especially important is caulking in corners and between the pan and the walls.

You can learn how to tile a shower.  The shower pan construction is the most challenging part and it’s often left to the pros.  That’s partly because the shower pan is something of a mystery.  That special drain and the waterproof membrane properly installed is the key to getting it right.  The best way to really learn how to do this is to watch a shower pan being built.

You can get access to video tutorials showing how to tile a shower the professional way including how to tile shower walls and put in accessories too.

Al Bullington invites you to visit http://InstallingCeramicTile.net for answers to your tile questions.

Charlene

Shower Pan Installation Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

Posted on by Scott
Alan Bullington

Shower pan installation the conventional way involves a lot of mortar work.  There are several ways do-it-yourself tile setters, even pros, make mistakes.  Some of these mistakes will result in a shower that fails soon and leaks with all the water damage you don’t need.  Here are several common mistakes and a method to side-step these problems.

Mistake 1: Not getting the sub-floor right.

A plywood subfloor is standard.  You can build a shower over a concrete floor as well.  No matter what the subfloor, the floor must be braced to take the weight of the shower.  You don’t want flexing of the base.  That’s a sure way to get a cracked tile floor.

Mistake 2: Not sloping the mortar base.

The shower base in built in layers.  The first layer is masonry over which the liner is installed.  That base should be sloped to help route all the water to the lower shower drain holes.  That way the water doesn’t build up above the pan with nowhere to go.  A sloped shower base is necessary for the shower to drain properly.

Mistake 3: Not using deck mud.

Deck mud is Portland cement, sand and water.  The proportions must be right.  If you use mortar with extra lime, the mix will be too sticky to work and may be too hard to really get as flat as it should be.  Deck mud must be right.

Mistake 4: Using the wrong liner.

The right liner is a PVC sheet that’s actually built into the masonry floor.  Some people are tempted to use no liner.  Others think a cheap plastic shower bottom is a suitable base for tile.  Neither is true.  A waterproof liner is necessary for a leak proof shower.

Mistake 5: Not sealing the liner to the drain properly.

The actual liner forms a waterproof barrier within the shower floor.  Critical is the seal of the drain to the membrane.  The liner must be cut and fitted to the drain base and then glued to the base with the right adhesive.  Get this right or you’ll have leaks.

Shower pan installation using masonry is a proven way to build a shower that works for decades.  However, it’s easy to make mistakes that cause premature failures.  There is a way to build a shower without so many potential problems.  It’s a newer technology and you don’t even use masonry at all with some models.  That’s an easier way to a leak proof shower.

 

Kylie