Tile Shower: Suggestions, Ideas, Tips

[buddydawg]

I want to start a thread about tiling the shower and making a custom shower pan.  I will be starting to tile mine in the next fem months and would like to know what others have done in their conversions.  I would like to limit the discussion to just tile as I am not interested in other types of enclosures, walls, etc.  I also do not have the option of using a standard style prefabbed pan/base.

Topics to cover:
How did you make a custom pan/mortar bed?
What did you use as the substate for the walls?  Plywood, Backerboard Etc..
What types of adhesives & grout did you use?
Any other things you did and would like to share.

[JackConrad]

Brandon,
    I started by making the enclosure out of wood (oak plywood and dimensionaql oak lumber). The inside walls and floor were then coated with several layers of fiberglass mat and resin. This was followed with a couple layers of fiberglass cloth and more resin. I scuffed the surface with a grinder before installing the tile.  The floor was tiled with 1" square tile which come in a 12" x 12" sheet. Smaller tile=more grout lines=better traction & less chance of cracking. The floor tile was installed using thinset mixed with latex admixture instead of water.  The walls were tiled uisnf standard 4"x6" wall tile and standard wall tile adhesive.  All grout (floor=sanded, walls=unsanded) was mixed using latex admixture instead of water. 9 years and so fat no cracks or leakes.  Just our way, YMMV.  Jack

[bevans6]

I think the key with tile is rigidity.  you need a very rigid base to hold the tile and for the shower mortar base.  I would be tempted to use double layer of 3/4" plywood, glued and screwed together for the walls and floor.  i would line it all with that orange Kerdi membrane cloth, from Shulter    http://www.schluter.com/1324.aspx    Thhey make a great system for a shower, including a base unit that replaces and eliminates a mortar bed (not a pan, a pre-formed bed).

Modified mortar is normally best for tile and for the membrane, but it needs to be able to breath to dry.  If you use it under a membrane, the surface you are mortaring to needs to breath, in this case plywood would be OK.  When you attach your tiles to the membrane, you must use an un-modified mortar, which will dry between the tiles and the membrane where modified will not dry for up to a month.  Use normal grout. and then use silicone seal in all corners.  Don't grout in corners.  The beauty of the Kerdi membrane is the tiles and grout become just the cosmetic finish, they don't add to the waterproof.  the Kerdi is 100% waterproof and will not leak, even if all the tiles crack and get loose when you drive off-road with your bus...

Brian

[gumpy]

Well, lets see...

I built the walls with 3/4" cabinet grade birch faced plywood. The inside wall was covered with 5/8" plywood. The floor had a layer of 3/8" concrete backer board which was part of the heating system. To the walls, mortared and screwed 3/8" concrete backer board. The resulting walls are rigid as steel!

On the floor, I put a layer of rubber membrane. The drain was installed through this, and another layer of concrete backer board was cut to fit exactly to the floor and screwed down through the membrane into the floor system. 

The seams of the concrete backer board were covered with fiberglass mesh tape and mortared over.

The entire interior was then painted with a rubber membrane, which includes a spun bonded (tyvek) tape for the corners and seams. This effectively seals all screws and seams and makes it completely water proof.  In the corners, I used some mortar to build up a bit of a base to aid draining.

The tile was then set in thinset mortar with a latex admixture, and the same was used for grout. I used a 3/4" Itialian mosaic glass tile, and made some custom mosaics which were set in the walls and floor.

So far, I have found only a hairline crack in the seam at the angled piece at the top that covers the curve in the roof.  I'm very happy with the results and would not hesitate to do it this way again.

[buddydawg]

I have the enclosure framed in and plan on using 3/4 ply over that.  I had considered fiberglassing the pan but I think I'm going to take a closer look at the kerdi membrane system now that I have seen it.  I'm not sure of the cost but it looks like a real nice system.  I have worked with glass a good bit, the results are always good but I don't care for the mess made while working with it.

Gumpy, I checked out your shower stall pics.   What type of rubber membrane is that you used and where did you get it?

[gumpy]

Gumpy, I checked out your shower stall pics.   What type of rubber membrane is that you used and where did you get it?

The green painted on rubber membrane is Laticrete Water Tight Floor N Wall Waterproofing for Tile and Stone with Microban.  I got it from a friend who is a professional tile setter. He said he gets it through the tile store he works through.  It worked very well, and was very easy to use.

The floor membrane is just a piece of shower membrane from Home Depot.