Sikaflex shower tiles

[Scott & Heather]

Is it possible to sikaflex shower tiles for a shower? Would this make them less prone to cracking or grout cracks?


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[Oonrahnjay]

Is it possible to sikaflex shower tiles for a shower? Would this make them less prone to cracking or grout cracks?

     I'm thinking that you'd want to be sure you were getting a watertight seal around all the edges and that the grout was flexible (and waterproof) but once you got that taken care of, it would be a great solution.

[DoubleEagle]

It should work if ceramic tile is a surface that Sikaflex can bond to as well as metal. If it can take the stresses of body skins, it can take the stresses of movement around a shower stall and probably be much better than conventional troweled on mastic. Buses do flex a bit.

[robertglines1]

They make a grout with flex capabilities. I have some left over. Next time up at bus I'll look at label. I used Ge silicon for adhesive. 

[luvrbus]

Scott, you need to careful I did the Sikaflex on some marble trying to cut a corner in a year you could see all my lines where I applied the Sikaflex my wife was not a happy camper , ceramic tile may be different than a natural stone if it is glazed on both sides I don't know for sure  

[robertglines1]

Vinyl tile grout.  Have found the clear ge silicon did not bleed thru coarse granite I used in previous conversion and tile came up in pieces(little) with hammer and chisel.  The liquid nails brand did show thru granite!  Bob

[JRandall]

I am certainly no expert in bus conversion construction, but why not just use a liquid nails product? It can be used for multiple surfaces and is easily sealed with the vinyl grout.  I would imagine that it is much cheaper than Sikaflex as well.

[Dave5Cs]

Scott being I did do tile work when I was a contractor Just one of my things and did the tile in our bus to include a mud bed floor in shower as well as 3 walls. I did it like i would have in a house. Used 1/4" wonderboard over 3/8" ply glued and screwed. Tape the seams with tile web tape and your corners. I used Versa bond thinset (HD) or Flexbond thin set and added latex additive. This will give it enough flexability. Let it set over 72 hours to make sure all water was out of it and grouted with sanded grout and again added latex additive to the grout. My joints are over an 1/8 inch so sanded if less than an 1/8" lines then non-sanded.
We have never had a tile come loose or any cracks in the joints. We lined the floor with grey PVC sheet material and folded all corners then welded them with X-15 to flatten them out and around the drain. Or use a PVC pre made pan. HTH
Dave5Cs

[Scott & Heather]

Good thoughts here but no general consensus. How heavy would a typical 36"x36" tile shower be? Are we talking majorly heavy?


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[jmblake]

Scott, look at http://www.wedi.de/en/products/building-systems/building-board/ it is light weight and waterproof, it is a little pricey but is easy to work with and has premade pans or you can custom make your own. I have used it a couple times with good luck.
Jason

[goldgiter]

Good thoughts here but no general consensus. How heavy would a typical 36"x36" tile shower be? Are we talking majorly heavy?


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Yes it will be very heavy, go to lowes and stack tile, grout,thinset, backer board,etc on a cart and try to pick it up.
Why not use a good quality fiberglass shower, or a shower/ tub combo for you and the children?

Wes

[Debo]

Hey Scott,

I'm with Dave on this one. I tiled my shower (46" x 24") using subway tile, 1/4" Durock and Flexbond. I also taped the seams of the Durock and painted the whole thing with a flexible membrane. I don't want any leaks. Ever.

I've probably driven 5000 miles since completing it, and don't have any trace of a crack anywhere. Some of that driving was on I-95 in South Carolina, which will rattle the fillings out of your teeth, so I have a feeling that if I was going to have a problem I'd have had one by now. In my view, having a nice bathroom and kitchen are two things that really distinguish the quality of a conversion, so I decided to tile it despite the weight penalty. I've not been able to tell any difference in anything, and I enjoy the quality of it every time I step into the bathroom. Just my two cents...

[pabusnut]

Scott,

Ditto of what Dave and Debo said.  --except I used silicone caulk in the corners where the stresses will concentrate.  I only have about 4K miles on mine since finishing, but most of it to Key West and back over all sorts of roads and cowpaths!

Steve

[Dave5Cs]

Yep one step I didn't mention above was what kind of water membrane I use and that is Red Gard which you can towel or paint on and it is a latex thick water tight membrane. You put it on your board before you put the tile on. It goes on red and turns pink when ready.

[robertglines1]

Dave;always bow to experience of a tradesman. This being my last last coach I erred  on the side of conceived less chance of any problems(I'm not doing again) I have had 2 plastic shower stall walls fail over time cracked or spider webbed/(2 different coaches )  I attribute them to temp swings. Being in single digits in winter storage to 140 in hot sun. Expansion and contraction is/was my main concern. That was my point of concern. Please feel free to rebuff. I'm old and pretty dense in the head but still am open to education.  This is a needed topic and can effect cost and longevity for anyone's build .   Bob