Waterproofing 101 - selecting the proper water proofing measures for your shower

The perfect waterproofing system for your next renovation is one that is easy to install and one that won't leak.  It needs to be available locally and easy for you our your crew to install.

What is the best waterproofing system out there?  An excellent question and one I'm still working on the answer.  I can only offer up my insight into a few of the main systems out there and review them based on my collective experience installing and what I have seen and read online helping people and contractors with their projects.

My favourite of late has brought me full circle and back working with the sheet membranes.

My favourite system for steam showers is the Noble Seal TS membrane with Kerdi DS a close second.

Both of these approaches require a solid understanding of the prep work involved and a good base to built from.

Is there an easier way?  Yes.  Just work with a standard liner and clamping drain.

Before we get into a long debate over what system is better or which installs easier you need to evaluate what is important for you.

Is it the time line?  If so hands down Kerdi by Schluter and Noble Seal TS are the clear favourites.

Is it the cost? You can not get any cheaper than a traditinal liner and clamping drain rough in.

Do you need the membrane to follow crazy angles?  A liquid or cementitious membrane are best?

So to answer the question we first need to know what type of shower your building.

I would like to do a play by play and a little back and forth with the first person who comments on this page.  Lets look at your project and see which is the best approach.  Going through the process for real always sheds light into a system and I have found through asking questions I can always narrow in my selection into one or two products.

So who needs their question answered?

Post a comment below and lets get started.

Design a shower to be safer for seniors - linear drains and one way slopes

I'm very lucky I think to be building showers and creating wonderful bathrooms.  I love my job and love what me and my team can produce.  The simple fact that sometimes these new spaces really change someone's life is all that much better.

The bathroom I present below is not for an elderly couple, nor is it for someone disabled.  It is a truly barrier free shower but there is a 2" grade change at the entry.  This bathroom could have been build barrier free but my clients choose to select finer finishes over framing modifications.  All that said some of the key design points can make any shower or bathroom a more useful space.

Barrier Free Shower in Vancouver

Often a large shower can be cold.  This shower not only has heated floors it also has a steam generator - if your cold in this shower it is by choice not because there is no heat.

My client did suffer a foot injury and the stool is hers - she recently gave it to me and I'll give it to my father in law.  He needs it now and my client does not.  In the picture above you can see a "Buckingham Folding Toilet Safety Frame" & a "AquaTec 4" Raised Toilet Seat with Lid".

Steam Shower in operation

Take a look at the picture to the right.  The steam is switched on and the shower is aglow with warm water vapour.  A steam shower is a wonderful treat and can be very relaxing.

I have never had a client complain about their steam shower - only complaints we get is that they do not find enough time to enjoy them.

A steam shower is a luxury item.  One that can take away the stress of the day and do a lot of good for your state of mind.  If built wrong it can be a ticking time bomb adding cup after cup of water vapour into your home.

Look into the options available to you in steam management before selecting your linear drain or shower drain.

One thing I like about the linear drains are the one way slopes they can produce.

Shower Stool - Notice the adjustable leg in the back

See the stool above?  It is a medical piece of equipment one that is quiet common. The back leg is adjustable and this allows the stool to sit safely in a standard shower.  But what if you move the stool?  Will it rock?  A very good chance it will.  This shower is built with one way slope - that stool can shift around in the shower and not rock.  Regardless if it gets a quarter turn or moves from the left side to the right side the stool is not going to rock.

This is a very strong sales point for the argument of safety in a shower.  With this added safety in the floor you need also worry about the slip resistance of the floor tile.  You simply can't place in any tile and expect to net a safe shower floor.  Choosing the right floor tile is a topic in itself but for this post the safety of a shower built with no tripping hazzards is the topic at hand.

Easy access to controls from stool.

The controls for the shower should be easily reached and in this shower they are.  Grab bar placements would need to be followed and with those installed a much safer shower would be made.





















Outside the shower the one way slope further aids in the safety.  This grab bar kit that wraps around the toilet sits firmly on the floor since it is sloped all one way.  Here is a look at how we designed this shower floor.

So with the tile grading as shown above you can see that even though the floor slopes a little it slopes evenly in the one direction.

This toilet grab bar rig works perfectly and provides a great deal of safety for the user.

Now as far as the shower - they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Here is a great one.

If your looking for more items for your aging parents please visit my second blog site on the topic of "Showers for Seniors".  Much of what we build now fits nicely into this niche market and with a few extra safety devices a very safe shower can be constructed.

Showers for Seniors

Curbless Shower Design Ideas - Pictures and Tile Samples

Here is a picture file below with over a hundred curbless shower design ideas.  Tile choices and drain styles for your next barrier free no-curb shower project.

Curbless Showers, Wet Rooms, Level Access Bathroom Renovations

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More»

Browse Kids Products on Houzz- For Example:

Baby Bedding · Baby Swings And Bouncers · Baby Toys · Highchairs · Kids Beds · Kids Chairs · Kids Decor · Kids Toys ·

One of the smartest things you can do when planning your next shower project is selecting your tile choices early in the planning process.  Often key elevations need to be set and knowing the tile or stone to be used will help in the planning and floor construction.

A step-less shower or shower with no curb can be build a number of different ways.  Many times to keep floor heights even with the adjacent rooms proper floor preparation measures are skipped.  With more forethought this need not be done and a wonderful bathroom can be built.

Browse Kitchen Products on Houzz- For Example:

Food Containers And Storage · Kitchen Countertops · Kitchen Islands And Kitchen Carts · Kitchen Sinks · Kitchen Tools · Knives And Chopping Boards · Coffee Makers And Tea Kettles · Wine Racks ·

Using natural tile in your new barrier free no curb shower

So many of my clients are in love with the look and feel of natural stone.  No surprise really - people have loved this look at feel for thousands of years.  Is it the best choice for your next shower project?

Not really.  Are you allowed to install it in your master barrier free shower - of course.

When designing a linear shower drain project, a standard point drain project or any tile project for that matter involving natural stone (slate, marble, travertine etc) you need to understand that the "Tile Fairy" can come and wreck havoc on the install.  She might come right away or perhaps a few months done the road.  Now the "Tile Fairy" is often a mean mean fairy and she can highlight minerals in Marble for example and turn that beautiful Carrera Marble shower into a rust coloured mess.

The Tile Fairy can also cause your new slate floor to start popping, bring out effloresence and all sorts of nasty problems.


Here is a look at a wonderful steamer we are building in Vancouver.  The picture on the right is showing a curbed shower project but the most recent photo I have of a Carrera marble install.

White Carrera shower floor and walls

I always try and stir my clients into a ceramic or porcelain tile.  6 out of 10 times I win.  4 out of 10 times we are installing exactly what the client wants because they have figured out who cuts the cheques.

The drain will get a sliver cut of marble and in the end look something like this shower below.

This is a tile in insert and the shower on the left was built by a client of mine State side.

His choice in tile perfect.  A flamed Porcelain tile offering up a much better floor traction under normal use.

Even better than Flamed Porcelain is natural slate but with the extra traction comes a whole assortment of other concerns.

Things like cleaning and sealing become harder.

Take a look at this barrier free shower we are wrapping up in North vancouver.  We used a 2"x 2" tile in the shower's primary wet zone and 12" x 12" everywhere else.

This shower is totally curbless and the tub is in the shower.  The tub will double as a bench for the shower and is a free standing unit.

 For this shower we wanted the slate to stand out.  All the slate has been sealed and we used a topical waterproofing from Mapei to offer up complete protection for the entire area.

The drain is a simple point drain with a twist.  It is a 5" x 5" point drain and like the tile examples above has a tile inset.

I have just encountered a flow rate issue with this new tile top drain and have outlined a way of improving the flow rate of them.  Here is a link to the "Anti AirLock I".

The grouting is still fresh in the picture to the left and not yet dried. Something to consider when working with natural stone is to keep the grout selection to a natural grey or white.

These two colour are the most forgiving with soap scum and water deposits.  Also effloresence is harder to see when the grout colour matches the effloresence.

This project is under wraps but I'll be by in  week to take a few more pictures once we get the tub installed.

When choosing tile for a shower project you should always test them first.  Buy a selection 4-6 pieces.  Soak them overnight and then allow them to dry somewhere warm.  What happens to the marble?  Does the slate go spongey?  Do the tiles rust?  All things you can only find out after soaking the tiles and waiting.

Both the Carrera Marble and Slate in these pictures where tested.  Both sourced from good suppliers here in Vancouver.

We are framing a new barrier free no curb shower here in North Vancouver and my new clients asked me about using Travertine in the shower.  They love it and they told me they wanted to use it in the shower as well.

Like always I talked about this "Tile Fairy" and reviewed what I think they should do and they did just that.  They bought six tiles and soaked them for 48 hours and then removed them.  Guess what?

The rust started to show on day three and we saved this from happening in the finished product with only three days of work.  By work I'm me placing tiles in water and then removing.

Now finding a Porcelain tile that looked like the natural Travertine took my clients over three days and hours and hours of shopping.  The easiest thing for me to do would be to install what the client wants.  The easiest thing for the client to do would be to not trust me and tell me to install the Travertine.  Neither me nor my client choose the easy path and now we have a plan to use the Porcelain Tile in the shower and set a very low curb to separate the Porcelain from the Travertine.  These clients will not have to consider living with a rust filled shower since we aborted that plan before we even got close to installing the Green EBoard on the walls.

When working with natural stone you always run the risk of the "Tile Fairy" coming to your home.  Do everything you can to prevent this.  To install natural stone with no testing is careless and a huge oversight.

You also need to remember that natural stone requires a floor deflection of L/720 not L/360 like most homes are built.  So how do you bring up the deflection rating and still keep things barrier free.

Good question and one to be answered on another day.

If you need any specific questions answered send me an email and I'll try and help you out.

sales@no-curb.com

John Whipple
(604) 506 6792

Testing your new linear drain for functionality - Water testing a linear barrier free shower

I was looking online for some more examples of curbless shower installations and found a few great ones.

Have a look at this flow test and review by Design Tile and Stone out of Knoxville, TN.

The shower has a very simple design and one that works very well.  If you where to be incorporating hand held sprayers and body jets a lot more planning should take place.

Notice how this job the linear drain (Cross Hatch) goes end to end.  Notice as well that the tile has space between the strainer and the the tile.  All solid design points.

I love the detail on the pony wall for the glass.  How it's cut to grade into the shower.  It is obvious from looking closely at this video that this crew in Knoxville, TN know what there doing.

Here is yet another example of good shower design from the same company.  I prefer the layout of this shower even more since there is a natural area outside the shower to grade back to the drain.  With the smaller tile on the floor the use of a Schluter strip can make for a nice clean edge.

With this shower perhaps a 3/8" profile on the wet side and a 5/8" profile on the dry side would have been a consideration.  No the less a beautiful shower and one I'm sure the clients are thrilled with.

Using a cementitious waterproofing membrane to install your new linear drain in a no curb shower

One comment I heard not to long ago I have not been able to shake.  The comment was "Thin-set always sticks better to a cementitious product than it does anything else." Now I can't remember who said it but for sure it was one of the mapei boys at a training seminar in Vancouver.  Who said it is not important but it got me to thinking.  What does are waterproofing products offer up in bond strength?  Are some better than others?  I was also told that Mapei has a clean record World Wide with this system.  That sounds very good to me!

I wish I could just product test all day long - and get paid for it.  This research I love and I love learning new approaches and fine tuning my old ones.

On one of my current projects in Vancouver we are doing a a barrier free shower build with a linear drain.  The drain is attached to some Noble Seal TS and I have some very tight folds to make.  So tight that a one step technique will not work so I'm approaching it from a different angle.

I wondered while working on this job if a cementitious waterproofing product like Mapei's Mapelastic 315 would have been a better approach???

I'm heading out to my shop to mock up a new linear drain installation technique and one that I can use with the linear drains from ACO, My Shower Grate Shop, Infinity, Luxe, CeraLine and any other linear drain that works with a standard three piece clamping drain.

Mapeband Drain Flashing.
The dark side (blue) gets installed face up.

At the core of this technique is the Mapeband Drain Flashing.  This product made by Mapei is designed to reinforce the weakest part of a shower's waterproofing system - the drain connection.  There is a picture of it here to the right.  The dark blue colour is a rubber flashing and this side is installed up.


I'll take a few pictures and a little video and hopefully in a few days have a proper post here for you to review and study.

If you would like more information in the mean time visit this link.










http://www.mapei.it/public/CA/products/Mapeband_TDS_EA.pdf

Mapeband - Dark Blue side up.  Fleece side down.

The bottom side of this Mapeband flashing is a fleece fabric.  The fabric or fleece gets installed with the waterproofing material.  In this case it would be Mapelastic 315 but it can easly be used with Mapei's other products like the Aqua Defence and HPG.

I have found very little information online to showcase a proper build and would think the installation of this to be quite straight forward.

My plan is to lightly sand the top of the compression drain and then clean.  I will install this over a pre-slope and set it in with the Mapelastic 315.

When using Mapelastic 315 remember it is a two component product.  Part "A" the cementitious powder and Part "B" the liquid.  Mapelastic also has a primer do not mistake the primer for Part "B" the liquid.

Bridgton, Maine - Flood testing requirements for your next shower.

I often debate with tile setters online over the code required step of flood testing showers.  The latest battle has been with a man located in Bridgton, Maine and like me is very active in these online discussion groups.  This fellow is pretty upset by my last discussion on LinkedIn and called me a "lying bastard" after a post about flood testing requirements.  I had told him he is building his showers wrong by skipping this point.

This tile setter has been tiling for a long time and is a huge supporter of the Laticrete family of products and it appears he missed this posting in the Laticrete News Letter.  In it they recommend like me to preform flood tests on all pools, fountains and SHOWERS!  

http://apps.laticrete.com/EmailImages/HTML/Q309_Quarterly_Newsletter.html

So for years I have been promoting this step in shower building and for years I have been battling those men online who claim it's not needed.   If your researching your next build online remember that us men and women get work from theses web pages.  Much of my income is directly tied to people calling me from these groups and online forums.  If potential clients are looking for information and or installers - who's best interest is it in to keep this simple test a secret?  Certainly not the clients.  Certainly not the builders.  But if the tile guy can rush the job - he can make more money with less risk.  A win win for him but a poor work practice.

A little bit of the Universal Plumbing Code.


Tests are to be performed according to the Uniform Building Code/Uniform Plumbing Code section 411.8.1 as follows; "Shower receptors shall be tested for water-tightness by filling with water to the level of the rough threshold. The test plug shall be so placed that both upper and under sides of the sub pan shall be subjected to the test at the point where it is clamped to the drain." 


Source: http://www.iapmo.org/Documents/Codes/2007%20CPC%20SUPPLEMENT%20020109.pdf


This little bit of plumbing code is a good note to add to your scope of work.   In Vancouver much of the building codes are not enforceable - Does this mean they should not be followed?  I think not.

Call your building department and ask if the UBC or UPC codes are the standard.  If so - should you not check this work?  Of course you should.

If your from Maine why not call the government themselves. I did hear back from the Manager not the Mayor of Bridgton.  I had emailed asking the question myself.  Here is the answer (I edited out the names of the non city officials).

Good Morning Mr. Whipple,

The Town of Bridgton follows the 2009 Uniform Plumbing Code and does inspect shower pans.  In discussing this with our CEO, we may have missed one but that is the exception since we try to inspect all. The plumber sets up the feed line, we do not check for pressure. Robbie does a flood test of the pans.  

You will have to research construction elements in the codes or through manufacturers recommended installation manuals....

Cordially,

Mitchell A. Berkowitz

Town Manager

Bridgton, Maine 04009

207-647-8786

It is so easy to double check facts online.  I double checked these facts in Maine and I'm from Vancouver.  I did so by email and never spend a dime on long distance.  There are two big warnings here if you live in Bridgton, Maine.  One is that the flood test required by the 2009 Universal Plumbing Code is only 15 minutes and this is far to short of a time frame.  I suggest a 24 hour to 72 hour window.  Second that the city does not inspect the water lines under a pressure test.  This is as scary as skipping the flood test of the shower pan.  Your water lines should be able to hold 200 PSI of pressure for over an hour - this will let you know if their are any pinholes in the connections or pipes.  I would request one of these from your renovation crew.

"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions" 

Flood test those showers

Here is another email from Maine's senior plumbing official;

Good morning John,

All shower, either pre fab or built on site shall be tested per the 2009 Uniform Plumbing Code. There are no exceptions to this rule. Showers shall also meet a minimum size requirement and if built on site they shall be constructed per the requirements in chapter four of the UPC. Too many times if they are not test a leak occurs and creates an insanitary condition where mold and bacteria can grow unstopped.

The testing requirements are referenced in Chapter 4-411.8.1 and all other shower requirements are in 411.0 through 41.11.

If I can be of any other assistance please feel free to contact me @ 207-624-8639.

Dana C. Tuttle

Senior Plumbing Inspector

Dana.C.Tuttle@maine.gov

Pretty hard to argue the fact that flood testing in Maine is not required.  If you read different online - why not call Dana and ask yourself?  These test are in the Universal Plumbing Code to protect our homes and to protect you from poor installers and rookie builders.  A leaking shower can send in handfuls of water everyday.  Mold needs water and moisture to grow.  Add in a poor choice in backer boards and your shower turns into a mold fest.  Does your bathroom share a common wall with your kids room? Your babies room?  Your room?

Flood test those showers.  They are required.

Now lets see if a flood test is require in the state of New York.  Here again I've read online they are not required - not a post on a city web site or a trade article.  Just a random comment online on a tile discussion forum.

Any of you that are wondering why I removed the bulk of this content it was from a little bit of helpful advice I read on the JB Forum in a thread title "Whipple's at it again".  It was a quote from Mark Twain.  I believe it goes like this "Don't argue with stupid people - they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience".

If your wondering about flood testing in Maine - I hope you dig deeper online.  You might even find this page and save yourself a nightmare.

Are flood tests required in the state of Maine?
Some say yes.  Some say no.  Who is right?

A couple of random internet bloggers or the Senior Plumbing Inspector in Maine?
I'll let you make up your own mind....

JW

Installing a new linear drain in your old shower

This Wedge Wire insert is available in any size
Let me know if you need a 2" or 3.5" version.
Let me know where you want the outlet hole.

Installing a new linear drain in your old shower can be a lot easier than you think.  Many showers are built with a standard three piece clamping drain and many of the leading linear drains install over a three piece drain.

Last month a client of mine simply removed the old strainer and set the new linear drain right over the old shower floor.  This job had a huge curb and there was room to set a new tile floor right over the old one.

Now this is not the best approach and I would recommend a complete re-do 98 times out of 100 but for this client the "Down and Dirty - Quick and Easy" approach won out in the end.

If you need a specific size linear drains and want more information on a tile on tile install please send me an email and I can work on some pricing.

Remember even if your drain is not centered in your exsiting shower we can still get you a drain that will fit precisely into your old shower.  

Replacing a Kerdi Drain top for a linear drain.  This tile setter
did not want to use the standard Kerdi Drain and choose instead
to install a linear drain over top.  The model shown is a tile top.

As far as what setting materials to use for this job - Grani Rapid from Mapei would be my go to product.  I would also remove the glaze or finish of the old tile and any dirt, grease and sealer coats first.

Any shower constructed with no pre-slope should be aborted and never should tile be place over tile if the shower is suffering from mold or draining issues.

If you need more information and perhaps a price for a custom drain shipped to your door give me an email at sales@no-curb.com or call me at (604) 506 6792.

Bond Breakers - Number one reason for tile failures in a curbless shower

Bond Breakers - there everywhere.  I bet your breathing some right now.  Dust is our biggest enemy and on a busy job site it is hard to control the amount of dust generated, or when and where it will show up in force.  It might not even not be your dust, or your dirt.  It could have come from the factory or showroom where you purchased your tile.

But one thing is for sure.  If you don't address it, it can come back and bite you.

We went to work yesterday and where going to install a simple pre-slope for a new barrier free shower (no-curb shower) here in Vancouver and when we got onsite the section of the bathroom reserved for me was littered with bond breakers of all kinds.

The worst was dust but equally as bad was the spill out of the cement pour (done by others before our visit).  I was told straight away as I inspected it that it was fine to go ahead and leave it.  I was told it was solid.  Now here is a really good pickle you might find yourself in as a tile guy.

The guy telling me to leave it is the project foreman.  He is also the same guy who did the work in the first place.  I quietly nodded my head and said I might but I just want to check something first.  I went to my tool box, grab my hammer and start "Wacking the floor".  Then I listen. Smaller taps where there is not cement spill out and then light tapping over the cement patch.

I ask the foreman if he cleaned and primed the old cement in the section I was tapping and he said of course not because he had not planned on placing cement there.  The sound here was a hollow sound and a sound you do not want to hear when working with tile and stone.

Then while we where both still in the room I grabbed my chisel and started chipping up the work I was told was fine to leave.  It came out like butter - well most of it.  The stuff I couldn't chip away I left.

Here is a peak at the site prep.

Bond breakers come in many forms.
On this job we had cement, stucco, dust and drywall compound.

Looking at this picture above you can see the multiple bond breakers I chipped up.

Look at some of those big flakes of self levelling concrete.  Now imagine if there is a problem with this instal.  Who would be to blame if the floor failed at this connection point?

Good question and one I wish to never be in again.  Again you say.  Yes again, because ten years ago I trusted someone and we had a failure.  Ten years ago I learned more about bond breakers than I ever thought I could.  Today and every day for the past ten years we have a very simple rule we follow.

You need to be able to strike the surface your bonding tile to with a hammer!  With in reason of course.  Setting a tile backsplash over drywall is not the time to be beating on the wall with a hammer but when your placing a screed a mortar bed from 1 1/4" to 1/2" over 80 year old concrete - that is a great time to bring out the hammer.

A clean floor is so important.

I gained a lot of trust I think from this new foreman.  I had not priced in the extra hour of work it took me to clean up this mess and the foreman himself seem shocked it had happened and helped me clean up the floor.

This project is barrier free shower and there will be no curb.  The exisiting slab or 19th floor of this historic Vancouver Condo already sloped in our favour!  How is that for service.

I chipped away with the hammer and chisel and then a quick sweep, a quick Vac and then a little primer.  For a primer today I used a mix of Mapei's Planicrete AC and water.  I mixed one part AC and three parts water.  We only used a small amount and made the mix in my morning coffee cup.  I used a sponge to apply it.

Priming the old cement for application of a screed
mortar bed.  The primer step is not to seal in dust and no
puddling should be left behind.

There is my morning coffee cup and me priming the floor.  With almost any self level concrete product you will learn (if you read instructions) that a primer coat is needed over plywood or concrete.  If the surface is porous. 

Why?

If a surface is porous it will suck out the moisture from the cement.  As the moisture flows and is absorbed by the substrate little pinholes can form.  As the cement product looses liquid quickly it gets weaker since it has to little liquid and or dries to fast.  A primer stops this.  It helps seals the old floor and allows for a slower cure with less absorption of liquid.

This job needed a screed mortar bed from 1/2" to 1 1/4".  Not many mortar can do this.  Mapecem Screed Mortar (Fast Setting) is my favourite and it can even go lower!  That is over a concrete subfloor of course.  Over plywood they recommend 1 3/8".

Before

We will be back at this job tomorrow to tape all the seams on the Denshield and cement board and prep for the application of our waterproofing products.  This job will see a combination of liquid and sheet membranes and we should have the inspectors blessing next week.

After

On your next project make sure you address bond breakers.  Make sure that all your products are used properly and that the subfloor is structurally sound.

A hammer is a great place to start.  So is a giant wrench.... LOL

That is a real wrench.  My 2" Spanner.
Great for bond breaker detection and laughs on the job site.

If you have any questions on this post please email me at sales@no-curb.com or call me at (604) 506 6792.  If you would like my help building a new curbless shower or barrier free shower with a linear drain I would be happy to help.  We have installed them in Whistler and Gambier Island and love the road trips - so even if your out of town - give us a call.

Best,

John Whipple

By Any Design Ltd.

(604) 506 6792

sales@no-curb.com

If your feeling generous and want to buy me a cold one. 

 Click on the Budweiser and buy me a beer.

  

Preventing indent puddling in your linear drain installation

Indent Fractures are quite common in large format tile installations.




But have you considered how these tile mishaps can affect your linear drain installation?  You should.


There is a great article on "Indent Fractures" in the current issue of Tile Letter (November  2011).  Here is a link to Tile Letter http://www.tileletter.com/category/tile-business-articles/ Take a coffee break and read this article by Donato Pompo a ceramic tile consultant and founder of Ceramic Tile and Stone Consultants.


Indent fractures can occur when to much thin set or too much of the wrong type of thin set is used.  Lets say you are unaware of this and install your linear drain over your primary shower drain and you use too much mortar bed mix and it is too rich or too wet.  Now in the beginning everything looks great.


But as time passes by the mortar bed shrinks. The mortar bed  pulls on your linear drain and in a short amount of time you have water pooling on both ends of your drain! 

If too much mortar or the wrong kind of mortar is used you could find yourself
looking at something like this with your linear drain installation.
The picture is dramatized to show the effects of Indent Stress on linear drains.

Sound like a wife's tale.  It's not.


I have already heard of this happening right here in Vancouver.  A setter who I thought was capable - clearly is not.  I have removed his name from my installer list.  Makes sure you check references of the people you hire!  It looks so easy online.  Follow this.  Do that.  Good to go - right? Wrong.  Understanding how each product works with each other takes years of training and attention to detail. 

A premium mortar bed from Mapei.  Mapecem Fast Setting
Screed Mortar is one of the best Mortar beds money can buy.
Able to waterproofed as fast as 14-16 hours after installation.

You would be surprised at how little your old crew really knows about this business.


Indent fractures are not common in showers with small 4"x4" tiles.  Not common with  4"x4" shower drains.  But the new shower has less grout joints and bigger tile.  The drains are linear sometimes over 5'.  Is your same old same old going to work for you?  It can.


Extra care needs to be taken when designing and selecting the products you need for your new linear drain shower.  Placement of diamond lath critical.  Far too many times it is placed at the wrong part of the shower - the bottom.  It needs to go in the middle to work well.


The type of shower you build as well will dictate the way you proceed and the way you go about selecting the right linear drain.


I have seen many tile setters working with oversized trowels around town.  Levelling clips and the whole nine yards.  Lots of setters complain about irregular tile but how many know they are not allowed to use their thin set to build up a 3/4" corner?


In a shower with a 1% grade do you want to risk your new 18"x36" tile getting sucked down in the middle and holding water?


Lots to consider.  Hire a pro - or do the research yourself.


Tile letter is a great place to start.


Think about the force required to pull a tile down - make it concave in the middle.  Now think about the waterproofing system you used.  Can it take this stress?  Will the seams be compromised?  What is used to join the seams?  Can they handle movement?

Using a larger roll of waterproofing allowed me
to waterproof this shower in one section for the base.
No seams at all.

All good questions.


When looking for better waterproofing products to build my showers this flexibility or room for movement became very clear that it needs to be there.  I learned a lot chatting with European designers, architects and tile setters over the years.  Today we work with flexible thin-sets (S2's) Grani Rapid my favourite todate.  We work with liquid membranes that are over 22 mil thick or with Noble Seal TS which is 30 and uses a chaulking type adhesive that allows for watertight seam with out so much concern for movement.






MIxing up a few bags of sand and cement don't appear to be the answer.  They are if your the tile crew and you bill by the square foot.  I would suggest any homeowners reading this post to ask exactly the process to be used installing your new drain be and then look up these issues yourselves.






Update July 17, 2012


I have started a series of Tile Tips for shower and bathtub installations.  They are all showcased on the Houzz web site.  Here is my latest;

Top 10 Tips for Choosing Shower Tile

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Browse Storage And Organization on Houzz- For Example:

Baskets · Closet Organizers · Clothes And Shoes Organizers · Hall Trees · Medicine Cabinets · Shoeracks · Storage Boxes · Wall Shelves ·

You can click the arrow keys below the picture to scroll through all ten tips for selecting the best tile for your shower renovation


With larger tile comes larger amount on setting materials or thin-set.  These increased thickness levels can increase your risk for an indent fracture. Make sure the products used to install your larger format tile is designed for this.


Please visit my Houzz Profile page for more tips and more installation advice. 


Best,


John Whipple
By Any Design Ltd.
(604) 506 6792
sales@no-curb.com

Kerdi DS sales information - USA & Canada

I have placed and order for some Kerdi DS and will soon have some available for sale here in Vancouver.  I have been keen to see the difference in the products - regular Kerdi and Kerdi DS.

Kerdi DS is used for most shower floors and steam shower builds and is roughly 2.5 times as thick as regular kerdi that we get here in North America.

Kerdi DS has many advantages over regular Kerdi.  One of the main advantages is it's ability to hold a crease.  Look at this picture and notice how this piece of Kerdi DS can stand up right on it's own.

Kerdi DS can hold a crease and stand upright on it's own with a crease.

Many other sheet membranes are available if your in a rush and I'll list your options here as more products become available.

Remember that if your building a shower, steam shower or your tub surround - drywall is not allowed as a backer boards.  This is an old code rule and not a new one.  There is plenty of people promoting the use of drywall and sadly Schluter Systems is one of them.  If you study Schluter's installation instructions you will find that cement board is an approved backer board and should be the board of choice for your shower renovation.

Kerdi DS UPC Code
4011832091834

Kerdi DS is sold in these rolls.  30 meters long by 1 meter wide for a total of 30 square meter.  In Imperial measurements this is a roll 98'5" long by 3'3" wide for a total of 323 square feet.

The cost for me is very little in difference and since it is by far a superior product we will be using Kerdi DS on all our Schluter specified projects.  In the US many retailers do not stock these products and prefer to first make a sale and the order the product.  You may find a hard time looking but Kerdi DS is certainly available in the US as it is in Canada

Transporting Kerdi DS

You should take care transporting any sheet membrane and before installing it check for any minor defects.  We like to hold up our sections to a large window and look for any damage that might have happened in transportation.  A roll can go through many hands and skipping this step is reckless.

Kerdi DS is just one option in waterproofing - but it's a great one.  If you want something above "Minimum Building Code" which is what so many builders supply ask for a better system .  You can look into the membranes from Mapei, Laticrete, Custom, Noble, Wedi, Jaegger and the like.  All of theses company produce membranes with full ANSI 118.10 ratings and are readily availble online and at finer tile stores nation wide.

Step back and look at these companies I just listed.

One's Italian.

Two are German.

Two are American.

The Schluter system is great - if you are using the European version with Schluter's modified thinsets.  No so good here in Canada or the States with non-modifed thin-sets.

If you would like to pre-order your Kerdi DS from me please email me at sales@no-curb.com I'll be happy to help you track it down.

Best,

John Whipple
By Any Design Ltd.
(604) 506 6792

Ducha drenaje - (alta calidad desagüe de la ducha)

Una ducha de drenaje puede ser cualquier cosa que quieras. Desde la plaza, cualquier cosa redonda y rectangular es posible.

Ducha drenaje - (alta calidad desagüe de la ducha)

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More »

Browse Kids Products on Houzz- For Example:

Baby Swings And Bouncers · Kids Bedding · Kids Chairs · Kids Dressers · Kids Toys · Mobiles · Rocking Chairs And Gliders · Toy Storage ·

He aquí un vistazo más de cerca el desagüe de la ducha no tan básico.

Compra ahora - http://no-curb.blogspot.ca/2012/07/grill-styles-from-aco-quartz-by-aco.html