A few questions about bathroom remodel

clayton993

Im new here, and have a few questions about remodeling my bathroom.

I'm planning on turning my bathtub/shower combo into just a walk in shower (30" by 60"). Im going to use a premade shower floor pan and tile the walls all the way up to the ceiling. If someone can answer a few questions I would be very thankful.

1. Do i need to put insulation behind the cement board or will the vapor barrier be enough? And do I need to seal the cement board? The wall behind the shower is a bedroom closet.

2. Im going to replace the rough in shower valve, but does it matter what brand I use and how many spouts it has?

3. Theres several kinds of thinset (standard, flex, and fortified), which kind is the best for ceramic tile?

4. Im going to also tile the bathroom floor and would like to put tile on the bottom front side of the shower floor pan, is this possible?

Here is an example

http://www.homedepot.com/Bath-Shower...atalogId=10053

Just Bill

1. Insulating outside walls is a must. Insulating interior walls can reduce noise travel.
2. Use whatever manufacturer you select. If you are referring something like body shower outlets, make sure the valve body is capable of supply that much water. And somes codes now restrict those types of spray devices.
3. modified thinset(flex)
4. I can't tell what is the material of the base. Thinset will stick to most any surface, but you may need to rough it up.

JerseyGuy29

Im actually a little more than half way through what your describing. I bought a pan and framed out a wall. I used cement board and sealed all joints heavily with an expensive silicone. I also replaced the plumbing w/ a new hot/cold and shower head. I did plenty more but not need to go into detail. I would not tile (personally) the front of the pan, I feel eventually it will fall off, down the road. I would thinset standard, the other stuff tends to get mushy as it gets wet and drys over time.

Ron6519

What exactly did you seal the joints with? They should be fiberglassed taped and thinsetted.
Never heard of,"expensive silicone" as a joint sealer.
You should use a modified thinset for the tile.
Ron

clayton993

The base is a polycarbonate..what ever that is..lol If i rough it up, i think I can stick tile to it.

Thanks for all the replies, really appreciate it. Going to start this project next friday.

Ron6519

These bases have a flexible nature to them. Tiling on a surface like this might not last too long.
Ron

oh'mike

Please,listen to Ron------Do your research---look at the 'Blogs'--listed above--Look at the 'How to" section here.--Read old posts in the tile section----and don't try to stick tile to a plastic shower base.

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Tile Pro

Good Luck. As Ron6519 said, all joints and corners should be taped with alkaline resistant mesh tape, Like Superior brand. Then tape the joints with loose thinset and a 6" or so tape knife, using care to keep the floating to a minimum. Let it dry overnight then scrape with a razor scraper to remove burrs and high spots. I then always paint my joints and corners and nail heads with Red Guard. Tile shops and home depot carry it. Use a cheap throwaway brush. Two coats. I also often roll Red Guard on the walls to waterproof the entire shower.
I use white Versabond for almost everything. Very tough and good adhesion.
I wouldn't try to stick tile to the plastic pan. Too flexible and a poor bonding surface. Any flex and the grout will crack. Make sure you install the drain properly. I've demo'd many cultured marble pans with leaking drains.
An advantage of waterproofing the walls is that it slows down the set up time on the thin set. You should be using a 3/8 or 1/4 v notch towel for 4 and 1/4" shower tile, for a thin morter bed. The Red Guard slows down set up, which is pretty quick on cement board otherwise.

You may also have a problem if your water supply is 1/2" copper and you try to use 2 or more shower heads at once. Insufficient water volume will result.

clayton993

After more research, I decided to build my own shower floor pan. I think the cost will be cheaper, plus I want to tile the shower floor. Im not the best at tiling or concrete, but I really think I can pull this off. I'm also going to change the drain to 2" pipe and move it to the center. I'll have 1 shower head, and im going to build a seat in the corner. I'm also going to make the shower 2" deeper..making it 32" by 60".

Does anyone have any pictures I can look at that shows a shower the same size and all tile? Thanks!

Plus any tips you have, feel free to leave them for me.

Ron6519

You need a special drain and you need to install a liner.
Why not go to the John Bridges forum and You Tube to check out the details of this subject before you set your mind to this task.
The consequences of getting it wrong are substantial.
Ron

oh'mike

Here is a good place to start learning--Shower Construction Info (a collection of posts) - Ceramic Tile Advice Forums - John Bridge Ceramic Tile

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