For The Tile Guys

rolls831

Has anyone ever heard of or installed a Tile-redi shower pan? I'm a diy and putting in a walk-in shower, 33x60. It will be on a slab floor. The house is about 35 yrs. I was considering this pan because of settleing and earthquakes I want no leaks in 1 year or 5 years or even 20 years. Give me all your opinions, pro and con.

ccarlisle

Well, solid shower pans are perfectly fine and this brand is no exception; however, leaks can happen in other areas whether or not the pan was solid or tiled, or mudded, or styrofoam. Don't know what part of the world you're in but IMO I'd worry more about leaks making my shower fail after 5 years than I would about the odd earthquake.

Waterproof showers have come of age; it is possible to have shower stalls made to last 40 years not because they used a solid pan, or mud or whatever but because the entire system (walls, floor, pan and drain) are one sealed (therefore waterproof) unit. And if an earthquake destroys your shower pan and causes a leaking shower, then you really have more to worry about...

See, it's not how solid you make it, how much concrete you put in but how waterproof it is. That's easy to achieve with about $1000-worth of waterproofing kit and some drywall. If you tie your solid pan into the waterproofing of the walls behind the tile, and if the drain is suitable, it won't leak. And if an earthquake selectively makes your shower leak rather than crack your foundation, then changing it is 2 days work. But if you don't have an earthquake of that magnitude, leaks are something you will live with everyday. Aside from health concerns from molds.

Make it "waterproof".

rolls831

I totally agree with you, the shower is only as good as your ability to waterproof it. I live in Calif. on the coast. We get our share of quakes. I plan to run tar paper behind hardi-backer, then after tape and thinset, I plan to apply redguard. If my plumber does his job, everything should be hunky-dorey. (ha)

ccarlisle

I figured you were from the west coast...quakes don't concern us much here in the east. LOL

I am not a fan of waterproofing showers using tar paper on the studs only because we have found a better way to waterproof a shower from the inside i.e. from just underneath the tiles, not underneath the cbu. That and the fact that IMO it is what planned obsolescence is all about, you know, building-stuff-with-known-flaws-so-that-people-replace-them-sooner.

A leak-prone shower will last you 5 years or so before bulging walls and mold smells prompt you to tear it down and start again. I mean that's great if you're a shower contractor... but not OK if you're the homeowner. Nowadays showers can be built just as easily that last 40years+ because they are waterproof. I'm talking about Kerdi and Schluter, the company that makes it. If you've got a spare half hour read up on what all the professionals say about Kerdi showers.

You may just change your mind now before it gets too far along...

rolls831

Thanks for the info. I will read some more, and talk to some tile people about this very subject. I will research as much as I can stand. Then make a decision. Will post later as I progress.