[sukhenkoi]

Hello,

I need to place a 1/2” thick layer of versabond thinset mortar on the 34" x 34" floor opening for my acrylic shower pan installation.
I don't know how to calculate mortar usage.
Can anyone tell me how many pounds of mortar I need to mix with water?

Thanks.

 

[Bud Cline]

You wouldn't use Versabond thinset for that purpose.

Who in the world told you that to begin with?

You should use mortar mix or sand mix but not thinset.

 

[sukhenkoi]

Yes, you are right.
I went to the closest Home Depot and ask a salesman what can I use for my project. He told me to use Versabond. Then, two days later I came to the store to buy it and another salesman told me that the Versabond is fine. But fortunately, I ran into another salesman who I know has a lot of experience in this area. He told me not to use Versabond because it shrinks. He suggested me to use Stucco Mortar Mix. Then I called SwanCorp tech support and they told me that for my project I need to mix approximately 40lb of mortar.

 

[Jim F]

Don't listen to those guys. I don't know what they tell new employees in orientation. It must be something like "no matter what the question, you know the answer whether you know it or not." I will ask them what their trade background is before I will even ask them questions. If I feel confident that they have actually worked as a plumber, electrician etc., then I can have a little more confidence in their answers. These are usually the older guys they employ. Some of them are actually retired tradesmen. If they look to be fresh out of high school, run the other way. You can usually learn more about the product by reading it's label than you can from them.

 

[sukhenkoi]

My choices are very limited. I am not a professional in this area. So, when I need to buy some material or product for my home project I go to Home Depot or Lowe's. Those are only stores available around. Sometimes when I come to a store I cannot find product I need so look for a help from a store employee. At this point I am lucky if I can find at least someone who can help me. Very often there is nobody available to help you at all. And of course any store employee will tell you that he has a lot of experience and worked as a plumber, electrician etc.