[Richard164]

All of this is new to me. I need help!
I remodeled my bathroom a few years ago, except for the tub/ shower area. That remodel included a heated, tiled floor.
Now I've taken the tub out and want a tiled shower instead. My wife has MS, so a curbless entry is desirable. I've bought cement board for the walls and RedGard paint on liner. The space is 72"x29" unfinished ie:studs.
The current problem is the floor. A linear drain is planned along the far 72" wall, so I only need about a half inch slope. The floor joists run parallel to the 29" walls. I plan on dropping the plywood floor to the level of the floor joists to give me enough room for the slope.
I can't find a slope board kit to suit my shower size, so guess I'll have to thin set the slope (if that's the correct terminology) and then RedGard the thin set before setting the tile. Does that make sense? How thin can I apply the thin set over this lowered floor?

 

[Richard164]

Another question...I'm putting a short stub wall at the end of the vanity that backs on the shower. The stub wall will be 1-1/2" thick, solid plywood with tile on the shower side.
Does the plywood need to have cement board and RedGard before tile, or can I RedGard the plywood and set tile on it without the cement board?

 

[dj3]

Before you start, check your code: For curbless shower floor you may need a floor drain outside the shower with a primer valve.
Your city building department of Fire department will have the answer for you.

 

[Richard164]

Thanks...I'm outside the city limits, in the county, but I'll check.

 

[ron45]

You might want to check how big of a wheel chair your wife might need before you make the shower.

"" Typical wheelchair seat widths:
Standard wheelchairs widths are 16″ (narrow adult), 18″ (average adult) and 20″ (wide adult). For children and small adult sizes as small as 8” are available. Adults with wider body frames can get seats from 28” and wider.

The increments for wheelchairs are usually 2” but you can get custom sizes in 1” increments and odd numbered sized widths. ""

And don't forget to add the wheels etc. to the width.

https://www.karmanhealthcare.com/de...chairs widths are 16,seats from 28” and wider.

 

[Richard164]

Thanks, Ron. She's on the smaller side, 5'3" 120#. The entrance door to the bathroom is only 23". The entrance to the shower will likely be about 27".

 

[dj3]

FYI, Being outside city limit won't excuse you from following ADA rules and codes, enforced by the fire department.
Just saying.

 

[Richard164]

My point was that the rules for a 2nd drain in a private residential building may be different from city to county, state to state. I'm looking into it.

 

[ron45]

Not trying to be a an ass.

But I have seen a lot of hard work turn sour because the wheel chair won't fit through the door, or the person can't roll themselves through it.
It's not just the size seat she will need but the wheels stick out pretty far.

If you have all this covered then I'm sorry for pushing it.

https://www.karmanhealthcare.com/how-wide-does-a-doorway-need-to-be-for-a-wheelchair/

This is not the case all the time but its like a rule of thumb.

"" Doorway Width Too Small For Wheelchair
The correct size for a wheelchair user to be able to comfortably fit through a doorway is 32 inches wide. Commonly, doorways are measured at about 23 to 27 inches; this would not be wide enough for a user to fit through. ""

 

[Richard164]

I appreciate your help, Ron. If it gets to the point of needing a wheel chair, there are more issues than just the shower. The door into this small bathroom is only 23". So the limit factor won't be the shower entrance, but getting into the bathroom itself. At that point, I think we'd be faced with finding another place to live.

 

[Richard164]

Does anyone have experience with setting tile on plywood? Can I put a RedGard barrier on it and set the tile, or do I need to cover the plywood with cement board, then RedGard before tile?

 

[McGillicuddy]

Does anyone have experience with setting tile on plywood? Can I put a RedGard barrier on it and set the tile, or do I need to cover the plywood with cement board, then RedGard before tile?

Yes, you will need to put down cement board or something like schluter ditra before tiling the bathroom floor

 

[Richard164]

Ok, thanks. So on the floor...I can put cement board over the plywood, RedGard the cement board, then tile...good to know. Another option for the floor would be to morter it. Is there a minimum thickness for a mortered shower floor, or can the morter be feathered out very thin, like 1/4"?
What about the stub wall...Do I need to cement board it also, or where it's a verticle surface, can I RedGard the plywood, then tile?

 

[McGillicuddy]

Ok, thanks. So on the floor...I can put cement board over the plywood, RedGard the cement board, then tile...good to know. Another option for the floor would be to morter it. Is there a minimum thickness for a mortered shower floor, or can the morter be feathered out very thin, like 1/4"?
What about the stub wall...Do I need to cement board it also, or where it's a verticle surface, can I RedGard the plywood, then tile?

You need to put thinset between the backer board and subfloor to ensure that the backer has 100% contact with the subfloor. Don't forget to tape the seams as well. As for the shower floor I do not know as I have never done one...just surrounds