Question about small bathroom remodel

larry@stinescorner

Well-known Member
we are thinking of redoing the bathroom.The shower is a walk in type. the wife wants tile walls ,for the shower floor is the type with the flashing and all and tile good or should we do the fiberglass type pan ?
 
If you are on a slab, I would go with the plastic liner and mortar.

If on questionable wood a fiberglass would be easier, unless it is a very well reinforced floor, then you could still do the mortar pan. Either way, a tile surround will add a lot of weight. If it's not stable the tile will soon crack.

Lots of Youtube videos. Even if you hire it done, with your background in masonry, don't just give the contractor a check and say "do it". Way too many of then take short cuts that will soon be back to haunt you!
 
Tile may look nice. Keeping grout clean is a royal pain in the ankle.
I'll only install a one piece unit and sit the unit on a bed of wet concrete to get total support that prevents large people cracking fiberglass. I screen the sand before mixing and remove large rocks.

I have 3 rental units with tile. I wish they never invented tile. Tenants never take care tile. Grout fails. Tile falls off wall. No wall left because grout fails.

If you are going to tile shower walls, use cement board on walls. No advice on what to do with floor if you plan to tile floor.

I have used tile over cement board on bathroom floors. Keeping the grout clean is still a royal pain.
 
Take a look at Onyx. Acrylic material side panels are about 3/8" thick, base pan is heavy enough that it was all 2 of us wanted to carry it in on a 30"X60" replacement for a tub. Not cheap but easy to care for as just wipe down when done. These can be ordered to custom sized pans. Most big box home supply stores have this brand available and many will have a sample unit on display in the store. Leroy
 
I agree with Geo, tile looks good but hard to maintain and moisture gets thru to the backer board. They used to use green board, that ended up being a mess, now they use cement board, probably better, but you still have moisture behind the tile. Was on a trip recently the condo we stayed in had one piece shower surrounds, looked like tile, but was not. For a place that houses many different occupants over a years time, the shower looked great. My vote, one piece shower surrounds, maybe 3 piece. fiberglass pan set in concrete slurry. my two cents worth. gobble
 
If you really want to install tile, I would suggest using Kerdi and Ditra as liner/waterproofing. They are available at Home Depot. There are a couple of books by John Bridge that explain how to use these products in detail. I would highly recommend reading them before you attempt any bathroom tiling. I have "Tile your World" and "The Kerdi Shower Book" in my library. I think he has two newer books on remodeling bathrooms also. Mike Holmes (Canadian builder and TV host) uses these products in all his tile work.

The advantage of these products is that they move the waterproofing layer to the back of the tile instead of under the tile bed. Easy to use. Better waterproofing. But you MUST carefully follow the instructions on use of modified and unmodified thinset! Modified thinset will not properly cure under or over these products.

Tiling is not hard to do and the variations are endless. Good luck on your project.

Cliff(VA) soon to be (NC)
The Kerdi Shower Book
 
Get a pan from a real plumbing supplier. Forget getting one at Home Depot or Lowe?s. Nothing but crap.
 
Not sure there's a single right answer on this one.

I remodeled my daughter's small bathroom and I didn't have to do the drain area because we installed a tub. I did however learn a few things I can pass on.

Tile isn't waterproof so if you put it on the wall you should use Kerdi membrane to protect the walls. Lots of good YouTube info. Don't go all the way to the ceiling if you can help it. Things get a bit out of line as you go up and matching that ceiling line might be an issue.

A score and snap tile cutter is cheap and you can do most cuts with that. A Harbor Freight wet cutter is fine for a small job and there will be some pieces that you will need that for. Stone all sharp edges after cuts and the grout will blend in nicely.

Not too much thinset that will ooze out in the tile spacing. That will stop the grout from getting in.

Take your time. It's not difficult but a bit tedious. Save beer drinking for when you are done.

I think I would go a pre-formed shower pan.
 
The Onyx brand pan is good as mentioned. Have on in my shower. A little costly, but quick and mistake-proof. For walls, I've used concrete backer board coated with Red-Guard. Kerdi membrane only in corners. If I ever do another, it will get the same products and process.

I also used 1/2 plywood on the walls behind the backer board. Ply, thinset, backer, menbrane in the corners set in thinset, Red Guard overall. Then thinset and tile. I used a large format porcelain.

No leaks and a solid base for mounting most anything you need to the walls like soap-shampoo shelves, grab bars etc.
 
Most of the time a shower pan is a sheet of rubber which is spread out on the floor and mortar is applied to give it it's shape to drain. Then tile is laid over the top. It's often difficult to get the tile off without ruining the underlying mortar. Just be prepared to have to gut it all if you try to take up the tile off a shower floor. Then going back you have to make sure there is space for the tile and mortar so that is comes out flush with the drain. The last job I was involved with the guy that did the shower tiled the shower floor about 3/8" above the drain. The customer didn't find this until the guy was paid and gone so I had to pick up a spacer and raise the drain up to the tile.
 
I used to be a mfg rep for Sterling which is a division of Kohler. They have some nice low maintenance shower bases, and shower and tub surrounds that hold up well, don't leak and are easy to install.
 

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