Let’s start with the shower as I found it: By pulling off the trim ring on the valve, I can see that the backer for the tile is actually moisture-resistant green board which is not a suitable backer in a shower.

I can also see that under the marble threshold there is significant mold growth. This indicates that there is water trapped in the dam, and it’s almost a given that the framing is damaged and swelled. The homeowner showed me the ceiling inside a basement closet where water comes through after the shower is used. I begin the demolition by taking out the floor and immediately I find that the liner is lying flat on the floor.

This is a very common mistake with the installation of conventional tile showers. The liner is actually cut at a height that is below the dam, and it’s also cut at the corners where the door jamb meets the dam. As a result, the framing is damaged to the point that this entire wall must be cut out and replaced.

Grout is not waterproof, so a significant amount of water has left the area of the shower over the past four years. The bottom 16″ of the studs are saturated, but fortunately not ruined. I can sister them with a 4′ 2×4 to give me something stronger to work with. The wall at the back of this shower is a common wall with a fiberglass shower in another bedroom. While nothing in the other bathroom was damaged, if there had been a bedroom or closet on the other side of this wall, the leak would have probably been found much sooner.

I complete the demolition of the entire shower down to the studs, including the removal of the insulation that was wet up to about three feet. One tile that was near the ceiling was only held in place by the grout that was around it. There was no thinset on the tile or wall. I directed a fan toward the shower and let it dry out overnight.

The next day after everything is dried out, I start by adding a layer of 3/4″ plywood to the floor. While the original floor was not rotted, it was wet and had turned black in the area where the leaking was worse. The extra layer is insurance in case the subfloor has turned soft from the years of being saturated. A strong subfloor is absolutely necessary for the weight of the materials that will be installed here. I also install a corner bench in the shower which the homeowners had wanted when the house was originally built. The top of the bench constructed with 2×4′s and a layer of plywood for the seat. I install new drywall on the seat and throughout the entire shower. Drywall is the preferred substrate for Kerdi waterproofing membrane which will be installed here.

When demolishing this leaking shower, I took careful measurements of the door opening. When reconstructing the shower (which including re-framing the two front walls), I made sure that the width of the door opening was the same as before. This allowed me to use the same glass door and saved the customer several hundred dollars.

Now I install the mud floor, using several hundred pounds of sand topping mix (remember the new layer of subfloor?) along with the patented Kerdi drain.

After the mud floor has dried overnight I prepare to install the Kerdi membrane. I carefully took measurements of the dimensions of the shower and pre-cut the Kerdi so I can quickly install it in one day.
I mix about 25 lbs. of dry-set mortar (Mapei Megabond in this case) to install Kerdi. Thinset has to be much wetter to install Kerdi. I’ve also found that lightly dampening the drywall with a sponge keeps the thinset from drying out before I can get the Kerdi on the wall. I install Kerdi on the floor first, then work my way up the bench and corners, followed by the walls. The tile is a special order and won’t be in for a couple of days, but that will allow the Kerdi to fully dry before I start tiling. In about four days this customer will have a fully waterproofed shower that will last for many years, and (most importantly) won’t leak!

Since this shower was a little larger than most, and required complete demolition, re-framing, and a complete installation, the start-to-finish time was a little over two weeks. Most showers do not take this long to complete, but a leaking shower always requires more time, and is consequently more expensive to rebuild.

In the following pictures, the tile has been installed and grouted. The tile that was originally installed in the bathroom was not available any more, so the customer picked out a complimentary tile. The customer also chose a pebble stone for the floor and accent.

Pebbles come in a variety of shapes and styles, and this particular pebble is rounded on top. If you choose a pebble for your shower floor, it’s a good idea to lay some out on the floor and walk on them in your bare feet to see how it will feel in the shower. Not everyone will like the feeling of walking on pebbles, and you’ll want to find that out before you go to the expense of installing them in your shower.

In addition to being installed on the floor, a row of pebbles was installed on top of the fourth row of tiles as an accent, and on the front of the shower curb. Because the pebbles require much more grout, several coats of sealer are recommended to make cleaning easier. Trevathan Floors recommends a simple cleaning method for all tile showers: after each use, hand-dry the tile with a towel. This cleaning method requires no chemicals or cleaners and allows your shower to dry much faster. It also wipes away any soap scum and mineral deposits left on the surface of the tile and grout. A shower that is hand-dried after each use will require no other maintenance under normal conditions.

Because of the size of this shower, a number of soap dishes were installed in the corners. Trevathan Floors can also install recessed soap dishes in your shower for a slight additional cost. Recessed soap dishes are more valuable in a smaller shower where space is limited. The same can be said for benches, like the one in this shower. This bench is built up from the floor with dimensional lumber and drywall, and takes up a small amount of floor space. A Better Bench, which is attached to the walls, will free up that floor space in a smaller shower. Look for a Better Bench and recessed soap dishes in upcoming projects on this site.

If you suspect your shower has been improperly built or is leaking, call Trevathan Floors for a free assessment and estimate.

This is Permabase cement board mounted to the studs with 2″ deck screws about every 8″. I cut it with an angle grinder and a 4″ masonry blade. The cutting should be done outside due to the dust it produces. Permabase can be scored and cut, but using a grinder makes a much cleaner and more accurate cut. It’s installed with a ¼” gap above the tub. The joints have been covered with alkali-resistant mesh tape and then filled with thinset. USG mesh tape is sticky  on one side, so it can be put in place on it’s own, then skim-coated. Permabase edges are beveled so that the mesh tape and thinset doesn’t make a hump on the wall. The screw holes have also been skimmed to make a flat surface for the liquid waterproofing. The thinset is allowed to dry overnight.

When the walls were framed up for this tub, the opening was a little wider than it needed to be. The studs were also a little out of plumb. I used my table saw and ripped some 1×4′s to the appropriate widths to make the walls plumb, and flush with the lip of the tub. You can see the lighter-colored wood attached to the studs behind the CBU. These furring strips allow the CBU to sit in front of the tub lip, as opposed to bending them out from the framing and making  the  wall  out of plumb in the bottom few inches. As stated before, I used 2″ screws to make sure the screws went through the CBU, the furring strips, and well into the stud. A shorter screw might not have been long enough to reach into the stud.

There is a ¼” gap between the Permabase and tub. This joint is filled with silicone. You don’t want the CBU in contact with the tub or wicking will occur, causing  the  bottom  of  the CBU to be saturated. The silicone acts as a “moisture barrier” between the tub and CBU. The silicone needs to be smoothed out so that it doesn’t stand proud of the CBU (raised and uneven) and cause problems later when the tile is put up.

Protect your tub with a tarp or heavy paper. Here my tarp slid off the side into the tub during the demolition and a section of old tile fell and chipped the tub. A tub repair kit can be used to repair damage such as this later, but caution is cheaper.

Laticrete 9235 liquid waterproofing is applied to the CBU joints with a disposable brush, in conjunction with the 6″ wide fabric supplied with 9235. This strengthens the seams and makes a more monolithic waterproofing membrane.

I then used a standard paint roller to completely cover the CBU with 9235, making sure that every square inch of the CBU is covered. This coat dries fairly quickly (2-3 hours) and a second generous coat is applied to ensure adequate coverage. For the second coat, I painted the two corners and down near the tub with a brush, then rolled the field up to about an inch from the ceiling, which is well above the shower head.

The products used in the preparation phase of this project include the following:

GE Silicone II® water proof caulk. Caulk that keeps water out is a necessity in areas that will be exposed to water, such as this tub surround, so a permanently waterproof caulk is needed. If the caulk is not permanently waterproof, the area could be left vulnerable to water damage and mold growth.

PermaBase® Cement Board is a rigid substrate made of Portland cement, aggregate and glass mesh that provides an exceptionally hard, durable surface that is able to withstand prolonged exposure to moisture.

LATICRETE 9235 Waterproofing Membrane is a thin, load-bearing waterproofing designed specifically for the special requirements of ceramic tile, stone and brick installations. A self-curing liquid rubber polymer and a reinforcing fabric are quickly applied to form a flexible, seamless waterproofing membrane that bonds to a wide variety of substrates.

USG Tile Backer Tape USG tapes are made of alkali-resistant, polymer-coated, glass-fiber mesh and are specially designed to reinforce the joints and corners of cement board. Its polymer coating offers protection from high-alkali Portland cement mortars, and it resists cracking.

This is the first in a 2-part series on shower and tub surrounds. This completes the preparation portion of the project. Please see the next article on installing the tile for this project.

In part 1, the preparations finished up with the application of Laticrete 9235. After the 9235 is completely dry, usually overnight, I start with the first row of tiles. Getting the first row level is extremely important since successive rows will sit on top. I did the back wall first so that the cuts in the corner are not as noticeable. After the first row is complete, I use a spacer board the appropriate width to allow for the glass and stone listello that will be installed later. The weight of the tile holds the boards in place. Be sure that the width of the board allows for the listello and a little bit of grout on either side. Making sure the boards are all the exact same width ensures that the tiles will stay level.

These tiles are rather large 18×18 porcelain. I skim-coated the walls with thinset, then combed thinset on the back of each tile with a ¼x⅜x¼” trowel for maximum coverage. I used good quality Stanley levels (one 4′, one 2′) to keep everything in line. I also used plastic Tile Spikes to help level the first row, and on some of the subsequent rows. If you install much tile, you’ll find that very often tile is not consistent in size. The spikes help make up for these inconsistencies. I also made cutouts in the corners for two soap dishes that will be added later.

After the tile has set overnight, the boards are carefully removed. The listello used here came in 12×12 sheets mounted on mesh. The sheets were cut into  three  equal  strips,  then  mounted on the wall with thinset using the same trowel as before. I then use a grout float to push the tile into the thinset and  keep  everything flat. A few more tile spikes were used to keep them from sagging until the thinset dried. I also mounted the two soap dishes, using thinset and packing  tape  to hold them up until the thinset dried. I used a small torpedo level to make sure the dishes were sloped very slightly so that water would run off. I also installed the bullnose tile at this stage (not shown).

Now that all the tile is up and the thinset has had the chance to dry overnight, I move on to grouting. I decided to use two different color grouts to make the listello stand out more. I put masking tape over the grout joints of the 18×18 tile where it meets the listello to keep grout from getting in. I then grout the listello with unsanded Mapei Chamois grout. Unsanded grout is used when the grout joints are ⅛” wide or smaller. The next day, I use the darker sanded  Mapei  Mocha  grout  for the larger tiles, being careful not to get this darker grout on the listello. I let the grout dry overnight before putting on the
final touches.

There is a small gap at the ceiling and, because of the thick layer of thinset, a gap between the bullnose tile and the drywall. At the ceiling, I used acrylic latex caulk, which matches the paint on the ceiling. If the ceiling is a color other than white, the caulk can be painted, or another color of caulk can be used. Since this area won’t see any significant moisture, it’s okay to use the less expensive paintable caulk. If the gaps are wide, you can use strips of foam backer rod to fill the gap before caulking. This will keep you from having to use too much caulk, which causes the caulk to shrink and crack when it dries.

I used white silicone to caulk between the tub and tile. The silicone matches the tub, and will hold up better than acrylic latex caulk. Silicone is more flexible, but more importantly, it resists moisture better than non-silicone caulks. I also re-installed the shower  door. Since I furred out the walls, the opening is now a little smaller, so I had to cut some of the metal framing down. I used clear silicone to seal off the frame and keep water from getting out. I used masonry bits to drill holes into the walls, then I used drywall anchors and screws to mount the two side pieces. Silicone is also used to hold the bottom door track onto the tub. Never drill into the tub to mount the door track. If you drill holes into the tub, eventually it will leak and cause problems.

The valve trim pieces and tub spout are replaced as is the shower head. The tub is ready for use now that the silicone has been allowed to dry overnight. I’ll need to do some drywall work on both sides of the shower, but that won’t affect the use of the shower.

This completes the porcelain tile surround for this tub. You can do this yourself by following these guidelines, or you can call a tile professional for a worry-free job that will last you a lifetime. If you would like an estimate on doing your tile project, please contact me for a quality professional job.

Trevathan’s currently employs the Kerdi System for shower installation. The Kerdi System is the ultimate waterproof system. Kerdi employs a special drain and membrane that stops any water that gets past the tile and directs it straight to the drain. This system prevents the growth of mold and mildew that occurs with conventional showers.

The most common problem with showers is that they retain moisture and eventually leak. This problem is usually due to improper installation. A rule of thumb for tile showers: you get what you pay for. Don’t let a tile installer tell you that they can install tile directly to the drywall. This is a common mistake that always requires a complete tearout and rebuild. Tearing out and rebuilding a shower is much more expensive than doing it right the first time.

Trevathan Floors can also tile around a tub that has a shower head. In as little as a day and a half, tile can be installed from the tub to the ceiling. Another half day can include tile on the ceiling. We can also install a flush-mounted can light in the shower. We contract with the finest glaziers mount the glass doors and panels that complete your exquisite new bathing area.

This is a complete master bathroom renovation that included a large amount of tile for the floor and walls. It features a “slate-looking” ceramic tile that was installed with a listello border. The tile in the main part of the bathroom goes up the wall 7 1/2 feet, and 4 1/2 feet in the toilet room.

The shower is waterproofed with Schluter Kerdi membrane, and the walls around the tub were waterproofed with Redgard. The soap boxes are recessed into the wall cavity and are completely waterproof. This shower will dry out sooner after each use, which makes it more difficult for mold or mildew to grow. This is all due to the Schluter Kerdi membrane!

The shower glass enclosure and glass door for the toilet room were installed by a local glass company. The L-shaped cabinets and tub skirt were installed by a cabinet company. All of the plumbing fixtures including the tub, sink, and hardware were supplied by L&L Plumbing and Heating and all plumbing work was done by my good friend and master plumber Rex Littrell.