# shower tile



## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Why yes it is.. good eyes Angus.
Did not touch it.
I pretty sure that the tiles were damaged by previous cleaning.
She is a pretty good house keeper, the rest of her house is spotless.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

So what's going back in?


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Morning Wood said:


> Are you back?


No, Whipple hijacked his login.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Going to choose tile tomorrow.
Stone would be my first choice.
I may try the urethane grout, not sure.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Stone is very porous. If they had issues with well water, stone isn't going to make the situation any easier. I'd personally stick with porcelain for a more long tern piece of mind. 

I'd also skip the urethane grout. Urethane doesn't like the moist of a standard mud bed pan. Go with an epoxy.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Thanks Angus. I was going to seal it with stone enhancer, but with porcelain, and epoxy it wont be needed.
God, I hate epoxy. I spent hours getting it off a tub the first time I used it.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I've never used the urathane groutbefore, thanks for the heads up.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

B.D.R. said:


> Thanks Angus. I was going to seal it with stone enhancer, but with porcelain, and epoxy it wont be needed.
> God, I hate epoxy. I spent hours getting it off a tub the first time I used it.


The great thing about epoxy is you can use a lot of water cleaning it up. If you clean as you go, you should never have an issue with hazing or residue. I don't work on more than 6-9 sq ft at a time.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Shower base is just shy of 15 sq ft


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

TNTSERVICES said:


> The great thing about epoxy is you can use a lot of water cleaning it up.


Those instructions are specific to Mapei epoxy. Spectralock still says use a "damp sponge"


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

B.D.R. said:


> Thanks Angus. I was going to seal it with stone enhancer, but with porcelain, and epoxy it wont be needed.
> God, I hate epoxy. I spent hours getting it off a tub the first time I used it.


Even with a sealer, the shower pan is the most abused part of the shower, meaning the sealer will wear the faster there. 

If you had issues with epoxy, urethane will fight you just as bad, if not worse. Clean up is the hardest part of learning to work with urethane. You really need to do not more than 1 or 2 sq ft before clean up. You push it to 4-5 sq ft and it will already be drying on the surface. That's when your troubles begin. Besides, you need to wait 7 days until the shower can be used _after_ installing urethane. 

Porcelain and epoxy will be your friend in the long run...and it's not often I don't recommend urethane.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

angus242 said:


> Those instructions are specific to Mapei epoxy. Spectralock still says use a "damp sponge"


The only one I would use because off that!


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

angus242 said:


> If you had issues with epoxy, urethane will fight you just as bad, if not worse. Clean up is the hardest part of learning to work with urethane. You really need to do not more than 1 or 2 sq ft before clean up. You push it to 4-5 sq ft and it will already be drying on the surface. That's when your troubles begin. Besides, you need to wait 7 days until the shower can be used after installing urethane.


My switch to mostly urethane has taught me that well. Still trying to get the hang of it.


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

Have any of you used the TEC Tecnicolor premixed grout? Is that a urethane?


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

kiteman said:


> Have any of you used the TEC Tecnicolor premixed grout? Is that a urethane?


I wouldn't use a premix for a shower pan unless it was urethane AND it had a waterproof pan (membrane).


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

The shower is all Kerdi and water tested. Is that Tecnicolor urethane? Is it any good?


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

The supply house is promoting the stuff, is why I'm asking.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

I don't think it is. Maybe some kind of acrylic silicone similar to Fusion. I won't do it on a shower pan.


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

Thanks, Angus. You da man!

I don't know if there are any jokes about framers laying tile, but there ought to be.


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## PrecisionFloors (Jan 24, 2006)

kiteman said:


> Thanks, Angus. You da man!
> 
> I don't know if there are any jokes about framers laying tile, but there ought to be.


I think I'd rather one build me a grand piano with a drywall hatchet....

Lol - just kidding


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## kiteman (Apr 18, 2012)

A piano that rocks........


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

angus242 said:


> I'd also skip the urethane grout. Urethane doesn't like the moist of a standard mud bed pan. Go with an epoxy.



That's good to know. What happened to change your mind about urethane on standard mud bed?


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

I guess it never really changed. I would never do a standard mud bed so I guess it just never got brought up. If you look at the instructions on installing urethane over a mud bed, it says to wait so ridiculously long period of time...or maybe not to do it at all. The slow cure with all the moisture attacking the urethane from underneath can cause softening of the grout or that white powdery stuff that looks like efflorescences.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

angus242 said:


> I guess it never really changed. I would never do a standard mud bed so I guess it just never got brought up. If you look at the instructions on installing urethane over a mud bed, it says to wait so ridiculously long period of time...or maybe not to do it at all. The slow cure with all the moisture attacking the urethane from underneath can cause softening of the grout or that white powdery stuff that looks like efflorescences.


What about a couple of coats if AD on top of the mud bed?


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

That's fine...well, maybe not. I only use a fabric membrane because it helps me sleep at night. Regardless, you can't just drop some liquid on a standard mud bed and call it a day. You need to use the "divot" method or Noble Drain Flashing method to do so.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

angus242 said:


> That's fine...well, maybe not. I only use a fabric membrane because it helps me sleep at night. Regardless, you can't just drop some liquid on a standard mud bed and call it a day. You need to use the "divot" method or Noble Drain Flashing method to do so.


I guess I was thinking of a liner and mud bed, at that point the AD would be a barrier between the tile and moisture coming from the mud bed. Just a thought. Not a whole lot of thought.


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

TNTSERVICES said:


> I guess I was thinking of a liner and mud bed, at that point the AD would be a barrier between the tile and moisture coming from the mud bed. Just a thought. Not a whole lot of thought.


Then you wouldn't need the liner... or cause a moisture sammich.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I'm not sure what AD is, but I'm assuming that it is something like Redguard or the Mappie product .
How would that be any more of a problem than a sheet of Kirdi or Provo, as far as creating a sandwich?
I don't see how you could trap moisture, seeing as the mud pan drains.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Tech Dawg said:


> Then you wouldn't need the liner... or cause a moisture sammich.


The AD isn't tied in to the drain so you would still need the liner.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

The point is, if you trap moisture above the membrane, you don't need the liner under it. If you have a pseudo membrane you can trap some moisture in the med bed because not all moisture will seep down. Unless you have enough to lose to gravity, some will escape upwards too. 

But we digress. If you have a standard mud bed, I wouldn't recommend urethane grout. Epoxy is your friend.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

B.D.R. said:


> I'm not sure what AD is


Mapei *A*qua*D*efense


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I use the HPG product.
What would be the difference?


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

B.D.R. said:


> I use the HPG product.
> What would be the difference?


HPG needs the mesh to achieve the same results as 20 mils of AquaDefense w/o mesh.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I use it on the corners with the mesh.
wasn't aware of the the AD.
Was just looking at their website and also saw a CI.
I've got some reading to do


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

TNTSERVICES said:


> The AD isn't tied in to the drain so you would still need the liner.


I just meant that the mud bed wouldn't be serving its purpose at that point. (Go with the flow Rob) :laughing:


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## GO Remodeling (Apr 5, 2005)

B.D.R. said:


> I managed to get rid of all the white spots.
> It wasn't all that hard.


Is the shower base a mud bed with liner?


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

yes it is


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

Just an update. Finished the re-do. 
Not what I would have liked but I'm okay with it and she is happy. 
Never want to work on an island again
Ferries suck


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## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

Interesting color choices. Islands are nice if you live on them.


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## B.D.R. (May 22, 2007)

I just did the floor and the band at the top.
The blue wall caps were pretty poorly done but were not in the scope of my work.
She loves it and that is what counts.
She loves yellow. 
Beauitiful low bank water front seconds from two of the best beaches in the area.
Going on the market at the end of the month I think.
Would love to know how much.


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