# Simple tile shower



## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Here's a small bath remodel I have been working on. AquaD on the walls. Color body porcelain. Fought this one as the tiles were not very consistent. Clients happy. Be gentle but let me know what you think..


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## TheItalian204 (Jun 1, 2011)

I think it looks very decent,nice job.


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

It looks fine.

I would have sprung for some store-bought shelves.

Why not just put the toilet in the shower so you can sit while you shower? Then you won't have to climb over it to get in the shower.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

cleveman said:


> It looks fine.
> 
> I would have sprung for some store-bought shelves.
> 
> Why not just put the toilet in the shower so you can sit while you shower? Then you won't have to climb over it to get in the shower.


Client didn't like any of the stock shelves..wanted something small. I took my concrete polishing wheels and polished the grooves off of the back of the wall tile so they were smooth underneath...give em what they want. As far as the toilet...yep it's a small bath.


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## skillman (Sep 23, 2011)

Nice work good job . Just would of used different shelves like what other ct bud said .


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

what kind of a receptor is that?


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Sterling


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I don't know what kind of material it is made of. Is that cast iron, some steel pan with an enamel on it, or some fiberglass unit?


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## JohnFRWhipple (Oct 20, 2009)

The Aqua Defense prep work looks great. Nice coverage.


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## slowsol (Aug 27, 2005)

cleveman said:


> I don't know what kind of material it is made of. Is that cast iron, some steel pan with an enamel on it, or some fiberglass unit?


Sterling is a fiberglass pan.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Yep they call their finish vikrel. Nice units. Also set them in a full mortar bed to level and make rock solid.


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I suppose there is a way to repair a shower pan like that. I have had a crack in a Kohler cast iron tub repaired.

I know this was for a customer, and I'm sure he spec'd the receptor. If you take care of it, I'm sure it will be fine.

However, I think a tiled shower pan would hold up as long as the surround.

This is what you get when you ask for a critique. The work looks fine.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

JohnFRWhipple said:


> The Aqua Defense prep work looks great. Nice coverage.


Thanks!! It is the first time I used AquaD. I like it. Dries fast! Have another one I just demoed today that will have a picture window in the shower! I will take lots of pics. Have a good plan of attack for making that waterproof. :thumbup:

On a side note..I use Mapei Opticolor resin grout almost all the time. I have really gotten used to how it mixes, sets, and cleans up. Has anyone used it before and used urethane grouts as well to compare the two?


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## Tech Dawg (Dec 13, 2010)

Nice shower:clap:


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I haven't used the Mapei resin grout, but have used the bostik tru color urethane. How is the resin grout different?

I paid $102.82 for a pail of the tru color today at a tile distributor.

Where do you get the Mapei stuff and what does it cost? I haven't noticed it at Maynards.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

At my Menards..don't have any local tile supply houses. A small pail is $22 bucks for colorant and resin components. It yields about 40 sq ft for 12 x 12 tiles at 3/16 joints.


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## srwcontracting (Dec 11, 2009)

Nice! I need to get a 3" hole saw like that for tile. Looks a lot nicer around the valve than a grinder.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

srwcontracting said:


> Nice! I need to get a 3" hole saw like that for tile. Looks a lot nicer around the valve than a grinder.


Not a hole saw my friend..good ol wet saw and some patience...good enough for the cut of the day?


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## sbcontracting (Apr 22, 2010)

Looks great. Question about Aqua D on the entire shower? Is that necessary, or added insurance? I like Aqua D these days, but I generally don't cover the cement board - just the screw holes and seams.


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## sbcontracting (Apr 22, 2010)

----


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Do the whole thing. Some could argue u just need it on screws and seams but cement board is not waterproof. For the little time it takes I would do all of if.


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Nice work! Looks Great! I like the shelves, there not so bad.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

+1 on looks good. :thumbsup: Keep up the good work!


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Thanks guys! TNT..I posted after you said on another post you were still afraid to post your work. Got me thinking. I am proud of what I do and want constructive criticism to become better. That's one of the reason I am addicted to this site. I get to learn new things about the industry every day. 

Got the tile in for next weeks bath. It is some sweet tile. 12 x 24 color body porcelain. Thick stuff! Can't wait to post that one. Gonna hold grout joints to 1/8..nice and challenging.


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## the rock (Feb 27, 2011)

I think you did a great job with the small space you had to work with.Looks professional and neat.I agree.... waterproof the whole shower.N.


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## sbcontracting (Apr 22, 2010)

overanalyze said:


> Got the tile in for next weeks bath. It is some sweet tile. 12 x 24 color body porcelain. Thick stuff! Can't wait to post that one. Gonna hold grout joints to 1/8..nice and challenging.


Have you tried tile levelling systems? I find with 24" tile it makes life so much easier. You still need a nice flat base or else you will still encounter issues but to keep the lips to a minimum. It also makes spacing a peice of cake almost eliminating the need for spacers - it locks the tile so tight that you can move the tile in place and don't have to worry about them moving.

Gone are the days of worrying about what happens when you push one corner of the tile down, and the other one pops up. 

Try them out... there are a couple of systems out there.

Good luck!


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

I have seen them. We don't do a whole lot of tile work but I have started on the larger tile job and can understand how those would help. It is definitely more crucial to have a flat surface to lay on. So far I am happy. Will post pics soon.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Just have tile inside window, last rip down piece at top, and bullnose trim at sides of shower and as base trim to do Monday.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Here is the window trim detail. My bullnose was about 3/4" away from the glass. I filled this void with my Mapei Ultraflex 2. Then I masked a line about and inch from the glass and applied AquaD to the thin set. Also before any tile went in the window area it was fully AquaD'd. For the trim I chose PVC so it did not have to be painted or rot. I applied a bead of high quality silicone at the rear close to the glass. I cut my trim so it needed to be sprung into place. To hold the trim in place while the silicone cured I used hot glue. Once all pieces were set it received another neat small bead of silicone. 

I did all of this so that if the glass ever goes bad, the trim can be removed and the glass replaced without trashing the tile. It was not possible to change out the glass from the exterior.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Looks nice. I like operable windows in the shower. There is nothing like a spring fresh air morning shower.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Looks nice. I like operable windows in the shower. There is nothing like a spring fresh air morning shower.


Thanks...except it's a picture unit. But nothing wrong with some morning sun in the shower!


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

overanalyze said:


> Thanks...except it's a picture unit. But nothing wrong with some morning sun in the shower!


Or moon depending on what side of the window you're on.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

My all time favorite shower was an outdoor one I used at a beach house in Cape Cod. It was simply an amazing experience. I thought about incorporating one into a deck off of the master bedroom. Could be something different not everyone has.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

That would be cool. Wouldn't be too hard to do.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Nope and it would be useful about half the year here. I envisioned teak everything with a rain head.


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

The easiest way would be to use a hot and cold frostless spigot that hooked up to the mixer valve with some braided lines. Then when done for the year just take off the braided lines and everything drains out so there is no freeze concern!


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

overanalyze said:


> The easiest way would be to use a hot and cold frostless spigot that hooked up to the mixer valve with some braided lines. Then when done for the year just take off the braided lines and everything drains out so there is no freeze concern!


I think it would be a little something special which would add a sense of uniqueness to a home. I think the future of home building will increasingly concentrate on mending the out and in doors.


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## Ethos (Feb 21, 2012)

sbcontracting said:


> Looks great. Question about Aqua D on the entire shower? Is that necessary, or added insurance? I like Aqua D these days, but I generally don't cover the cement board - just the screw holes and seams.


My problem with CBU is that it isn't waterproof, so if a shower gets used heavily, there's a decent chance that moisture will get through and seep into the framing. You could use Urethane grout, which would offer some protection, but still, I wouldn't rely on it. Also CBU is heavy, a pain to cut and doesn't offer any real boost in sturdiness that I've noticed. It's harder to break than fiberglass reinforced gypsum products, but doesn't really have that much less flex in my opinion. (I could be wrong on this, if anyone wants to correct me, I'll yield that point.)

If I used CBU, I'd at least use a vapor barrier behind it to keep moisture off of the studs, but then there are the penetrations caused by the screws. Since CBU is heavy and a pain to cut, I would prefer using a sheet membrane like the OP used, Kerdi or Wedi over drywall, or a waterproof board like Kerdi board, Wedi foam panels. 

Like I've posted before, I use Densshield with all penetrations and seams sealed by a sealant that thinset adheres to like Sika 221 or Wedi sealant (both urethane sealants and basically the same thing.) Silicone doesn't work so well as thinset won't adhere at all, and if you have a tiny cut piece or a deco strip going over a seam / screw, it isn't so good.

Could it be overkill? Possibly. Maybe I'm the exception and not the rule, but about 30% of the showers I demo where it's tile on drywall are just fine underneath. Still, I feel better about having a completely waterproof layer beneath my tile.


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## jarvis design (May 6, 2008)

Ethos said:


> but about 30% of the showers I demo where it's tile on drywall are just fine underneath.


So the other 70% are crap?? Seems like a good reason to waterproof!!


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## TNTRenovate (Aug 19, 2010)

Ethos said:


> My problem with CBU is that it isn't waterproof, so if a shower gets used heavily, there's a decent chance that moisture will get through and seep into the framing. You could use Urethane grout, which would offer some protection, but still, I wouldn't rely on it. Also CBU is heavy, a pain to cut and doesn't offer any real boost in sturdiness that I've noticed. It's harder to break than fiberglass reinforced gypsum products, but doesn't really have that much less flex in my opinion. (I could be wrong on this, if anyone wants to correct me, I'll yield that point.)
> 
> If I used CBU, I'd at least use a vapor barrier behind it to keep moisture off of the studs, but then there are the penetrations caused by the screws. Since CBU is heavy and a pain to cut, I would prefer using a sheet membrane like the OP used, Kerdi or Wedi over drywall, or a waterproof board like Kerdi board, Wedi foam panels.
> 
> ...


The benefit of CBU isn't it's water proofing, but mold and mildew resistance. A VB behind CBU, while expected method, is not one that I would use. A liquid membrane on top is the best way to waterproof cbu, IMO.

If you put plastic behind the CBU every screw that holds the CBU penetrated the VB leaving a nice big hole for moisture to penetrate. Why do that to the VB? A liquid membrane covers all holes, screws and seams.


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