first time shower question...

[cab]

I'm about to tackle my first shower. I plan to use kerdi throughout. I am also planning on a trench drain as I found one with a kedri membrane attached. As a result, my shower floor will slope evenly to one end of the shower. I need to build a presloped shower pan prior to tiling the floor. It will be roughly 1" thick at the drain, rising to 2 1/4" thick at the wall opposite the drain.

I have read the article on deck mud/dry pack. I am wondering why I can't just use regular concrete for this, with lath in it for reinforcement?

Alternatively, since the floor will have an even slope, could I not build up the floor with plywood, shim as necessary for the slope, cover with cement board, and go over that with my kerdi and tile?

Thanks...

[cx]

Welcome back, Chris.

You can, of course, pour concrete for that sloped floor if you want, but I'd recommend very strongly against it. Not only is it far easier to get a flat sloped surface using deck mud, but you'll not have the problems with your concrete wanting to curl and crack while curing.

You can even try the plywood and CBU if you want in your own shower on accounta it's your own shower, but I wouldn't recommend it. Nor would Herr Schluter, by the way.

The deck mud is so inexpensive and so easy to place near perfectly to fit the application that trying to reinvent that particular wheel just makes no sense at all to some of us.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[cab]

Thank you very much. Just the answer I was looking for...Deck mud it is....

[leon82]

there is a nice deck mud calculator in the liberry which I have found to be quite accurate.

[Houston Remodeler]

I keep that web page saved on my smart phone to calculate deck mud poundage / quantity in the field.

Perhaps my phone is smarter than me.....

[cab]

As I mentioned here the other day, I am doing my first kerdi shower...

One of the short walls in the shower is about a heavy 1/8" out of plane- apparently the stud in the middle was a bit narrower or twisted a bit compared to the two on the outside.

I am wondering if it would be ok to fill in the concavity in the wall with joint compound to bring it back flat or should I use thin set? Of course, it will be covered with kerdi afterwards...The concavity is about 1/8" deep at the deepest point and maybe 18" wide by 5'-6' high up the wall...

Thanks again...

[Kman]

Chris, you'll probably have an easier time removing the wall board and sistering the stud or shimming it to get it in plain with the adjacent studs. You can, if you want, fill in that depression with thinset and let it dry overnight to get it flat, but thinset can be difficult to work with for that application. As long as you don't build it up any more than the 1/8", you would be okay.

And let's keep all questions related to this project on this thread so that all the history is in one place.

[cx]

Chris, I'm in the camp that is not at all afraid to Kerdi over some patches of drywall mud. If your wall needs a little help, that's what I'd use.

My opinion; worth price charged.