KERDI shower system vs. Jacuzzi preformed shower pan

[saydee19]

Good day! My husband an I are in the process of remodeling our bathroom in our first home. We've spent quite a bit of time looking for a 42"x48" shower pan, and finally found one yesterday, made by Jacuzzi. Then, I came across the KERDI shower system, and it cought my eye. I'm trying to figure out which way would be the best to go. The shower has 2 8 1/2 foot x42" walls, and the other wall is48"x about 6', with a window at the 6' point. We're toying with cement board and the jacuzzi system vs. the Kerdi shower system. If we were to go with the Kerdi, we'd have to cut 3" off 2 sides to make it fit, but that shouldn't be a problem. Price wise, they're about the same. Any insight at this point would be greatly appreciated. Also, what should we put on the ceiling. Green board? Cement board? I don't think we're tiling the ceiling, but we want to do it right! Thanks so much guys!
Sara

[bbcamp]

Sara, let me suggest a third option: Use the kerdi for the walls, but build a mud base and use a kerdi drain for the floor. By using mud, you can make a custom-sized base with the drain where necessary and save a few bucks, too! Building your own mud base isn't all that difficult. See our Liberry for a thread on shower construction. Somewhere in it will be instructions on how to construct one. Yours will be easier since you will be doing only one layer with no liner.

As for the ceiling, use plain old 5/8" drywall, and apply a good primer and topcoat to protect it from the occasional spray.

Bob

[saydee19]

We had thought about that too. Time wise, is it fairly quick to do that? We're looking for the quickest, easiest, and most affordable - go figure! Thanks for the suggestion. We'll have to consult with our tile guy. If we have him build the mud base, do we need to slope the floor when framing it out? I'm sure you can tell we've never done anything like this before! Thanks so much!

[bbcamp]

If your tile guy has ever installed a pre-slope in a shower, he'll know how to do this. The main difference is that there is only one mud layer, and you use the Kerdi drain instead of a clamping-ring drain.

[John Bridge]

Hello Sara, Welcome.

I think you know we've had a number of people build with the Kerdi method here. There are instructions here and on the Schluter site: http://www.schluter.com There is a video there on how to install the products.

Like Bob, I would forego the foam floor in favor of a mud floor. Any tile setter who claims to be one should be able to handle it, expecially if he follows the instructions provided.

I personally build Kerdi showers all the time. I'm building one now.

[David Taylor]

Hi Sara,

It was nice talking with you on the phone yesterday.

Bob and John bring up a good point about having your tilesetter do a mud pan with the Kerdi drain. He should know how to work with mud. The Kerdi drain is the easy part.

If you wanted to tackle it yourself, that's something to consider as well. The system is relatively easy to install and very quick. We're always in the area, too.

[jgleason]

Sara,

I thought I'd give you my opinion as a non-professional. I am in the middle of our bathroom remodeling. I went with the Kerdi system but due to the size/shape of the floor decided against the prefab Schluter floor and went with a mud preslope and Kerdi drain. I've got to tell you, the mud preslope is not hard at all. In fact, I don't know why I stressed about it at all. Pick up John's book (if you haven't already) and definitely look through the Liberry, you will find tons of helpful information on this Forum.

Good luck!

[saydee19]

Joe, thanks for the vote of confidence! My only other question to all of you wonderfully brilliant people is, can we build a wall at a 45 degree angle with the Kerdi membrane? From what I've read, it's incredibly user friendly, and looks like it will conform to just about any shape/size needed as long as it has a 2" overlap.

[jgleason]

Sara,
Yes, the Kerdi is very easy to work with. See my shower/bathroom plan here. I've got two angles in my shower and a full bench. The floor plan shows the wall layout nicely. I'll see if I can add some more pichers to my shower thread that show the angled walls.

[John Bridge]

Hi Sara,

It's like everything else. Take your time, and it'll come out. Some people have a harder time than others, so there is no guaranty, but you can probably do it.

I remember the first lady who built a Kerdi shower with our help. It was a couple years ago. Her name is Karine W, and she's in Montreal. She built the thing single-handed and had a baby in the process.