Shower Project

[ss3964spd]

IMO, I just wouldn't care about the C/L of the glass falling on a grout line. As your contractor proposes it, only 1 "filler" piece would need to be cut, but your proposal would require two.

Is that a bathtub on the right side, Mike? If yes, no shower head, correct?

[eagle4x]

A contractor came today to install the tile.

Questions:
1) He used a trowel with 1/4" square notches on the 24x48 tile but he spread the thinset with the notches on the tile and on the wall. Was this ok since 1/2" notched trowel should be used for that sized tile?

2) He didn't put thinset on approx. 2" around perimeter of the tile. I asked why and he said so his hands didn't get thinset on them while installing the tile and he said the thinset on the wall would fill in those areas and he said it also keeps thinset from squeezing between the seams. He did put a little bit of thinset on the spacers.

a) Would any of those methods cause problems with tile coming loose from the wall?
b) If not enough thinset on the spacers would that cause a problem breaking them off?

3) The thinset I provided him to use was Laticrete Multimax Lite. He put bag in 5 gallon bucket and put water in without measuring it...he just poured it in until obtained the consistency he wanted. Water is supposed to be put in bucket 1st then powder. Would either of these cause problems with tile adhering to the backer? He said he uses thinset by Custom Building Products and has never used Multimax Lite.

Regarding the piece for the knee wall...I wanted a niche installed in it. One piece cut to fit and then he cut center out with his grinder but piece tile broke on the edges because only 1" at the top. He suggested cutting another piece and then installing it and then cutting out hole with grinder.

- I could cut out a template and place against the tile to make it easier, but I'm concerned it will still break even if installed on the wall. One thing that makes this difficult is the 2x4's on each side are out of square by 1/4". Wouldn't be better to cut 4 pieces..left, right top center, bottom center with seams?

FYI..bottom left of 1st pic is the entrance to the toilet area and the door has not been installed.

[ss3964spd]

1) How the 95% mortar coverage on the back of the tile and the minimum 3/32nd's of mortar thickness is achieved doesn't really matter. If the tile and wall are flat I think his method will be fine.

2) Probably a mistake. To come close to 95% coverage he would have had to take the mortar out to the edges of the tile. Any mortar getting on the tile or squeezed into the joints can be delt with after the tile is installed and before the mortar cures. NO idea what is meant by "He did put a little bit of thinset on the spacers."

a) Not likely
b) No idea

3) Adding water to the bucket first does help with getting the mortar thoroughly mixed by avoiding dry powder at the bottom, especially around the perimeter of the bucket. Probably not a show-stopper though. He ideally should have measured if he mixed a whole bag at once.

Not surprised that piece for the niche broke. He may have more luck doing the cut out after the tile is installed and the mortar has cured for a few days. Up to you if you want to take the risk or have him piece it together with 4 sperate pieces.

Your sealing/water proofing for that insertable niche is going to need to be spot on.

[eagle4x]

I should have checked this while contractor was installing the tile, but this am I put a level on the tile and noticed there's a gap that's 21" long where tape on tile in the pic with widest gap 1/16" at the seam. The gap is the entire length of the tile.

One side of the shower glass to be installed on that wall.

I contacted a few shower glass installation companies and was told 1/16" is within the tolerance limits and gap would be filled with silicone. I still don't like, but guess I'll have to live with it.

[eagle4x]

@Dan you said waterproofing for the niche will need to be spot on. Other than sealing edges with silicone of tile before inserting it as says in the instructions, what else should be done? The backer board is waterproof goboard.

[ss3964spd]

As I see it, Mike, you wouldn't want to install that niche and then seal the perimeter to the tile, I don't think that's going to look good, at all, IMO, and there probably won't be much of a gap between the perimeter edge of the niche and the tile face into which the caulk can grab ahold.

You'll need to flip that thing over and gun a generous bead of silicone caulk into the recess of the back of the flange. Also have to make sure the cut out in the tile is juuuust large for the niche to fit in while leaving enough tile for the flange to over lap the face of the tile so that the caulk can create a seal.

Can't tell from here if the niche for the insertable niche was water proofed. If it is you might consider leaving out a 1" section of caulk at the bottom so any moisture that might get in there has a way to drain out.

[eagle4x]

@Dan, the niche is 18 gauge stainless steel with a 1/2" lip.

I have some kerdi membrane that I'll install inside the frame and install the 2x4 supporting it at an angle for water drainage.

Thanks!

[eagle4x]

I measured from ledge of the pan to where gap starts and it's 76", just below the opening of the shower head. The ledge is 4" high so that's 80", which is sufficient for my 72" height, therefore the gap is not an issue anyway.

Before the tile was installed, I put a level against the backer and it was out of plumb by 1/16" at the top left corner so I inserted a 1/16" flat shim behind the backer and that fixed the problem, therefore, either the shim somehow cause the gap or the wedges on the top row put pressure on the top of the tile and caused it to protrude forward since nothing at the top to put pressure. I think it was the latter because the gap is the same the entire length of the tile.

Some of the quotes received for shower glass so far are in the $1.5K to $2.5K range based on options such as clips vs channel, thickness of glass, etc. I wanted a sliding door, but the 48" opening not wide enough for that. I could have minimized cost of the shower glass by extending the knee wall to the ceiling thereby requiring only a shower door, but with the "L" shaped glass it will increase the dramatic effect of seeing that beautiful tile when walking into the bathroom and will also increase the resale value of my home vs. having a shower door.

Thanks for everyone's input!

[eagle4x]

Attached is a pic of the top of the knee wall (treated 2x4) with a piece of 1/4" waterproof backer and a piece of kerdi. The other pic is the cap.

Would it be better to use the backer or the kerdi underneath the cap?

[cx]

Wish you hadn't used that treated wood to build that pony wall, Mike, but I guess that ship has sailed.

That's the wall between tub and shower, right? The top of that wall must be sloped toward the shower and it must be fully waterproofed. That looks like some sort of foam board in your photo, and you could use that, but it would hafta be tied into the waterproofing on the shower side of the wall. Wouldn't hurt to waterproof both sides, but only the shower side is required.

You cannot use the Kerdi on the top of the wall without first installing a CBU or drywall or similar. Or your foam board, if you prefer, of course.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[eagle4x]

Yes, it's the wall between the shower and tub.

1) What's the issue with using treated lumber in the wall?

2) How many 16th's of an inch should the cap be sloped towards the shower? One side of the shower glass will be installed on top of the cap.

3) I cut out a 14.5" x 14.5" hole for a niche in the knee wall and there is wood on 4 sides. The niche is 18 gauge stainless steel. Is kerdi ok to use for waterproofing it? If not, best material?

[cx]

1. Dramatic shrinkage and warpage.

2. Same as all other horizontal surfaces in wet areas, Mike; a minimum of 1/4" per horizontal foot. An eighth of an inch should be more than adequate for your wall top.

3. Is the niche itself not already waterproof?

My opinion; worth price charged.

[eagle4x]

Maybe I over thought the waterproofing of the niche with trimming the inside of the recess with kerdi, so I assume not necessary and use only Dan's suggestion from post #156?

The niche itself is stainless steel and doesn't need waterproofing and was going to at minimum use Dan's suggestion for waterproofing during installation.

[ss3964spd]

Mike, in #156 I mentioned I couldn't tell if the recess was water proofed, then mentioned "if it is"...

I really couldn't tell from the photos how you built that recess; if it was bare wood, treated wood, or wood covered with some kind of backer board and then covered with membrane.

Technically, Kerdi isn't supposed to be adhered to bare wood, and I Imagin it's too late now to cover the wood with a suitable substrate for a membrane.

[eagle4x]

@Dan: I lined the four sides of 2x4's of the recess with ditra and test fitted the niche and fits like a glove.

The knee wall top is a treated 2x4. The granite knee cap is 8" wide by 42" long and weighs approx. 60 to 80 lbs. Based on CX's recommendation, I'll put a thin strip of ditra along the length of the wall at the back so the cap is tilted towards the shower pan.

I have some scrap pieces of 1/4" and 1/2" waterproof goboard.. Would it be better to:

1) Install the cap on top of the 1/4" or 1/2" goboard? If the answer is either of these, I'll put a bead of goboard sealant along the edges of all sides of the board after installed.

2) Buy cement board and waterproof it with redgard, and if so, use 1/4" or 1/2"?

3) Don't install cap on any backer and install directly on top of the wall (with the kerdi underneath) using thinset?