Foam Backer board from Home Depot

[shadow-wulf]

Greetings Wise Men:

I have almost got to the stage where I am going to start tearing apart my bathroom to pull out the plastic tub / shower unit and put in a ceramic shower only.

( I have a major brain surgery coming that will wreck my balance & I don't want to fall on my head on the slippery surface )

I have downloaded the Kerdi Book & am reading it but I have one question reguarding a product I saw advertised in Home Despot.... (is that how you guys spell it?)

It is a high density foam board for use instead of CBU.

I am purchasing the Kerdi shower kit and was wondering if I could get away with this stuff or do I have to go the heavy CBU?

Thanks in Advance!

[ckl111]

I haven't used the stuff before but I think the product you are referring to is "Easyboard". It has been discussed before so you can do a search on easyboard for other people's experience with it. Here's one to start you with : Easyboard

If you are doing a Kerdi shower though, there is no need for CBU or easyboard. You can used plain drywall.

[shadow-wulf]

Thanks for the name of the product. I tried searches with different words and couldn't find it. Doh!

[ceramictec]

I would use regular sheet rock or cementboard in the shower.

I don't think Easyboard with it's surface will be suitable for an unmodified.

make sure you find a good unmodified thinset too. no $5 bag.

[shadow-wulf]

Thanks again for that link.

The only problem I saw was with the "burning in" so that the thinset would stick properly to the Easyboard.

Would that be an issue if I am using the Kerdi system over the Easyboard?

I am in a relatively small town that only has Home Depot as a purchasing place for these things and we know how well trained they are in answering questions about products...

Thanks again.

[shadow-wulf]

When it comes to the ceiling of my shower I still haven't decided between glass mosaic (the 12x12 sheet of 3/4" peices) or just to paint it.

any thoughts as to waterproofing if I decided to paint?

and do I Kerdi the ceiling if I'm going to tile?

Thanks again folks!

[bbcamp]

The best substrate for Kerdi is regular drywall. No need for anything else.

If unmodified thinset doesn't stick to something, you can apply Kerdi over it.

No need for Kerdi above the shower head. You can tile on drywall from the shower head up to and including the ceiling. Do make sure you have enough support for the ceiling drywall.

If you want to paint the ceiling, use a good quality bathroom paint and have at it.

[shadow-wulf]

Excellent! That makes life easier.

The Tile shop I bought my porcelain tiles from told me to use Chembond Magniflex Ultimate 8830 over the Kerdi.

Now I've read the Kerdi info and the Kerdi shower book and both don't advise the High-flex thins set.

Now I've got to drive 1.5 hours back to the store to return it and get proper stuff. This is supposedly a very knowledgeable store that specializes in tiles and this guy himself has built a long pond in the store to test many showerheads into it from overhead. He used the stuff he sold be and the pond has been going for three years.

I still dont think I should use this product though!

What are your thoughts?

2nd question.

I'm thinking of installing a shower light into my new shower from the current light location (one light bar on either side of the mirror) down to single lights and then run either a potlight in the shower or an external.

I have to check code first to see if I can.

Which light would you suggest?

potlight or an external

Thanks guys! (um and gals?!?)

[ceramictec]

do what Schluter says, not a guy with a long pond.



from looking at the Chembonad website you need the FloorBond™ 8400.
unless its pretty cheap thinset.
looks like the only UNmodified they have.

[shadow-wulf]

that's what i figured!
THanks

[Deckert]

What type and size of tiles are you putting on your walls?

[shadow-wulf]

18 x 24 porcelain. I wanted to go big and have an offset "brick" pattern.

Does the size of the tiles make a difference as to the thinset? Less grout lines less possibility for it to dry / cure?

[madronatile]

exactly. that's why you need an unmodified thinset, even more important with large porcelain.

If you're shopping at the depot I don't know about their unmodified selection. Versabond could be an option, but as you'll remember from the Kerdi book the Schluter peeps don't recommend it.

[shadow-wulf]

I wish I could blame HD for giving me the wrong stuff but this was a Tile specific store in Toronto. Grrr. Will be calling and giving him a piece of my mind.... a small piece cuz I don't have much to share. LOL

[shadow-wulf]

So it turns out that the tile store only stocks Modified thinset. He took it back and I went to Home Depot for proper unmodified.

Shower walls 18 x 26 porcelain installed
Shower floor 3.5 x 3.5 porcelain installed
Shower ceiling .75 x .75 glass mosaic installed ( it really brightened it up)

1) Next is bathroom floor. Does anyone have any tips when it comes to doing around the toilet trap? How close do you need to be to the hole? This will be the 18 x 26 porcelain tiles as well.

2)I'm keeping my vanity but tossing the laminate top. I want to do a plywood top and then cover it with the glass mosaic that I used in the ceiling of the shower.

I've seen a site that says I'm supposed to do a very dry mortar bed with metal lath and a waterproof membrane before installing the tiling.

Is this really necessary on a 22" x 60" bathroom vanity?

3)The sink is a very wide shallow sloped Kohler sink that drops in, should I set it on top of the glass mosaic or flush with the top and then meet up to it with the glass?

Thanks as always for answers, (I mistakenly thought that it would be simple)