Been a while - master bathroom remodel - helping a friend

[DoofusOfTheDay]

Been a while since I've been here at JB world. Helping a friend remodel his master bathroom. Started demoing, and capped 6 water lines last night, moved old jacuzzi tub out of the house, to make room for soaking tub they are getting. Current flooring is ceramic tile, on top of 1/2" thick CBU, attached to 3/4" subfloor via (audible gasp) liquid nails. Friend was going to get click lock bamboo flooring. Somebody talked him out of that, so he has bought ceramic tile. Good, I like this better than the bamboo. But, now I need to talk him into ripping out all the CBU attached via liquid nails or go with his plan of getting more CBU to attach to floor where the tub was, since it had no CBU there, was installed on top of plywood.

We had to cut a 1 foot square hole near tub to get to pipes underneath to cap those pipes off. And I must say the CBU did appear to be pretty solidly attached via the liquid nails method, but I know this is a no-no. Gotta use thinset to fill nooks and crannies to get it nice and flat.

Am I nutz to let him go with his plan of doing liquid nails on 1/2" CBU for space under tub, and letting him go along with all that currently installed 1/2" CBU with liquid nails and install ceramic tile on top of all of it?

[Houston Remodeler]

As you know the problem is the high chance for open space under the CBU. A test will be simple; place a 6 , 8, or longer straight edge along the floor. Have someone walk slowly next to it and see if the ceement board deflects under the weight.

Try driving some Backer-on screws next to the straight edge in a few spots. See if the cbu goes down.

[DoofusOfTheDay]

Phew I talked him into ripping out liquid nailed CBU. Helped him rough in all the electrical, remove the crappy shower build. Green board with thinset right on top, and shocker there was some moldy mushy green board near the bottom part of shower walls when we ripped it apart.

We need to pull up some subflooring that is sisting on top of wooden I-Beams to run lines to the new shower location. What's the best way to sister a regular wood joist to a wooden I-Beam if we need to?

I also talked him into adding a layer of 3/8" plywood prior to even thinking about putting CBU or my preference of ditra.

Am I a good friend or what? This is his retirement home so trying to make sure he/we do this right!

[DoofusOfTheDay]

What's the best way to set a kerdi drain, in a kerdi shower pan assuming I will not have access to the plumbing underneath? I know Schluter recommends breaking out the spacers in their foam pan and gluing the drain to pipe using these spacers to maintain proper height and then later shoving thinset under and over to set it. I guess I'm a little nervous about shoving some of the thinset out of the way leaving voids when doing it this way. I can't remember, but thought I glued and set the drain all at once when I built my first shower. That shower was on mud pan I made myself, but would think gluing to pipe and thinsetting the pan in place all at once would not be that big a challenge?

Here is how Schluter says to do it with their shower pan, but what do they know?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idrOHY3Hthg

[DoofusOfTheDay]

Not getting much action on my thread. Oh well, will try a new question. Last time I did a kerdi shower, pretty sure I used versabond for everything, under the kerdi and on top. Is versabond still a good choice?

[Cain]

1. I don't know any way to sister an engineered joist

2. Setting a kerdi drain without access underneath is easy.
Get an Inside pipe cutter to cut your old drain away.
They can be found in the plumbing section of home depot.

3. A lot of folks use versabond but that does void schluters warranty.
Specialty tile in Norcross sells laticrete 317 which is what I use when I do kerdi. If you're nowhere near norcross, send me a pm and let me know what side of town your at, ill direct you to your nearest supplier

[DoofusOfTheDay]

Got lucky? with setting drain. We actually are moving drain to across the room. My buddy wasn't paying attention to where we pulled up subfloor to get at pipes to relocate, and took a step in between joists made a nice hole in the ceiling below. And, he happened to do it right where we are relocating the drain to, so problem solved!

I live over near Town Center Mall, but don't have a problem with voiding warranty if Versabond is the only readily available. It hasn't failed in multiple instances I've used it. But, if you know someplace around here I would entertain buying some.

We are going to add some blocking, add some 3/8" plywood on top of the 3/4 plywood and skip sistering joists.

[Bodie Powers]

took a step in between joists made a nice hole in the ceiling below. And, he happened to do it right where we are relocating the drain to, so problem solved!

Gotta love your Optimism

[DoofusOfTheDay]

Gotta make lemonade when life gives you lemons!

[DoofusOfTheDay]

Does anybody know where to get the cool looking trowel(looks like a wide margin trowel) that the guy in Schluter video uses? Or what it's called? To me looks like a 6" wide margin trowel.

[Cain]

Tile house in marietta sells customs uncoupling mortar.

[RichVT]

That trowel is called a bucket trowel.

They don't seem to be real common but you can get one online from Tile Tools:

http://tiletools.com/us/bucket-trowel-7/

[reefone]

greg I think you might be talking about a bucket trowel.

[DoofusOfTheDay]

Okay so the kerdi curbs don't come pre-pitched any longer. So is the preferred method to install flat on floor and then just pitch the tiles a tad when setting on top of curb? There will be a frameless glass shower door and sitting on the curb on left side as you are viewing the shower attached to the wall to the right as you look at shower. We need to ask the shower door guy if maybe he wants the tile to lay flat as sometimes the door installers want it that way? Any other issues to consider with kerdi curbs and frameless shower door install?

My buddy bought those "river rocks" to put on shower floor. I told him I know there could be issues putting those on the kerdi shower tray unless they were the flat bottomed type of rock. I believe he said they are indeed flat bottomed and are installed in 12" square mats. Those will be okay to install on kerdi shower tray?

[jondon]

posted by Gregg:
My buddy bought those "river rocks" to put on shower floor. I told him I know there could be issues putting those on the kerdi shower tray unless they were the flat bottomed type of rock. I believe he said they are indeed flat bottomed and are installed in 12" square mats. Those will be okay to install on kerdi shower tray?

Yes they don't pre-pitch the curbs anymore too many people were puttin them in upside down with the pitch against the floor. It isn't obvious as pitch is gradual so easy for a DIY to install it wrong. Yes install it flat and level on the floor and pitch the tile to the correct slope so the water will go back in. Yes the glass door installers want it flat correct but with slope. When they come out to measure they are normally looking to make sure there is slope towards the shower pan. If they are not looking for that then they are not good glass guys. Of course if you don't put the slope there as a tile installer you aren't....... The slope is not extreme just enough for water to go back in. Some people think of it as exaggerated.

As for the kerdi tray I believe they have a minimum size of tile you can use to have a warranty by them. I think that is 2X2" tile, I am thinking for a pebble install even if flat in a shower pan you want to do a mud bed and take the tray out. What did your friend use for his pan, or hasn't he installed his pan yet

Okay I just went back to the beginning, this is your friend's shower so the tray is installed.
What size are the river rocks?