Pulling up tile off Schluter membrane

[Brian_KS]

Hi Folks!

Been reading this forum for a while and you have some very knowledgeable people on here.

Here's my problem. I am putting in a shower and have the walls and floor installed with the Schluter membrane over it. I went to HD and they told me that OmniGrip would work to install my tile over this. I wish I had read this forum before I put the floor in. Luckily, that is all I had done. I waited about a week waiting for the stuff to dry and it never did, the tiles still felt spongy. So after reading this forum I realized I had the wrong stuff. I pulled up each tile carefully and cleaned off the orange membrane. Now I am asking you, can I install my tile correctly with the right thinset or do I need to add another layer of the membrane over the existing floor? The tile pulled up rather easily but some of them I felt pulled up a bit of felt fuzz with it. I hope I am making myself clear enough.

[muskymike]

Hi Brian, welcome! As long as you cleaned off the Kerdi an unmodified thinset will be fine. Make sure you mix it a hair loose for the floor tiles.

[Houston Remodeler]

What Mike said plus;

Don't scrub too hard as to take the fuzz off the kerdi. You need that. Use a lot of water to get all the omnigrip off. It will re-emulsify and soften

[Brian_KS]

Ok, thanks for the info.

One more thing, why do I need to mix the thinset loose?

And while we're at it one more question. Do I need to wet down the membrane before I tile so the mortar will not skin? I think I read that somewhere and figured you would know.

Thanks.

[muskymike]

Hi Brian, you want the thinset a hair loose because you won't be able to back butter the floor tiles. Just make sure while you are setting them you check the coverage.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

And no, you're not wetting down the Kerdi before spreading the thinset. You're thinset is going to be on the loose side and you're good to go. Just make sure to use the flat side of the trowel to "burn" the thinset to the Kerdi and to the tile before flipping the trowel and combing out your thinset. This action really forces the thinset onto the surfaces to promote a good bond.

[Brian_KS]

Thanks again for the advice. Wish I had found this forum before I started.

[Houston Remodeler]

Brian,

Now that you have, remember to tell all your friends. And its a good idea to start looking for a decent recipe for home made banana bread.

Just sayin....

[Brian_KS]

Last night I was looking through this forum for a picture of a floating bench and I found it. Probably should have saved it but I didn't. I want to show my wife what it could look like in our shower. Has anyone installed one and if so do you have a picture?

[jadziedzic]

Search for "Better Bench" (on this forum or on the 'net at large) and you'll find pictures of a couple of different styles (corner or rectangular).

[Brian_KS]

I've seen the Better Bench seats and they look good. However, I saw one last night on this site that was "thicker". Looked almost like the curb thickness.

Thanks for the advice though.

Also, hey Tony, how do you pronounce your last name?

[jadziedzic]

The Better Bench is made by Innovis; Nobel Company also has a floating bench, but it's a corner variety.

zeh-zik (Americanized) or jedje (Polish) are the phonetic pronounciations that I've always used.

[smilner01]

I am finishing up tiling our master shower that I installed the larger ( 30" I think) better bench in, I stood on it to tile and grout some of the ceiling. These things seem solid, I went over kill on the blocking behind the bench and by no means think you need this much lumber in the wall, but I had some scrap 2x12s lying around.

[dhagin]

Maybe check this one for ideas.

http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/...t=marble+bench

[Brian_KS]

Ok, so I did the leak test and noticed that there were a few small holes that need to be fixed.

(1) Can I just put a patch over each hole and seal it with thinset? I realize that Kerdi-fix would be the best product to use but I can't find any here. Perhaps another sealant would work?

(2) I have a bag of TEC Fullset plus thinset mortar leftover and will use that to lay the tile, OK to use? I don't want another fiasco like I had with the mastic.

(3) Also, I am going to eventually tile the cement floor. Will the TEC work ok by itself or do I need to add any additives to make sure the tile adheres good. I also have a bag of Customblend Standard Thinset Mortar (unmodified). Would that be better for the floor?


And just a word of advice to anyone tiling in a small bathroom. When you sit down on the floor, make sure your tape measurer is not directly under you. I bruised my tailbone and there's not alot you can do to make it feel better.

Thanks for the help!