Shower Tear-Out & Rebuild

[ss3964spd]

My first thought would be to screw it to the top plate, but if you only have 1.5" (or less if the drywall is on the ceiling) there the screw will probably be too close to the edge of the Durock and it'll break.

[BIGPHIL]

Originally Posted by mesatileworks

do folks generally screw Durock to the top plate, or just a vertical row of screws along each stud?

unnecessary, but you certainly can if you wish to. For Durock on walls with 16" o.c. stud spacing, fasteners should be spaced 8" apart per the manufacturers installation instructions.

[MesaTileworks]

The top plate is doubled, so there is enough height. I had to put furring strips in as they didn’t notch for the tub when it was installed, so if I need to attach the CBU to the top plate I’ll need to cut some short pieces to match the furring strips. Will definitely do it if it’s recommended but won’t go to the trouble if not.

[ss3964spd]

In that case I'd go ahead and screw them to the top plates.

[MesaTileworks]

Related to the earlier question about the half-wall (kneewall?)... I had hoped that tying it into the bench framing would be sufficient to stabilize it and keep it rigid and reasonably immovable, but it’s still not as stable as I’d like. Any ideas about how to keep it still?

There will be glass along the two open sides of the shower (an L shape that will run over the top of the half-wall and down and along both angles of the curb) that I imagine will contribute dimensional strength, but I’d like to make sure it’s sufficiently strong.

[cx]

When I need to make such short walls, Matt, I usually depend upon very square cuts, decking screws, and construction adhesive to assemble them. I also try to use 3/8ths" plywood on one side, also glued and screwed to improve rigidity if your design can tolerate that. You've already got more framing lumber in there than I would have and your bench should be providing a measure of rigidity if everything is well fastened.

On concrete SOG floors I glue and bolt the bottom plate firmly to the slab. On your wood framed floor it's a good idea to extend that outermost stud below subfloor level and attach it to the floor joist structure if possible.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[MesaTileworks]

It’s already glued and screwed, so no trouble there.

I’d originally thought *not* to put plywood between the framing and the Durock so as to keep the thickness of the wall consistent with the curb, but it’s occurred to me that if I put up 1/4” ply and then 1/4” Durock it would come out to about the same dimension as just the 1/2” Durock. Reckon the plywood would add some rigidity?

[cx]

I would not put the plywood on the Durock side.

[MesaTileworks]

CX, in terms of your plywood idea, did you mean to use Durock inside the shower and plywood on the outside face where it is not in a “wet area“? I’d assumed that even that outside face needed CBU instead of plywood...

[cx]

That's what I meant. Your outside face is also in a wet area?

[MesaTileworks]

Nope, the outside is not a wet area. So is it within general industry guidelines to put 3/4” ply on the outside and then tile over it? Does the ply need to be sealed in any way?

[cx]

Didn't know you were planning to tile over it, Matt. While you could probably get away with tiling over the 3/4" plywood (I had recommended 3/8ths" rather than 3/4"), it's not a recommended wall tile backing material and would add unnecessary thickness to your wall. The thin plywood I recommended was just to add rigidity to the wall package, but doesn't help with the fastening to the floor or adjacent wall.

If you plan to tile that side, you could just attach CBU to that side as well as the wet side. It's not indicated as a structural material, but I think it would do what I'm proposing if you use construction adhesive and screws to attach it. No industry guidelines involved. See my warranty information below.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[MesaTileworks]

Gotcha. That makes sense.

[MesaTileworks]

Just noticing that the Durock has a bunch of tiny cracks running through it. I’ve seen this on other Durock on other jobs and have wondered if it is a normal thing? Does it matter how this stuff is stored and transported? The overall integrity of the pieces seems fine.

[MesaTileworks]

Exhibit A: