Waterproofing and tiling in earthquake country

[markch]

For building up a curb over a 2x base covered by wire lath:

In the comments for:
https://floorelf.com/creating-a-thre...comment-page-6

There is the thread (below). Fwiw for other members here, I bought Roger's e-books as well, and found them informative.

Alison
Hi Roger! Your site is immensely helpful!

Can I use Sakrete Type S Mortar for the curb?: http://www.homedepot.com/p/SAKRETE-8...2880/100350211

Thank you!

Alison

Reply
Roger
Hi Alison,

Mortar mix can not be used in any form to make deck mud or wet mud, so no… Sorry.

[cx]

Well, Mark, I'm afraid I'll just hafta go on record as disagreeing with Roger on that. He's a knowledgeable fella and usta be a useful participant here and I'm surprised that he'd make that comment. Even more surprised to see him say you could use deck mud for such a curb.

What he's calling "wet mud" is what I've always referred to as fat mud. And, as he describes, it's basically deck mud with the addition of a plasticizing material such as hydrated lime. Type S mortar is made from sand and masonry cement, which is Portland cement mixed with a plasticizing material such as......wait for it...hydrated lime. Type S mortar is, effectively, fat mud or wet mud or masonry mix. Call it what you will, the only differences are the proportions of the various components. Type S is not my favorite mix for fat mud, but it will work just fine for making a shower curb.

The bagged Quikrete Stucco Base Coat is never in stock at my local suppliers and I've wanted to try it to see if I like it better than their Type S Mortar Mix. One day, maybe.

Next time you visit The Elf's site, please tell Roger I invite him over to 'splain us why we can't use Type S mortar on our curbs since it's the same thing as his wet mud, eh?

My opinion; worth price charged.

[markch]

Ok, it's good to know I've gone less insane than I thought. Thanks for the info.

[markch]

Can I solder these together so that if I unscrew the drop el that attaches to the nipple, it doesn't unscrew the extension hex nipple? The hex will be just behind flush with the tile if possible

[markch]

On second thought, how do any of these clock and stay water tight?

[cx]

I suppose you could, Mike, but I'm not sure what difference it would make if the fitting came out when you had to remove whatever that is in your hand. Could you not screw it right back in?

While it's frequently possible to have brass-to-brass threaded fittings be watertight without any tape or pookey, I always use some on all my fittings. Should be able to line everything up just fine given two threaded portions to tighten.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[markch]

As always thanks for not leading me astray.

[ss3964spd]

Looks like a Grohe wall Elbow, Mark, and as you can see from the slot in the cover it allows for a lot of wiggle room.

Pipe nipples are generally offered in 1/2" increments. You do not need a nipple with a hex for a wrench, a plain old nipple will do. When it comes time to assemble the elbow and nipple into the drop ell just coat the threads of each end of the nipple with pipe dope (or Teflon tape), screw the elbow onto the nipple then screw those into the drop ell. As soon as the elbow gets a little tight on the nipple, the nipple will then turn and get tighter in the ell. You don't need these to be super tight.

[markch]

Makes sense, Dan. I'm paranoid from leaking hoses, but brass threads are a different story.

I'd like to minimize curb height using 2 2x4's, and one planed down to 1/2", with 1/2" of mortar on top to float it, 4" in total. This lines up with 2" required height above a drain (laticrete bonding flange) that is 1 1/2" above the floor, and 1/2" wiggle room. Aside from perhaps avoiding thin stock, is there a reason others typically stack 3 2x's for a curb?

[cx]

I'm confused. Why ever would you plane an inch off a 1 1/2" board to make a 1/2" board, when 3/4" boards are available and you'd do better with fastening if you used a rip of 1/2" plywood? And even more confusing to me would be planing down that board and then adding a half-inch of mud on top to build it back up. Please to 'splain this baffled one.

I'd also point out for your calculating pleasure that the requirement for the curb height, which makes no sense to me at all, is that it's the top of the finished curb that must be at least two inches above the top of the drain grate. I believe that's still how the P2709 section reads in the latest version, which I do not have. And if anyone should care, that curb top cannot be more than 9 inches above the drain grate. If it is, then it's no longer a shower, it's a tub.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[markch]

Used shorthand for some general milling: a couple of cuts on the TS and a pass on the planer to clean up was faster than a trip to the hardware store in this instance.

Hopefully it's not stoking rivalry, but regarding curb buildup, Roger The Elf mentions:
"Ideally you want it about 1/2 thick, but there is no real number for the thickness, so shoot for that."

( https://floorelf.com/creating-a-thre...or-your-shower )

This is also a case where I was second guessing my reading of the requirements, convincing myself, "the curb must end when the waterproofing ends, that's why all those curbs you see are so incredibly high".

3" from two stacked 2x + 1/2" of mortar + 3/8" tile & thinset gives me a height tolerance for being within code that I'm comfortable with, no need for the extra 1/2".

[markch]

Naturally, I had to make said avoided trip to the BBS shortly thereafter anyway, so your question played out in my mind.

[cx]

Well, the requirement certainly should be that the waterproofing layer of the top of the curb must be two inches above the drain and I'll never understand why it's not written that way.

But, as our friend Dave Gobis is fond of saying, "It is what it is."

My opinion; worth price charged.

[markch]

Shower pan is done. Will need to add another 3/4" to the curb, the drain ended up being higher than I thought.

I didn't close off the wall yet since I want to test the shower plumbing first. Will waterproof floor and two sides, then test the shower as part of the flood test.

[CaliGrown]

Here’s a good one for doing curbs: your diamond lath is better than our West Coast (Nor Cal) Chicken War.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...HViGwGy0uH8a0a