Curbless design with pebbles

[jeffnc]

I'm designing a shower with a pebble floor. It's a Kerdi shower. The pebbles are flat so I think it will be fine for the tray. I'm looking for this kind of thing.


Sorry I don't have a picture, but to compare to that design, where you see the curtain, imagine there is a standard height Kerdi curb, with glass going on top. Then there is a 28" opening (no door) where the pebbles are going to spill out. This area has no curb. The shower is a little bigger than 6' square and the opening is about 5' from the shower head, so I think this will be OK. In the past when I've done a curbless shower, I've dropped the shower floor down, but due to the size of this shower I think I can get away without going through that hassle/expense. The outside floor is Ditra.

So it's a 72" tray, which means the height at that edge is what, 2" or so? About like shown in that photo but a little less I guess. So I could flow the pebbles over that, down onto the floor. But I don't really like that sharp lip there and I'd like to fill it in to make a smooth little slope. Between Kerdi and Kerdi Fix, I think I can get everything waterproofed OK.

What would be the best material to use for this slope? I've got a bunch of this left over that I'd like to use, especially because it's fast setting, and I can put it down, Kerdi over the top of it and get right back to work.
http://www.ctscement.com/rapid-set-cement-all-2/

[Davy]

If you're going to use the cement, do away with the Kerdi tray and make the whole shower floor out of cement. Can you do that?

[jeffnc]

No it's all in.

[Houston Remodeler]

Pebble floors require a steeper slope than flat tiled floors. That extra slope is more than any pre-formed pan I know of. If you use a pre-sloped pan with pebbles you will wind up with pockets of standing water all over the floor due to inadequate drainage.

[jeffnc]

Yeah we've discussed that, but with the flat pebbles and a high grout line, they're hoping it helps and it's the system they wanted. It's more like this



than this

[Davy]

It's hard to keep a high grout line with pebbles. The higher the grout is, the less stone you see and no one seems to like that. The grout needs to be washed down some which causes the puddling Paul is talking about.

But, if they aren't really round pebbles and more flat, then you can probably get a fuller joint and avoid the deeper puddles. The pic you posted shows round pebbles that are probably flat on the bottom.

[jeffnc]

I linked that pic because it was the one my client showed me to get the spillover pattern.

The shower area is built. The Kerdi tray and curbs are installed. They changed their mind from tile to pebbles at this point. I discussed all these things with them and they understand. So we picked a flatter pebble and I told them I'd grout as high as I can but there might be issues with water not draining perfectly.

The feedback has been helpful but I really came here to ask about the spillover "curb". Will that concrete I have work well? I have never used it in a shower application before. I've only used Kerdi tray material and dry pack mortar. However I've only used dry pack where it stays relatively thick, not where it feathers down to nothing. I want to know about the concrete patch because I have it - it's free - and it claims to go from 4" down to a feather edge. I can't think of any reason I shouldn't use it, or why I couldn't install Kerdi over it.