Speed bump dam

[Just In Tile LLC]

Morning everyone,
I looked at a job yesterday that has been started by the homeowner for a handicap accessible shower.

After looking at what I had to work with, a speed bump dam looked to be the only option. I've never constructed one and wanted to know the best/only/your way of doing it to those who have.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

I've only done one with a speed bump using regular deck mud and it was about 8 years ago. I have access to see this fairly often and it's holding as though it was done last month. Deck mud pan with built in bump. Kerdi drain. I stopped the mud several inches out from the bump where it met up with the cement board floor. I had the run of the mill, so I lowered the pan area to accommodate its thickness and still meet up with the cement board outside the shower. Hydroban on all the floors and up the walls. 1" mosaics were used on the floor to follow the speed bump curvature nicely. And a regular shower curtain hangs just inside the speed bump.

I had another shower that was much larger. With all the potential pan thickness of a 10' pan, I switched to Laticrete'$ mud. That let me start thinner at the drain area than regular deck mud. This one had a frameless shower door. It was aligned directly over the apex of the speed bump. But because it was so far away from the shower head, I wasn't concerned about making such a big upward sloping speed bump on the inside of the shower. It didn't look symmetrical like the shower curtain example in the first paragraph. I knew what little water that made it by this shower door would be stopped by a mini speed bump. But the bump on the outside of the shower door was more dramatic down to the floor.

[Davy]

I've done 7-8 of them. On a slab, I bust it down low enough to get pitch and use the divot drain and paint on membrane. Seems to work fine.

[Just In Tile LLC]

Tonto, when you mud the actual bump/rounded dam is it all mud? I was thinking of laying a 2x4 on its side to get a good start.

Davy I unfortunately won't be able to lower the floor, because of how the addition is built. It's pretty far along at this point, and it's for a friend of a friend. I might only be doing the pan itself and handing it back over to them.

[Tool Guy - Kg]

The bump was all mud.

[Karls tile Inc]

Goof proof showers makes a plastic template for rollover showers. I think its called Handi Kirb. Never used 1 but have seen them at the supply house.

[Lou_MA]

Schluter has a foam ramp, Kerdi-Shower-SR.

[Davy]

The speed bumps I've made have been all mud and fairly low, 3/4 inch or less.

[Lazarus]

Yeah, did a Bathroom in Houston a while back in a townhouse. Lady had her father moving in and was disabled. Ended up mud floating the entire room along with toilet and vanity in place. Moved the drain from a tub to a central location and the entire room was essentially a shower. Put in a stripper pole next to the toilet and the room was 10' wide, leading out to the bedroom.

I mudded a "speed bump" just before the bedroom to contain water and feathered it down with a mixture of mud and modified thinset so they could wheel him in. "Bump was about an inch over one foot. Tiled it and, perhaps not a perfect solution...but it worked well and they're quite happy....

[Just In Tile LLC]

I might cut a form out of plywood, set a stick inside the shower running parallel to the dam, ride the floor on the outside and drag a bump out using the two "screeds" then so it's all mud.

Laz if I read that correct the bump ended up 13" tall!!?? Or wide

[Just In Tile LLC]

I do appreciate the input on the prefab bumps as well, if the pricing is right it's a viable option for sure.

[Lazarus]

Justin....lol. No, it was a 1" rise over the distance of about a foot or so...going into the BR.

[Just In Tile LLC]

Gotcha Laz, thanks for clearing that up. I read it waaaay different.

Davy is that a frying pan for the divot method? So you float to that, remove it and install the top piece? Which would mean that frying pan gets reused again and again correct? I need to "borrow" one from the wife if that's the case.

[John Bridge]

Can't find any pics at the moment, but I've done several without lowering the floor. In fact, that's the reason for the "speed hump." I used Schluter drains and Kerdi. The hump ends up about an inch and a quarter at the high spot and slopes to the drain, which is set almost level with the slab. The outside of the slope extends five or six inches beyond the shower into the bathroom. The mud is direct bonded to the slab.

[jwmezzanotte]

Wedi lingo pan is only 3/4" thick at the outside edge. I recently had a job where I couldn't lower the subfloor. I used a Wedi pan and then ramped up to it. I used Ditra in the rest of the room so the ramp was only about a half inch rise really.

Only problem is the Wedi pan is a bit pricey, and then it limits the drain location.
Worked in my case though.

I tried to upload an image, but the site won't let me