Shower/Tub Wall Replacement Question

[RollTideFan]

Hey Guys,
I've been away for a while but thought I would visit before I start my next project.

My question is: I am about to take off some existing ceramic tile out of my Shower/Tub wall. This tile runs up to about 6ft off the floor. So there is about 2ft of sheetrock above the current tile(pic is included if I can get it to work on my end of things).

1.)When I take off the current tile, what preperation will I need to do before I put up the new tile?

2.)Can I leave the current sheetrock thats above tile now in place? Or do I need to take it out and go all the way up to the ceiling?

3.)If I go all the way to ceiling, how do I prep this area?


Thanks guys,
Torrey
Pelham, AL.

[jimithing]

Hi Torrey, I'm just a DIY'er, but here's a link to my thread:

http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/...ad.php?t=57207

I need to upload more current pictures as the surround is actually tiled now, but I think it'll get you started on your project. My surround is already down in that first picture. They just had drywall up behind mine.

The surround really needs to be waterproofed before you tile it. It can basically be done 3 ways. I'm listing these in order of ease (at least for me)

1. Kerdi - goes right over the top of drywall and then you tile right on top of it. You can search here or google for it and get info about it. This is what I did in my bathroom. It's the orange stuff.
2. Cement board with a paint on waterproofing membrane like Redguard. I didn't go this route because cement board is more difficult to work with than drywall.
3. Mud. This is the preferred method for a lot of the old school tile guys. It's a bit of an art and I think take some practice to perfect. Maybe if I was doing the whole shower instead of just a surround I would have gone for this, but I thought it was a little much for me to take on for a smaller project like mine.

So, if you've got sheetrock behind your current tile it'll probably need to be replaced with one of the above choices. I think technically you don't have to waterproof all the way to the ceiling, just below the height of the shower head. I chose to go all the way to the ceiling just for peace of mind.

Hope that helps. I'm sure someone with more experience will be along to chime in too.

[RollTideFan]

Thanks Jeff, Yeh thats kind of what I was thinking as well, go all the way up with water-proofing. I have heard a lot about Kerdi but I have not researched it. I will try that. Do you know if its expensive?

Thanks,
Torrey

[RollTideFan]

I just done a little reading on the Kerdi and watched few videos. Its still kind of unclear to me that you can JUST put the Kerdi directly to sheetrock? That just seems kind of scary, or are they are just that confident in the product?

What type of thinset do you use to apply this stuff to the drywall? Any names, brands, or advice is appreciated?

Thanks,
Torrey

[jimithing]

Yeah, I was a little nervous about putting it directly on sheetrock when I first researched my project, but yep, it goes right on top of it. Schluter recommends an unmodified thinset for putting the Kerdi on the drywall and also for putting the tile on the Kerdi. I myself used Mapei Kerabond, which can be found at Lowes. Home Depot carries an unmodified thinset(can't remember the name at the moment) that people here aren't real fond of, so I'd away from theirs.

As far as price you can check it out at Tile Experts:

http://www.tile-experts.com/categories.asp?id=48

That's where I bought mine.

[Deckert]

1.)When I take off the current tile, what preperation will I need to do before I put up the new tile?

--depends on what you find behind your current tile, and how badly it gets beat up during your demolition. I wouldn't commit to any particular system until the demolition is done, you see what you are left with, and what condition the walls are in.

2.)Can I leave the current sheetrock thats above tile now in place? Or do I need to take it out and go all the way up to the ceiling?

--You can leave that sheetrock alone. Also, theres no reason you have to tile or waterproof all the way to the ceiling. If you like the look of tile all the way to the ceiling you can do that, but its a matter of personal preference.

3.)If I go all the way to ceiling, how do I prep this area?

--If you decide to tile all the way to the ceiling, I'd scuff up that paint and tile right over it. The important thing is just to get the waterproofing up above the shower head. I'm not sure if theres a hard and fast rule how high above the shower head, but I go for 6" above.