And now..my master bath project! - Ceramic Tile Advice Forums

reyesuela · 09-14-2009, 03:26 AM

Yes, this entire portion of the house is being redone, on two floors.

*sighs*

I love the look of marble for a bath but think the maintenance is insane. If I asked DH to squeeze the walls, he's prolly squeegee me, instead, and I can't say I feel THAT different about it! I'm looking for some really attractive rectified porcelain that looks like gray-and-white veined marble. I found some crema marfil imitation of pennies that looks awesome, but it can't be used on anything as large as a bath because there's only one pattern!

Sources, anyone?

Davy · 09-14-2009, 07:36 PM

Visit some tileshops in your area. They all have showrooms and might can help you find what you want.

reyesuela · 09-15-2009, 02:40 AM

Most of them have the real stuff or nothin'.

I really like the tile from Porcelanosa--the marmol series--so that might work. I saw it years ago....

reyesuela · 09-18-2009, 12:52 AM

So, what's your favorite way of removing a mud-and-lathe shower? There isn't enough room to swing a big maul in. Right now, I got a huge chisel and a hammer and I'm going after it tomorrow, with any luck.

I haven't posted pics of the bath yet. Ya'll will get a kick out of it, for sure. Even mastic should probably have coverage grreater than 20% on the back of a tile. ;-P And tiles aren't supposed to be held up by grout alone, coming down in sheets at a tug.

Opened up the wall, and even behind the mud, there's a bit of a stench.

I spent 9 hrs yesterday laying floor, and it wasn't even the bathrooms. It was the playroom, which is getting wood-look vinyl. (When it is no longer a playroom and all the water problems are 100% solved, it will get a floating hardwood floor.) My legs HURT. It's been a while since I've done anything like that. You'd think it'd be easy, right? Just butt them up next to each other and occasionally check to make sure it's all straight, right? Well, I've been reduced to marking off every FOOT. That's right, every FOOT. Vinyl has a lot of squoosh in it, so not getting off by a quarter inch every two feet takes ridiculous amounts of effort. Plus, I'm hand-scraping mastic up off the floor every time I want to set a strip. I don't recommend this to anyone. Seriously. But it's straight, and it really does look like wood, even right up next to the wood stairs.

I only get to work when my baby and kid are out from underfoot and the husband isn't sleeping, so everything's progressing slowly. By the end of the day tomorrow, I hope to have removed the last few bits of tile and all the drywall from the master bath. Then it's time to repeat for the kids' bath, WHICH we will still be using, and then bust out the master shower. *sighs* If I am ready to move us to the basement shower by Mon after next, I will be a very happy woman.

Goal for the night: Lay 3-4' of the vinyl in the playroom/office.

My legs are already whimpering....

reyesuela · 09-18-2009, 11:11 PM

My husband is upset by my removing the mud over lath in the shower because he thinks it must be structural. Because why else would they put "concrete" in a house, right?

I cannot convince him otherwise.

Ideas?

Edthedawg · 09-19-2009, 08:53 PM

maybe just to be on the safe side, you could post a pic or two of what you're up against?

One might contend if it's fighting you this effectively, there might be some equally effective way to fight back?

Davy · 09-19-2009, 09:05 PM

The mud behind the tile can come out, no problem there. I would rent an electric chipping hammer from Home Depot. It will really help get it out faster. Not sure how many will be sleeping with all that noise going on. If they can't sleep, get them to help, it's a hard job.

Get some leather gloves, eye and ear protection, maybe even a face shield. I can't tear one out without drawing blood before it's over with.

Lazarus · 09-20-2009, 09:22 AM

And, you can assure him that it is NOT "structural." All the mud does is to assure you a monolithic shower.

reyesuela · 09-20-2009, 02:14 PM

> I would rent an electric chipping hammer from Home Depot. It will really help get it out faster.

I borrowed one from a friend. It's AWESOME!!!!!!!! There's enough room to swing the maul just enough to knock out huge uhks once the chipping hammer's outlined a section.

I am so hot and filthy right now, but I'm making progress!

I've mostly convinced DH. Mostly....

reyesuela · 10-24-2009, 03:32 PM

Well, DH got convinced, and the rest of it got demo'd. I hired a friend to work alongside me.

We took out the kids' bath after this shower, and if the kids' bath is what mud walls are SUPPOSED to be like, I understand the cavalier advice about just going at it with a maul and a little patience. It took one FIFTH the work of that shower! 1"-1.5" mud wall are NOT to be trifled with.

The demo was just flat painful. Why put on .5" drywall when you can put two layers of 5/8ths? Why nail every two feet when you can nail every foot? Why put in one nail when you can put in two? And heck if you have some scraps of 2/x4 left over, why not just double up parts of the walls with scrap, four studs wide in places, just for the heck of it?

Why not? Because the person who takes it out will curse you forever, that's why not!

reyesuela · 10-24-2009, 05:45 PM

Kohler doesn't have any recommendations for setting their Mariposa tub in cement or on a mat. Is it a stupid just to JUST use their leveling blocks?

gueuzeman · 10-24-2009, 05:57 PM

While the tub is made to be fine just on the feet, a little extra support under the tub will make it feel and sound more solid. Mix up a bag of cheap thinset and put it under there as you set the tub.

.

reyesuela · 10-24-2009, 09:50 PM

Thanks! I thought that's what you were supposed to do and was surprised to see it not mentioned.

What # bag would do it for a 66x36" tub?

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