GoBoard Kerdi shower tray hybrid

[kdroyer92]

I know its been discussed a few times, but I have a thought about the joint and not sure why it wouldn't work.

1. Place the Kerdi sloped shower pan on the subfloor.
2. install goboard on walls with 1/8" gap and fill gap with goboard sealant.
3. the go board would be on top of the kerdi pan with a 1/8" gap.
4. put the goboard sealant between goboard and kerdi and spread out a couple inches both ways.

Any water coming down the goboard would hit the sealant and be directed to the waterproof kerdi, not sure what would be wrong with this? (sketch attached. Picture needs rotated 90 degrees clockwise).

Any constructive criticism? I've already got the materials so not too interested in switching directions/materials, just want to make that joint from Goboard to Kerdi as leak proof as possible.

[ss3964spd]

Hey, Doug, welcome,

Might work. You'd be banking on the sealant to be flexible enough to absorb any movement between the walls and floor, and remain so for years, decades. Since there is no flange as a back up, should that joint fail, there won't be anything to stop water from getting in, and evidence of it happening won't be noticeable for quite a long time.

If I had a vote I'd say Kerdi band and the pre-formed Kerdi corners, per Schluter's instructions.

[Tile & Stone Guild]

Water will always find a way. Once the joint moves enough to let water through you will regret not addressing it correctly. It looks good on paper but things like this don’t work out in the real world long term.

[Tiger Mountain Tile Inc]

However Schluter says to install their Kerdi Board is how I would install GoBoard. So if they want the board in first, then the pan, that's how I would do it.

If they are OK with the board sitting on top of the pan, then that's OK. How do they want the fasteners installed on Kerdi Board? How high up off the pan? That can be an important detail.

I also think it's a good idea to not completely rely on the sealant at that critical pan/wall corner. A band of Kerdi band, in addition to the sealant, is just good insurance.

[kdroyer92]

I am almost finished setting my tumbled travertine in a shower remodel. The walls are 8x16 tiles and the floor is the cobble travertine (about 2" random sized pieces). The walls are go-board and the floor is Kerdi foam tray. I realize that tumbles travertine wasnt the best choice for a shower, but the wife really wanted it.

Tile shop sold me cement grout, but now I'm heavily leaning towards spectralock pro epoxy grout to help keep everything sealed up. I keep reading where people seal the travertine first, but since the tumbled travertine has Many pits and holes i'm concerned that sealing first would not allow the epoxy to stick as well in the pits and divots. If the sealing doesn't prevent the sticking of epoxy then whats the point of sealing first?

Some of the tile has larger "indents" maybe 1-2" around that has a depth of maybe 1/8" or so. Would you just fill that entire depression with epoxy and try to strike it smooth, or would you try to scrape it down and keep the divot exposed, just having the epoxy fill the pits in the depression. (Not sure if that describes it best).

After I epoxy the travertine, will the sealer/enhancer make the tile look blotchy at all? afraid that if even a slight film of epoxy is left on the travertine then the sealer/enhancer wont soak in and work properly.

Thanks for the help!

[cx]

I've combined you with your original thread on this project for continuity, Doug.

I'm concerned that you think you need epoxy grout to make your shower waterproof. Your shower should be completely waterproof before the first tile is installed, and the grout, or lack thereof, is not a part of the waterproofing system. While the epoxy grout may keep most of the water from penetrating the tile surface initially, it will not make the floor waterproof. It will, however, prevent, to a large degree, the water that does penetrate the tile surface from evaporating back through the tile surface. Not something you want in a shower floor.

I recommend you use a cementitious grout for your shower floor. If you don't want all the irregularities in your tile surface filled with grout, a grout release before grouting would be your best bet. If you want to seal the tile installation, for reasons not clear to me on a shower floor, I would recommend you do that sealing before applying the grout release or grouting.

I don't understand the part about the larger "indents." A photo or two might help a good deal.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[kdroyer92]

The epoxy grout wasn't just for extra waterproof, I've read that most people do recommend epoxy grout for showers, especially floors because the epoxy is also stain amd mildew resistant which was a problem with my previous grouped shower.

Attached is a pic.of the larger pitted area that I'm not sure how to handle with grout.

Not sure I read your one comment correctly, are you saying it's not normal to seal the tile on a shower floor? Everything I've read before and that is a must. Now I'm more confused, haha.

[cx]

Originally Posted by Doug

...are you saying it's not normal to seal the tile on a shower floor? Everything I've read before and that is a must.

Normal? No, don't think I said anything about that. I did say I would not bother sealing a tile shower floor. If you wanna do that, that's fine with me, but do tell what you're sealing against.

The penetrating sealers for use with tile and grout will give some protection against staining by some products that might be spilled on the floor if the stain isn't wiped up very promptly. And they will initially impede liquid water penetrating the tile surface. Not sure just what part of that would be useful on a tile shower floor, and, as I pointed out earlier about your epoxy grout, the sealers will slow the evaporation of moisture that has penetrated the tile surface.

I just don't see the advantage of it in a shower. If you do, then it's perfectly OK with me and the tile industry if you apply a sealer to your tile and grout.

As for keeping your grout, of whatever stripe, from filling at least part of the tile you show in your photo, I would give that something close to zero likelyhood. A grout release may help you clean the grout out of some of the surface imperfections, but what I see in your photo is gonna collect some grout and you're just not gonna get it out without overwashing the grout in the grout joints. That's my guess, anyway.

My opinion; worth price charged.

[Tiger Mountain Tile Inc]

Whatever grout that you use is going to fill those depressions and everything else.

Personally, I like the idea of Spectralock and a sealer if I had to have a travertine shower floor. I don't know that it really matters which order that you do them in.

I'd probably put a coat of sealer on the travertine tiles first, as a grout release, then 2-3 more coats once the epoxy grout has cured.

I think your best bet is to stick some scrap tiles to a board and grout them with both Spectralock and whatever cement grout that you were thinking of using. See which one looks the best.

It might cost you $50-100 but once you grout the shower there's no going back.