waterproof membrane

[Snipe Hunter]

Thanks for the information.

Do you have any idea why cast iron shower bases are not  popular in the USA?  They seem very popular in Australia and New Zealand.  In any cases when I shopped for them I got more hits from those countries than from the USA.  

I understand that it is not as decorative as a tile base, but it is way nicer than the acrylic bases that most are offering.  It does weigh 220 pounds but that does not seem like enough to require any special support.  (In any case my house is built on 3" x 8" joists, and the code calls for 2" x 8" so I am not worried about the extra weight).

[Snipe Hunter]

I know I'm late to the party. I do my own tile work and by no means a pro... But I do read a lot about this stuff. Something I've learned from very good tile setters and other building inspectors is that whatever is behind your tile is what's keeping the water in, not the tile and not the grout. As soon as the first crack appears in the grout, you have a leak. They design the shower to catch that leak and deposit in the pan. I'd have to believe that grout and the bond of the thin-set will never fail "when" the wall gets wet for me to tile a wet area. Nobody can convince me of that. I've seen too many failures. IMHO, greenboard is for anything near a shower, not inside it except for the ceiling. As a home inspector, I'm compelled to tell the client when tile is installed on a gypsum product.

This is right out of an inspection report. ---- "Installations of fired tile over gypsum board in a wet location is prone to premature failure". "Green-board and similar gypsum products are NOT water proof and the manufacturers make No Claim that it is waterproof. Most Fired Tile and Tile Media manufacturers, installers and suppliers will not warranty their products if installed over gypsum products in WET locations."

I didn't write that. It or something close to it is pretty universal verbiage in home inspections.

[Cooler]

Anyone familiar with USG's Durock waterproof installation systems?

http://www.durockshowersystem.com/en/pro...brane.html

[Roly]

I know I'm late to the party. I do my own tile work and by no means a pro... But I do read a lot about this stuff. Something I've learned from very good tile setters and other building inspectors is that whatever is behind your tile is what's keeping the water in, not the tile and not the grout. As soon as the first crack appears in the grout, you have a leak. They design the shower to catch that leak and deposit in the pan. I'd have to believe that grout and the bond of the thin-set will never fail "when" the wall gets wet for me to tile a wet area. Nobody can convince me of that. I've seen too many failures. IMHO, greenboard is for anything near a shower, not inside it except for the ceiling. As a home inspector, I'm compelled to tell the client when tile is installed on a gypsum product.

This is right out of an inspection report. ---- "Installations of fired tile over gypsum board in a wet location is prone to premature failure". "Green-board and similar gypsum products are NOT water proof and the manufacturers make No Claim that it is waterproof. Most Fired Tile and Tile Media manufacturers, installers and suppliers will not warranty their products if installed over gypsum products in WET locations."

I didn't write that. It or something close to it is pretty universal verbiage in home inspections.

 I agree but he is installing Kerdi over the green board.   IF the Kerdi is installed correctly is the green board in a dry area as far as inspectors are concerned ?  Roly

[Snipe Hunter]

Anyone familiar with USG's Durock waterproof installation systems?

http://www.durockshowersystem.com/en/pro...brane.html

That looks like an awful lot of work. I do like the blue pre-slope product on the floor.

I use Durock for the walls and use mesh tape on the corners and use thin-set mortar to seat it and then apply the a topical water proofing on it. I'll use Mapai Aqua-Defense or Redguard, whatever I find locally. Then tile it.

Durock - then mesh tape and thinset on the corners and then a couple coats of sealer on the corners and then roll a couple coats over everything. 



Sealer

 
Tile it

[crokett™]

LIL, but I agree with Snipe. It's not a matter of if you'll have a leak but when. 'twere me I'd do at minimum tile over Durock. I might even do tile over Kerdi or similar then over Durock. the durock will take a lot more getting wet before it crumbles, unlike a gypsum product.