Bill, Mongo, where are you guys, customers are waiting.

Hey Bud, you coulda answered her!! You know you've got my permission! :-)

Okay, I was sleepin on the job. Literally. :-)

mommielady-- you onloy need to waterproof if there's a showerhead. Being there's no showerhead, no waterproofing, not even a vapor barrier, is needed, and although the vapor barrier would be completely useless, if you've got kids who like to get a little splashy, it wouldn't hurt to use waterproofing, necessary or not.

Agreed.

If I were doing the work, I'd add a 6-mil poly barrier between the framing and the the cement board...because it'd cost about $2 in materials and take 5 minutes of my time to do it. So why not, even though it's not required. That would omit the need for Redgard.

If the corner bench is boxed out, then I prefer the membrane to cover the bench and the floor. I wouldn't want to build my pan, install the membrane, run the membrane up the walls, then on top of that box out a built-in bench and cover it with tile with the frame of the bench not being covered by the membrane.

It could set up a scenario for long-term water damage to the bench's substrate.

If you're talking about a wall-mounted corner bench, like the "Better Bench", then that just hangs on the wall, it does not have to be included under the membrane.

An alternative which provides flexibility of use is a small teak bench. It can be in the shower, moved out of the shower, or moved around in the shower as needed.

For pictures, they first have to be loaded onto a third-party hosting site like photobucket or it's equivalent.

When your picture is loaded, right click on it and in the drop down menu left click on "Copy Image Location".

Then come back here and type:

<IMG SRC="paste your url here" WIDTH=400>

and then paste your photo's location in between the quotation marks above in place of the red "paste your url here".

I add the WIDTH=400 to restrict the width of the photo so the picture doesn't end up being so wide that it generates a scroll bar. You could change "400" to a larger or smaller number.

Mongo

Thanks guys,

I feel much better knowing that I don't have to request that those tile men wait for two coats of Redguard to dry over the cement board on my Tub surround! Phew! I was dreading that! And besides, now I can get my $39.97 back from HD for the cost of the Redguard, much more expensive than Mongo's $2.00 6-mil poly. However, I don't think ANYTHING in this Remodel has cost only $2.00! Too late for the $2 fix anyway, Mongo, the cement board is already attached to the frame.

But regarding the corner bench, my question is not whether to cover the bench with membrane, that is an agreed given. The question is in building the custom PAN. It will be a curbless shower. When digging out the concrete to slope towards the drain, the Pan should need to be dug out only to the boxed bench, not under it? Since the bench will be covered by a box, no purpose would be served in digging all the way to the corner under the bench, correct?

Since you've told me how to post Mongo, perhaps I will try to send pictures. Thank you for the lesson. I don't have a third party host, yet, however.

bud,
I am still new to the forum and don't know who all the "Tile Guys" are yet. Please forgive my omission, and please jump in at any time. I can use all the help I can get.

Now if I can just get a minute to read Mongo's post, maybe I can answer my own most nagging question, "JUST WHAT IS KERDI, and why is it so good? :)

Mommielady

Bud's kinda shy-- he only jumps in every once in a while, but I can tell you-- I've known him for several years now, and he's every bit as knowledgeable as mongo or myself. :-)

Bud.......shy...... What a CROCK!! LOL

Mongo, I have heard tile contractors saying they do not like to use the poly barrier because that is what CAUSES moisture problems! Yeah, I know they're talking crap but I let them talk anyway.

Not wishing to hijack your thread Mommielady (don't spank me please! lol), I was wondering about the use of Redgard. Is it toxic i.e. must use in a well ventilated area?

I have heard tile contractors saying they do not like to use the poly barrier because that is what CAUSES moisture problems!

Only if it's used with a second vapor barrier, such as Kerdi or Redgard. As for toxicity, I don't think you'd want to EAT it :-), but short of that, there's nothing to worry about.

one note about the redgard - not sure of the toxicity, but it does smell of an ammonia type of smell - mostly when you're applying it, but mine still smells a bit even a week or so later. it didn't burn my throat or anything, which usually happens to me with things like bleach etc., though i did leave the window in my bedroom open for a couple hours.

lisa

You'll get that ammonia smell with any acrylic based compound. Once you cover it, it usually dissapates.

mariposa,
No offense taken! As a matter of fact, ask on! The more I can learn, the better.

But since we're on the Redguard, I had a hairline crack that widened to about 1/4" in places along the line where my addition for the bathroom joined my original slab. The two slabs WERE joined with rebar drilled into the existing slab, plenty of rebar in the addition, and all the usual things. The hairline STILL developed and has been a source of disdain to me and a major depressive factor in why I had not finished my remodel in nearly 4 years.

This is the fix we have tried with the new contractor. Redguard (a crack prevention/waterterproofing membrane) in the crack (that had been chipped out cleanly) was applied and allowed to dry. Then self leveling concrete enhanced with a 'glue additive' was added on top of the Redguard. After about 3 days, new hairline cracks developed in the new top layer of concrete, again. The new cracks were not necessarily along the original fault line, just here and there.

Do I add more Redguard to the new hairline cracks? Do you guys see why I worry over 'almost' every little thing? I think I am the queen of "Murphy's Law".

Input, please. Also, back to the original question, what shape should my custom dug-out shower pan (referred to above) be in. Should it only go to the boxed-off bench?

Thanks, Mommielady