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Properly Waterproofed Shower?

kitchenkrazed09

13 years ago

We are having a shower installed from scratch without using a Kerdi-type system. So far these are the steps (in order) that have been done: the plumbing has been moved to the new location, walls insulated, mud pre-slope installed on floor with paper and lathe, vinyl pan on floor and at least 6" up the wall, aluminum flashing in corners (in case water gets through it will channel down to vinyl pan), pre-formed niche liner installed and cement board installed on the walls. Tile will be installed next. Was a vapor barrier supposed to be installed under the cement board? Are we supposed to waterproof the cement board somehow (Hydroban?) or is it okay to install the tile on top of the cement board as it is?

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Comments (3)

sombreuil_mongrel
13 years ago
Portland cement corrodes aluminum.
Casey
MongoCT
13 years ago
If you have nothing (no 6-mil poly sheeting, no lapped tar paper, for example) between the already hung cement board and the wood framing, then yes, it'd be a fine idea to treat the front face of the cement board with a topical waterproofing membrane.

Common topical waterproof membranes include RedGard, Hydroban, HPG, etc. You'll probably want to mesh tape and thinset the cement board seams prior to using the membrane. Just read the manufacturer's instructions carefully before proceeding, they sometimes have differing requirements regarding seams and reinforcement fabric at the seams.

You can then tile right on the membrane.
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kitchenkrazed09
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the help. Would it be worth it to unscrew the cement board and install the poly sheeting or tar paper underneath (and if so, which one is better) or does the paper face of the insulation act as somewhat of a vapor barrier? Also, will the aluminum flashing behind the cement board cause a problem if it corrodes and should that be removed? We are at a stage now where this can be done if necessary. Thanks!

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