wow. Thank you sooooo much for the warning!

Does it matter if it's ordered through a tile store or HD, Lowes, etc? I mean... would it be cheaper at one or the other?

Bill, thanks for letting us know. I've been planning to use Kerdi in my DIY project in July, but I guess that means I should get my order going. I'd planned to do a little more research first, but given this short time frame, would you mind if I ask you a few questions?

1. Is it easier and/or more cost effective to order the shower kit rather than trying to order each piece individually?

2. One of the kit sizes is 32"x60". I was tentatively planning to have the shower be roughly 36"x64" which I know would require a mortar bed since there's no kerdi shower pan that size. Is it significantly easier to use the kerdi shower pan than a mortar bed? I'd be willing to give up a few inches if it were easier.

Thanks!

One more question: I'm on a concrete slab, if that matters. Do I need both Kerdi and Ditra?

Bill, you know, I haven't shopped for Kerdi or Ditra in quite a while. I found a one-time good deal, $300 a roll or 93 cents a foot. I think I still have about 4-1/2 rolls of Kerdi and 3+ rolls of Ditra.

The last time I went shopping I bought 10 rolls of Kerdi and 15 rolls of Ditra. Had to buy in 5-roll packs for the discount.

I just went shopping and prices have already jumped compared to the above. And they're going even higher? Hooray.

You think this has anything to do with Kerdi Board?

kgsd,

You might not miss the 4" in going from 64" to 60", but you'll miss it when going from 36" to 32". I would at least.

You can either opt away from the Kerdi Tray and do a deck mud preslope.

Or use the Kerdi Tray, center it, and pack deck mud in the 2" gap between the tray and the shower walls. That would be the easier way to go for a first-timer.

All you need in the shower is Kerdi.

If you want to use a membrane on the bathroom floor outside the shower, that's where you can use Ditra.

Mongo

Mongo-- This has nothing to do with Kerdiboard. I'm actually surprised you've heard of it, because not may have. :-) Read David Taylor's post. That explains it very succinctly, and Julie-- it's across the board, so no, it doesn't matter where you buy it-- tile showroom, on line, big box-- no matter. The price is going up.

Bill - I think Schluter just started showing their Kerdiboard at shows and a few other places. From what I heard, it's not going to be available till later this year.....maybe. That stuff could save a ton of time in a standard shower re-do, though they tell me that's not really it's intended purpose.

I read his post. But business models take curious turns here and there, and I was wondering if Kerdiboard had anything to do with the motivation.

Sometimes the introduction of a new product can be enough of an arm-twister to get companies to get off the box and evaluate and implement new distribution methods especially with Kerdi Board being not as UPS shipping friendly as a roll of Kerdi. Products like that can sometimes make companies focus on product distribution.

And then the price increase of rolls of Kerdi membrane to lessen any economy of sheet Kerdi over Kerdi Board?

I was just wondering if this process was Schluter trying to ramp up demand for the new product, know what I mean?

I think I made a post about Kerdi Board to flyleft a few months ago. It sort of got her in a tizzy!

I got to meet David Taylor recently when I stopped by and picked up some supplies- he's a great guy, fantastically helpful, I thought his post was interesting.

But I must say, my initial thought was similar to Mongo's- if you make the Kerdi more pricey, you would be more likely to try out the more expensive Kerdi Board for the savings in the time- otherwise, where is the motivation? They have clearly invested a lot of money in the new product. I surely would have considered it had it been around- I considered the Wedi, but it was pricey...

I am glad I got my work done before the price bump, but thanks so much for keeping us informed Bill!!

Well, I don't think the shower pan idea is going to work after all - the drain is in an odd place (19" from the short wall and 15" from the perpendicular long wall). So I'm going to have to do a mud preslope. I've looked for a list of what's included in the shower kit so I could order everything but the pan, with no luck. Can y'all help me determine what I need to order (just the Kerdi part)? Here's what I have:

-180 sq ft of Kerdi (6 sides, approx. 3'x6' footprint with 8 foot high ceilings) - actually that doesn't subtract the 3'x8' door, but I'll leave it in because I like to have a little extra material. Do I need more to account for the 2" overlap or will the Kerdi-band cover it?

-Kerdi-band (approx. 75 sq ft for all the corners plus the curb)

-Kerdi-kereck corners (12)

-Kerdi drain

-Kerdi curb (or is it better to use a built up curb?)

-What's the best option for the shower head and valve handle openings?

Thanks!

Forgot to say, I realize that some of these come in set quantities, like a 216 sq ft roll. I just want to establish what I need and I'll make sure I order whatever minimum I have to.

Actually, I believe the two sizes you can buy are either 110 feet or 323 feet. It might be in your best interest to check out the price of the one large roll versus the two smaller ones.

Now, you say your shower has 6 sides-- is it hexagonal, or do the walls just zig zag back and forth?

No, I mean top, bottom, and four sides. I have been planning to tile the ceiling.

Tizzy? Moi? :)

Fly-- I was wondering if you were gonna see that!! LMAO

No, I mean top, bottom, and four sides. I have been planning to tile the ceiling.

Okay-- this is why I asked. I was picturing something completely different (maybe because I've already done one shower that was octagonal in shape). You're just about right on with your Kerdiband measurement. I come up with 68 linear feet plus the two sides (inside and outside) of the curb. You're going to want their large box of Kerdiband-- I believe it's 110 linear feet.

As for corners, you WILL get some with the drain, but it won't be enough, with regard to inside corners. You're going to need 8 of them (unless you're doing a niche)-- the four bottom corners, and the four top corners. You'll also need atleast two outside corners for the two corners at the curb. If you're going to put a header across the top of the door, you'll need two more up there, as well (not to mention the Kerdiband to go all around the doorway-- unless that wall just opens out into the bathroom).

As for the Kerdi Curb, you CAN use it, but quite frankly, it'd be alot cheaper, and just as good, to stack three 2x4's cover them with cement board, and Kerdi them.

As for this question--
What's the best option for the shower head and valve handle openings?

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.

Bill, I too am very grateful to you for sharing this information about the up-coming Kerdi price increase. I was already planning to order the Kerdi for our shower tomorrow but now I want to be sure to order everything we need at once. Our shower is 31 ½" x 72". It will have a 24" long curb and a 5Âhigh x 48" long tiled wall instead of a glass door. (Note that the wall is anchored to the ceiling with a post as you suggested:) The shower opening will be doorless. We have installed three niches on the back of the 5' wall.

Please advise on how much Kerdi, Kerdi band and how many inside and outside corners we will need. The drain comes with 2 inside and 2 outside? Do we really need the Kerdi fix or can we use a less expensive sealer around the drain and shower valve? (The dealer told me that he doesnÂt sell much Kerdi-fix even to those who install the Kerdi products for a living.) To save money, we are planning to do a mud floor rather than ordering the kit. Would it be a lot easier to use the kit? Would the kit fit our shower?

My brother is sending us 60 sq. ft. of Kerdi that was left over from his shower install. In addition, we plan to order the 108 sq. ft. roll. We will put the kerdi up to the height of the shower head (74") and cover the floor, the 5Â wall, niches and curb. If we have enough, we will also Kerdi the outside of the 5Â wall.

I read on one of your posts that the niches should not be placed too low because they will fill with water. Do these niches look too low to you? They are 37 " and 45" from the floor. The shelves are slanted about 1/4" to allow the water to run off.

We havenÂt decided whether to install the large triangle Better Bench on the shower-head wall. (Not sure if it would get in the way too much.) How much more Kerdi would be needed to cover the Better Bench?

One more issue to resolve before I order the Kerdi drain. We dug a trench in the concrete so we can move the drain about 34" from the shower head wall. Unfortunately, there is a pipe that crosses the trench for the drain. The top of that pipe is 5 ½" below the floor surface. Can we run the drain pipe over the (blue)cross-pipe or will it cause the drain to be too high? When I attach the shower drain pipe, the top of the drain pipe will be 2 ½" below the floor surface. Thanks in advance for your help.

Photo below shows shower-head wall (at back) and side walls.

I don't have enough info to tell you how much sheet membrane and Kerdiband you're going to need, But I agree with your dealer. I've yet to ever use Kerdi-fix. That said, it wouldn't hurt to have a tube on hand "just in case". As for the cornersFrom what I'm seeing i those pics, you'll need more than one extra pack of each corners (inside and outside). You didn't say if you're doing the ceiling or not. If you're not, you need 16 outside corners and 16 inside corners (Just the niches alone take up four of each for each niche). If you ARE going to tile the ceiling, you need 17 outside corners, and 20 inside corners.

Thanks, Bill. No, we aren't going to tile the ceiling. The corners are pretty pricey. Can I cut them myself from the 5" Kerdi-Band?

You can cut the inside corners. You might just have to use a dot of Kerdi fix in the very corner. Outside corners are next to impossible to make by hand.