Since were bringing this thread up again, and it is all great info. I just want to clarify please... Bill you mentioned showers on exterior walls that have insulation installed to make slits in the paper so it does not make a vapor sandwich. I understand this, in fact mine is all ripped up from the demo and I was going to replace it cause the paper is torn but now I figure,,, one less job I have to do. Now I still have to install something on top of my studs before the durock right? How is this done and is it done floor to ceiling? I am guessing tarpaper is roof felt? I am thinking I will go with the roof felt instead of the polly because I have seen plastic just deteriorate with age and think I will avoid that pit fall.(please correct me if I am wrong and generalizing) What pound roof felt should I use and how wide does it come? I am familiar with ones that are 3 ft wide. How do you handle the gaps or do you lay it like roofing starting at the bottom and working your way up like shingles? Meaning from right to left around the entire shower on bottom and then move up on the wall and do the same but have the next one over lap the bottom and do this till you get to the top. If this is the way it goes, how do you attach it and 2nd how much do you over lap? When you get to windows how do you handle the joints there? Does this get done before or after the floor prep? Now I am thinking the shower wall stuff has to fall overtop the shower pan stuff right? Thank you in advance.

I'm stunned at the ignorance displayed in this forum. I've been installing ceramic/stone/porcelain, as a private contractor for over 25 years (i.e. since there were only 4x4, nominal of course, tiles available on walls and only porcelain mosaics or kiln baked ceramics for floors. You know, the ones with the knobs on the bottom side. Think I know what I'm talking about? I am recognized as a superior installer in Bergen County NJ as evidenced by staying in business for over 25 years and never spent a nickel on advertising. I work 6 and sometimes 7 long days a week at a moderately competitive price all by word of mouth. Anyway, on the subject of rectified tiles and how wonderful Porcelanosa tiles are. I very recently installed 500 plus square feet of rectified tiles of which the dimensions were 26 inches by 17.5 inches. BTW no one in this forum has mentioned a tile of that size yet. The degree of difficulty is extreme at that size. I was also asked to space the tile BUTT, not even 1/16 inch joint over an extremely well poured and "flat" slab of concrete.The area to be tiled has a straight run of over 60 feet long by 9 feet wide in a printing factory. Even though I am a very careful and conscientious worker I was given a D minus on the job and was not paid. I might even get sued.The bottom line is, if the floor is PERFECTLY FLAT (which NO floor is : repeat NO floor)you will still get a degree of lippage, no matter how minimal it is. Which leads the the almighty question of how tolerant the homeowner or building owner is when they look at your job. People in this forum have used the word good job. No one has said great job. Job quality is in the eye of the beholder, but rest assured no one can EVER expect a perfect install, with rectified tile. Go to any Porcelanosa showroom or for that matter, anywhere in the continental United States and examine the sample installations for yourself. Learn what to expect before you get your hopes too high. Going from a 1/16 joint to a 1/8 joint will greatly increase your satisfaction. Don.t be fooled by someone who says he can do what YOU want to make him do. We are all trying to make a living. In ending I would love some feedback from anyone who claims to put in a perfect floor (rectified w/1/16 joint, and I am willing to travel anywhere to see this work.

I don't do tile for a living but I do have just such a tub, which I tiled around four years ago. I did not use any sheet metal (don't see the purpose), but I did use tar paper behind the cement board. I think stuck it to the (minimal) tub flange with something... a bit of roofing cement, maybe? I can't remember anymore. I used Hardiebacker instead of Durock for the tile substrate. I chamfered the back bottom edges of the Hardiebacker so that the inside faces of the backer could be a bit closer to the tub deck (since the flange is too thick to be pinched between backer and studs). I filled the gap between Hardiebacker and tub deck with clear siliconized latex caulk and let that caulk dry completely before proceeding with the tile work. After setting and grouting the tile, the vertical corners and the joint between tile and tub were caulked with sanded, color-matched caulk from the grout manufacturer. After a few days' curing time, the grout was sealed with Miracle 511. Four years later, the installation still looks great. If you caulk the space between the Durok / tile and the tub itself, how does the moisture get back to the tub? Grout and Durock / Hardiebacker are both moisture-permeable. They are "waterproof" in the sense that water doesn't hurt them, but they are not waterproof in the way that a fish tank is waterproof.

2mm (3/32) with rectified large format many times is against mfg suggested spec. comes down to the material the substrate and the skill of the setter, If there is a contract and a wrrty involved MFG specs rule. Doesnt mean it cant be done...... if you are willing to void any and all wrrty..