Thank-you. The company sent me the wrong item, I asked for the Laticrete Latasil Silicone Caulk Sealant, but they just sent regular Laticrete, which is OK since it will also get used. The shower is waterproofed to our city code standards, but various contractors waterproof showers "properly" in other methods. So far no water seems to get in behind the wall, it's very dry back in there and we don't use the shower at all when cracks appear - not until it is repaired. A tile contractor (the only one I can find who's website says they do "tile repair" and that comes recommended) said he actually won't come and make these kinds of repairs, he will repair his own work but that of others he removes and re-does it all, because he wants to be able to guarantee the work. I have not found anyone else willing to do the repair. So it's up to me, and I just want to make sure I have what it takes before tackling it! Thank-you for your advice about the caulk.

We are currently at the point of putting up durock in our new shower. We will be painting redgard on top of the durock. We are using a Kohler cast iron pan and have built in a bench at the far end. We are DIYing it and neither of us have done a bathroom before so we are trying to do all our due diligence so our bathroom doesn't look like crap in the end! I have a bunch of questions I'm hoping some of you would be willing to help with. First, let me explain our design choices so you have an idea of the look we're going for. We're doing a white subway tile in the shower (Interceramic cheap stuff from Lowes). We bought the 2x6 bull nose pieces to run around the sides in the opposite direction as the subway tile. Chrome thermostatic rain shower. Frameless glass shower doors. The floor will be marble with a basketweave tile rug in the center. The vanity is white with carrera marble top. So here goes my questions: 1. Durock, fuzzy or smooth out? I've read that the fuzzy side should go out when using thinset, however I'm unclear on whether or not we should use the fuzzy side considering a layer of redgard will be painted over prior to tile. 2. Niches. We are adding two niches. One larger one, probably around a foot tall, and one narrow one directly below it for razors, etc. The back will be basketweave marble, the sides will be white subway tile we're using on the rest of the shower. We've read floor elfs tutorial on building a niche (THANK YOU) so I think we understand the construction. My question is for the "shelf" part. I'd really like to use a solid base however our budget is busted for getting something fabricated. Would it be possible to use a 3/8" marble tile and somehow polish the outer edge so its not raw ourselves? Which leads to my next question. 3. The bench. We have a bench we've constructed out of 2x4's and plywood. Again, I would really love to have a solid surface instead of tile but having something fabricated is not in our budget. I was considering using 2 18x18 marble tiles which should fit perfectly but would this look strange? Also, same problem of needing to polish the raw edge of the tile. Also, is marble just bad news for a top in the shower which will probably be coming in contact with shampoo, soap, shaving cream etc? I'm concerned about etching and looking like garbage. Any other suggestions on material we could use that'd be in keeping with the rest of our "look"? 4. Grout. I've discovered that I really love the look of white grout with white subway tile. However, I can't stand devoting a lot of time to keeping the shower clean. And I really can't stand dirty grout but I also hate to scrub it. We have a hand shower so we can do a quick rinse after showing to get rid of soap, shampoo residue but the odds of us wiping the entire shower down after each use are slim. Will a white epoxy grout on the walls just be a huge hassle with keeping it clean? Is it worth the premium vs just sealing a regular grout? And, lastly, any direction to a good tile tutorial would be appreciated. We want to make sure we don't have funky looking cuts or awkward looking tiles. If you've made it this far, thank you!! This endeavor has turned out to be a ton more work and research than I expected and this site has been an invaluable resource!

Amy- there are a ton of size and color options with laminate tiles, but I dont think any are larger than 12"x12". ganggreen980- Thank you! The cabinets are actually not stained. It is an oil based finish called Waterlox on mahogany. Oil based finishes bring out the depth and color more than water based. It just makes the wood look "wet" gwent- I think for pure durability, water issues and ease of care, nothing beats sheet vinyl or linoleum. I was going to go for high end vinyl, just for functionality, but I have heard that sheet products are pretty hard to self install well. So even though the product was less expensive, once labor was factored in, it would have been a wash. So without a cost savings, and with laminates looking better (to me) that made the decision. Now, if money were not an issue, and I did not have a cement slab to work with, I would have done amtico! It is am AMAZING vinyl product. But is is pretty expensive, and I wanted a little padding between me and the cement slab.

Yeah, no radiant heat here, lol! Thank you, Mr. David! Is it a good idea to go with LVT instead of laminate flooring or just vinyl flooring? we dont have any dog and cat. what is the life spam of both and which one is less maintenance and easy to reinstall just in case if i have to do in future. what is the preference in laundry room and bathrooms LVT or lamination or just vinyl So sorry that I can't answer all of these questions -- I'm still in the early learning phase, myself -- but I think that both laminate and vinyl are easy to clean/low maintenance, and assuming they are installed as a floating floor (not glued down), they are both easy to replace damaged pieces and/or reinstall. From what I've read, in wet areas like laundry and baths, ceramic/porcelain tile or vinyl is recommended more than wood or laminate. If you have children, or just bad luck with house floods (we have both in my home, lol), then I would hesitate to put down anything that is more easily damaged. Does anyone know if LVP/LVT is safe for babies and children? Yes, I have kids who lick the floor... They are corrected, of course, but still; young autistic people tend to do these things more than neurotypical ones, lol. If engineered hardwood or laminate would be better in this kind of situation, someone please let me know. :-)