Tile-redi and fugetaboudit.

Tile Reddy schmeddy !!!!

Years of water damage is almost always repairable, and A fast cheap to good to be true craigslist deal is always hard to pass up...

On a serious note ...There are great crafstmen building showers in every city daisy but it is a real chore to weed thru the hacks.

Shower pan demo · More Info

We have a contractor hired through the insurance who is in charge of the whole reconstruction. He has people who do the tiling, but I have no experience with him or the tilers. So far he seems really capable, but as I said, there seems to be so much that can go wrong with tiling. I'm still scared.

Love the idea of tile reddy but have to decide if the cost is worth it for piece of mind. Also, I'm in Canada so have to figure out if they ship or if I can order a similar product here.

The horror stories have scared me off too. I'm probably going to use a Kohler cast iron shower pan. You can search Hzz for examples. They look upscale with tiled walls.

Kohler has several options for shower bases/receptors. My son recently used their cast iron Salient base for his bathroom and he loves it.

Kohler also has a composite shower wall system called Coreograph that comes in some different patterns, colors and textures. Here is a link to these products: Non tile shower options

The Kohler website has a store locater button that will show you were the products are available in Canada.

Thanks all! Pretty sure we will go with some sort of Kohler base - either cast iron or acrylic. Just have to talk to the designer re: sizing but I think we have lots of space for the 36x48.

Tundra:

daisychain01 specifically asked for alternatives and I provided same. I can understand if tile guys don't like the pre-made bases, but they are waterproof and incredibly easy to install. We agree that weeding through the hacks can be a real chore and one that is nearly eliminated by the bases.

Joseph and Tundra:

Do tile guys not like pre made bases because they are hard to do tile walls around or just because, being tile guys, they prefer tile floors?

If you are going with a standard size, there is nothing the matter with doing a solid shower base in cast iron, solid surface or terrazzo or, I guess other materials. Tile isn't necessarily more "upscale" than any of those.

Thanks pal and tundra. I'm not really set on tile for the floor of the shower as it will be in a very small ensuite that guests will never see. Also, I'm planning on this incredible encaustic tile for the room floor in a big pattern, so a plain white shower floor would probably look best with it.

"Do tile guys not like pre made bases because they are hard to do tile walls around or just because, being tile guys, they prefer tile floors?"

The pre-made bases put them out of work.

As much as I like tiled shower floors, Kohler's cast iron bases are a terrific choice. I think they fit into most any decor/style and they'll be pretty much worry free.

If you want a tiled shower floor, I recommend a properly sloped deck mud pan with a flanged drain (laticrete or Kerdi type of flanged drain) set into the sloped mud. Then a topical or surface applied membrane like the other kids have been talking about; Kerdi, Hydroban, etc. Then a porcelain/ceramic tile. If natural stone is your thing, you can find great looking porcelain look-a-likes that will serve you well.

Tiling directly on a topical membrane eliminates wetting of the mud bed and most moisture issues; damp discoloration, mildew, etc.

Daisy, just want to add to my previous post that the tile person we used for my son's bath had no objections to using a shower pan. He was actually kind of glad to have an easier install than a tiled base. The tiler was an absolute perfectionist and if he had thought a shower receptor was not a good idea he would have told us. He did a tile shower base, walls and floor for my brother's bathroom and he he'd tiled my daughters floor and tub surround. Not a single issue with any of those projects. Wish you lived near by, I would highly recommend him.

For a visual, here is an in progress pics of my son's Kohler Salient base

My next project is to redo my small master bath. I have a shower alcove similar to the one in badgergal's photo (no tub). I really like these bases. I also plan to not have a glass door, simply a cloth curtain. Will the outside edge be enough of a curb to contain the spray?

We used a Kohler cast iron shower receptor in our guest bathroom (we have cast iron tubs in the other two bathrooms). We are very happy with how it looks and functions.

Good to know mongo.

Badgergal, that looks great! I think we are going with all white wall tile and I can picture it just sort of disappearing and becoming part of the whole. Love it.

Catmom, that is good to know.

Liinelle, I had the same initial thought, but if everyone finds them functional, it must not be a problem. I'm sort of wavering on the glass door and may do what I did in our last bathroom. I had them prepare blocking in walls etc. just in case we decided to do a glass door (we went with a curtain on the tub/shower combo).

So sad that so many have no clue how to build a shower properly. It's a wonder anyone uses tile anymore!

Joe, its perfectly normal for you to be scared of building showers!!! many GC 's are...

Since it has been a while since my last bathroom reno, I haven't been hanging out here much. Just wondering - have you guys been bickering ever since I left, or is this a more recent houzz phenomenon? Not that I mind. You're fairly entertaining as well as informative. Good to get perspective from both sides :)

Erik my favourite is when the GC shows up to tile with brand new tools! That should be a red flag for any client.

Bathroom Renovation Pit Falls to Advoid · More Info

The GC tiled this shower. Brand new steam shower. What a waste of ok shower building materials....

I don't know any horror stories, but I had my kids' tub ripped out /a tile shower installed last fall ... WONDERFUL in every way. The same guy's coming back in mid-June to re-do my master bath shower.

If good tile guys are hard to find, I think I'll save his number and be sure he does the house we're planning to build!

Daisychain01, it seems to me that the bickering has been a conversion to houzz phenomenon. If you really want to stir the pot, ask about a curbless shower.

I really like the cast iron shower pans. If they make one the right size for your project, I think that should be a strong contender. I was planning on one for our master bath, but ended up putting in a tub because our hall bath is much bigger and can have a curbless shower-- we need a tub somewhere.

Our hall bath will have a tile floor, though I explored some other options along the way. My main issue was avoiding grout on the shower floor because of cleaning concerns. Linear drain plus high coefficient of friction large format tiles seems to be one answer to that concern.

" Will the outside edge be enough of a curb to contain the spray?"

It depends. DW and niece ripped out our sliding doors and put in a curtain. If I open the window in the shower and turn on the vent fan, the curtain blows into the shower. I had a nice stream of water on the floor a bit ago. Maybe if we adjust it. I'll keep you posted.