Every single thing there needs to come out and start over, mud bed included. There are no half measures when it comes to cracks or waterproofing.

And after you have had all the fun of removing that stuff, verify the sub-floor is strong enough for tiling. If the floor is concrete, look for cracks.

Given the floor is strong enough, there are some membranes and practices that can help, not absolutely, decouple slight floor movement or cracking. Lots of choices there and tilers can get religious about methods.

I agree. Pull it to the studs and the base. You mentioned a 1/4" final mud bed. That is not thick enough and MAY be why you got the cracking. You ask if you can use the original mudbed... As cheap as mud is, I say tear it out. A sledgehammer will make quick work of it.

I would recommend you go with a single, full mudbed and use a SAM (surface applied membrane like Kerdi or Hydroban) to the floor, walls (over drywall or cement board) and the bench. I don't like the plywood & 2x4 framed benches. Either buy a preformed, foam bench or build one out of cement block.

I second everything that Avanti said (that you, Laz?). Not what you want to hear, but in the end you'll have a better product that should last you many years, trouble free.

Yep....'dat's me....

No, no, just the opposite. I've just been running around like mad. I sat DH down and told him the bad news, he hung is head and said he'd think about it. I came home yesterday to a flurry of sledge hammer blows and cussing! So I imagine this tiling job will get done sometime this year. Luckily, we have a very enjoyable outdoor shower so I'm not in a huge hurry.

Thanks everyone for injecting reality into a DIY tiling job! I'll post pics of the final whenever that happens.

Looking forward to the pictures.

I figured she would get out. It was justifiable.

Never give any DH too much time to think about any house project. Inevitably, sledge hammers are involved. (Said by a DH.)

Getting bad news in remodeling often causes denial initially. I just had a guy on the phone the other day that wanted me to take the place of a guy who (never showed) was going to fix his leaking shower base and walls for $600.00. I told him it was a several thousand dollar tear-out without even looking at it.

Unlike the husband in this case, my potential decided to continue his search for a $600.00 man.

...and then in 6 months he can look for another $600 man when it leaks again. :^P

Tell the DH the cussing is a normal part of demolition. Along with bleeding, sweating, and bruised knuckles. Later comes the sore muscles in about a day or two.

Nuts to those who say you have to demolish the pan. On several occasions (including in my own house) I have repaired leaking mud-bed pans (after tiles have been removed and the surrounding walls demolished and re-drywalled) simply by applying a waterproofing membrane (e.g. Schluter Ditra) over the existing pan and up the shower walls - exactly as one would do with a brand-new Schluter installation with its proprietary styrofoam shower pan. If applied according to the manual, it will be absolutely 100% leakproof forever. (And by the way, Schluter membranes can be applied over plain drywall - no need to even use cement board. Look at the Schluter Systems FAQ if you have doubts).

You can also easily deal with the corner bench you took out: Prior to applying the membrane, just cut a chunk of blue styrofoam to fit, use a Surfoam tool to contour it to the slope of the adjacent shower plan, and apply the membrane over it. (I've done this several times to enlarge or reconfigure an existing mud-bed pan).

I know this will offend the "gotta rip it out and start over" purists out there, but believe me, this technique works.

How ya gonna tie that patchwork into the drain!

FWIW Schluter's Ditra isn't recommended for use inside a shower, on the walls or floor. I hope the above poster meant Schluter's Kerdi, the sister product to Ditra.

Yes I meant Kerdi-membrane, thanks for the correction. I use both Ditra and Kerdi all the time but I still get mixed up on the odd names of this stuff! All i know is it's orange and it all works.

Sophie, re tying into the drain - what's the issue? Cut a hole in the membrane around the drain, cement it down well - never had a leak. Water ain't gonna run uphill.

Hi Home Reborn -

Just want to comment that you do a nice job of answering questions, often with a great sense of humor! Think it's valuable to "make" the time to connect.