welcome to the kerdi world, Suzanne :) i have less overall experience than you do - never even contemplated building a wall myself - and I successfully kerdi'd my new master shower. (my ongoing post is "lisa's master bath remodel") we did the leak test last week and it passed with flying colors. haven't tiled yet... still waiting on the tile... but these guys here are amazing with how much help & support they will give you. so definitely take the leap! my coworkers look at my pictures & just shake their heads - they don't even know what half the words mean :) one thing i may have done differently was to practice using thinset first. i'd never even seen thinset before, so i had no idea what it really was or how it would react to what i did to it. i would recommend getting a piece of whatever you plan to have behind the kerdi and practice mixing up the thinset, putting it on, combing it out, etc. once you get that down, i'd even practice on a small piece of kerdi -it's expensive, but my first wall is so bumpy that i wish i had taken a 12"x12" piece and just gotten a feel for things before i did a whole wall. i wish i had gone slower that first day, too, instead of listening to my friend who has done tiling before & said "just mix up a big bucket - it will go really fast" ha! not for me. but at least with a small batch, if you go fast, you can make the next batch bigger. if i can answer any questions, let me know - bill & mongo are the experts, for sure, but i can offer tips as a female & novice if you need that, too :) good luck! lisa p.s. - thankfully i have another bathroom - can't imagine doing it without one! guess you'll have to be speedier than i am! just do a lot of planning & draw everything out to be sure you think about the edges, wall/floor joints, corners, etc.

I had the same problem with my Hansgrohe polished nickle shower fittings. After forgetting to wipe the water dry after one use, the stubborn stains would not go away. I called the manufacturer several times and everytimes I had a different advise. First I tried blue original windex. Apprently Hansgrohe approves that product. it did not work. I also tried diluted vinegar, WD-40, as well as CLR (in diffent concentrations) none of them worked. I finally got a hold of Flitz multi purpose metal polish (in a tooth paste form) and it worked like a magic! Eventhough polished nickle was not one of the metals listed, but I decided to give it a try, since I was running out of options. Flitz is hard to find unless you buy it on line. I found mine in a kitchen and bath fixture shop. To prevent from happening the company recomands NuFinish (orange bottle only) . here is what hansgrohe sent me: To prolong the lifespan of your unit and keep it looking new we recommend the following care tips: 1. Regularly massage/rub the nodules on your hand shower/overhead shower/hand sprayer to keep water debris from accumulating on your water spouts. 2. Periodically soaking your unit in a 50/50 solution of warm water and CLR (Calcium, Lime, & Rust remover) for no longer than 10 minutes and then rinsing with fresh water. (this didnt work, But Flitz did) 3. Polish your unit with Flitz or NuFinish (only orange bottle). 4. Clean your unit with mild soap and water. Refrain from cleaning your products with any of the following: 1. Vinegar 2. Anything acidic (even organic products that have acidic ingredients) 3. Anything "no rinse"

Before this slides too far down the list unanswered, we would love to get help with this shower even if you can respond to only one or two of our questions. Thank you.

" My problem is how to search for valve trims that will allow me to control all three of those things separately." Easiest way is to find the rough in valve body that can accommodate your diverting needs. THEN look at the trim kits for that valve. You can mix and match manufacturers if you stay within a common finish like chrome. A valve and valve trim from one manufacturer. Shower head from another. Shower arm from a third. Slide bar and handheld assembly from a fourth, etc.