Pro advice needed on porcelain slab shower installation!
betsy santos
3 years ago
We’re in the middle/end of a major home renovation and (thankfully) have run into our first major issue. We used two 120” porcelain slabs (which they cut down by 8” because they didn’t fit through the door) for the shower walls. Everything was prepped way in advance with the proper materials (by our contractors) and templates were made by the installers prior to. In other words, PLENTY of opportunity to find out if the wall wasn’t plumb. Now, post install, there are very large gaps along the side (.25”-.5”) which I was able to stick flat metal measuring tape all the way behind it in different areas starting about halfway down to the floor. They swear that the panel isn’t “going anywhere” and that there’s plenty of adhesion to keep in in place, also because it’s behind the other panel in the corner. They (the installers) also said they would give us a warranty on the work indefinitely.
Am I nuts to accept this? They all have much to lose if we say “rip it out”, but I’ve read that it needs 95% adhesion and there’s about 50% max.
Can anyone offer insight?
Thanks!!!
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millworkman
3 years agobetsy santos
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Anyone use thin porcelain large-format slabs on walls?
Comments (153)Everyone is asking for a porcelain slab fabricator close to where they live. What I did was search on Houzz to find local contractors with porcelain slab installations. Then viewing work that they did a few years ago for any cracking particularly around the sink faucets. I did not have good experiences asking the material vendor for contractors for other projects I have done....See MoreAdvice needed from Pros re Tiling (grout cracks)
Comments (7)"....What do you think needs to be done now? ...." I think you need to remove some grout and pop out a few of the tiles. I would think you have a bond breaker issue where the substrates' tile prep has failed or the thin-set has failed. Often large tiles are set with the wrong setting materials. you might discover a pre-mixed thinset like Mastic was used. This would of course be a bad idea and not the right choice for that tile size. Your builders could have used construction adhesive and cement board as tile prep - that would be wrong as well. Or maybe the thin-set was right but over watered and installed too thick. So many things could have been done wrong. Removing a few tiles should point out what the problem was. Do you know if the installer left room for expansion around the perimeter? HOUZZ FEATURE IDEABOOK: [WHY BATHROOM FLOORS NEED TO MOVE[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/why-bathroom-floors-need-to-move-stsetivw-vs~16362005) URL:[https://www.houzz.com/magazine/why-bathroom-floors-need-to-move-stsetivw-vs~16362005[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/why-bathroom-floors-need-to-move-stsetivw-vs~16362005)...See MorePro plz help tile changing hidden mold after new build shower install?
Comments (18)jillian, a couple of things: The shower pan is "the floor" of your shower. There should be a waterproofing membrane of some sort under the tile, and it's a code requirement that the waterproof membrane be sloped towards the drain between 1/4" per foot and 1/2" per foot. Now, I'm not talking about the tile itself, which should also be sloped to the drain. In addition to the tile being sloped, the waterproofing membrane needs to be sloped as well. What often happens is installers will pace the membrane flat on the subfloor, then put a sloped layer of what we call "deck mud" on top of the membrane. Nothing at all wrong with deck mud. It's a sand and cement mixture that is fairly porous, so water can percolate through it. Water WILL get past the floor tile and grout. Grout is porous. The water then gets in to the deck mud, just as it is supposed to. It percolates down through the deck mud until it hits the membrane, just as it is supposed to. Once it hits the sloped membrane, the water flows down hill towards the drain and goes out the drain by what we call "weep holes". Weep holes are small passages built into the drain to allow the water to escape the deck mud and eventually go down the drain. Just as it is supposed to! With a sloped membrane, the deck mud may be moist, but it won't be overly saturated and hold water. Now, if your installer put the shower pan membrane flat on the subfloor, when water percolates through the deck mud, it hits the flat membrane and simply sits there. The mud becomes fully saturated. If the bottom edge of the cement board on the walls was covered by deck mud, then the saturated deck mud can wet the wall board, and moisture can slowly wick up the walls, behind the tile. Because it is becoming wet from behind, mold or discoloration can build up BEHIND the glaze. I think one of the nastiest things to do in tiling, or with tile remediation, is to break up and demolish a saturated deck mud shower pan. They can be absolutely nasty. There's primordial ooze in that nasty mud. Anyhow, I tried to give a "nutshell" explanation, my nutshells seem to drag on for a bit. But hopefully this will allow you to better understand a potential issue with your shower. I'm not saying that IS what is wrong, but it's a common issue that presents symptoms similar to the ones you are seeing. Good luck getting it rectified....See MorePros/Cons of using 2CM quartz slab in shower
Comments (4)Hello HU, off the top of my head... full stone slabs have been considered normal practice in the higher end building industry for many years now. Having previously installed full slabs of granite/quartz/rugged sandstone/semi precious stones etc in clients showers before, I'd tell you to definitely consult your building plan and/or a structural engineer if you're uncertain...Some showers slabs can be 12 feet long & when stacked on top of each other can weigh half a ton. Most of the stone slabs I've used in showers were 1" to 1.5 " thick. Since you didn't mention any dimensions, we can only speculate...Your walls need to be built solid & your shower base level, but the reinforcing should all be done mainly in the floor below....don't forget, the walls holds almost none of the weight, it's all in the floors. If you have another story/s below, typically a new structural beam or beefing up in the ceiling below is in your future. If you're on slab, cutting it, tying in additional rebars & repouring, or whatever your structural engineer wants to see in order to stamp & pass it. Additionally, the plumbing must be done PROPERLY & pretested, there's no going back once that slab goes on. A couple of positives are a complete minimum amount of grout/joint lines, as well as an no sealing slabs, as this is pre done during fabrication. Still, I'd advise you to pick your stone carefully, as some cosmetic choices can become a long term disaster in regards to practicality, cleanliness etc. This is mainly due to porosity issues. Lastly, If you're using a very light natural stone or semi precious & want lighting to illuminate from behind, please be aware of using only very specific mortars for this effect to work. Good luck !...See More
3onthetree
3 years agobetsy santos
3 years agobetsy santos
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago3onthetree
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago3onthetree
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agobetsy santos
3 years ago
seosmp
3 years ago
PROModern Room Remodels
2 months agomillworkman
2 months ago
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