I've been lurking on this site for a while; this is my first post. I'm starting to plan a master bathroom remodel - will be totally gutted. Current shower has 2x2" glossy ceramic tiles - with lots of grout. I'm considering thin porcelain, large-format tiles or slabs for shower and bathroom walls and, possibly, for the vanity tops and tub deck. Would like to hear about your experience with these products - installation, functionality, and durability. I am thinking about the 30"x30"x1/4" field tiles, although they come in 5x10' slabs as well. I called 2 vendors of thin porcelain slabs; both directed me to local tile distributors to get samples (I was hoping to be able order samples over the phone). So far, I've looked at samples of Artistic Tile's Max Fine line, which comes in 3 colors, but can be ordered in custom colors. I was thinking about the "Thassos" white color, but it looks like "whiteboard" to me, so now I'm leaning toward something other than pure white. The calacatta look-alike samples I saw were too small to see the veining and patterning. I was quoted a price of $38 per sq ft, not counting installation.Weight is 2.76 lbs per sq ft. They recommend 2-person installation, even with the 30x30 field tiles. I'm planning to look at Stonepeak's Plane series, as well. They have more color choices.Their website shows an entire bathroom clad in Plane slab.

Just curious...how'd you come up with 31 sqft for tiling to the ceiling? For a typical tub surround: -poly sheeting: $10 -Half-inch thick Tile backer board, 4 sheets: $60 -Roll of mesh alkali-resistant tape: $7.50 -Tile: Name your price. Say $5 a foot for grins, for 60sqft it's $300. -One bag highly modified thinset $30 -One bag Grout $15 -Caulk $15 So materials, rounding way up, about $150 not counting the tile. Tools? -Stapler to staple up the poly sheet to the studs. -Utility knife and blades: You can score and cut the tile backer board like Hardiebacker with a utility knife. You can even cut holes with a utility knife, score the perimeter with the knife and pop out the center with a hammer. -Stapler to staple up the poly sheet to the studs. Hammer/nails: to nail up the backer board. You could use screws, but you'd need a drill with driver bit. To cut the tile: The box stores will do it for you on a per cut basis. I have no idea what they charge. For for basic tile you can use a score and snap cutter. They can be had for $25-$50. Or you can buy a cheap wetsaw at the box stores for $50. Or buy one on craigslist then resell it when you are done. So...$50 let;s say. Always good to have tile nippers, $20. Have your plumbing fall on grout lines instead of in the middle of a tile and you can nip a hole instead of having to drill a hole. To mix and spread the thinset: -bucket -margin trowel: $7.50 Yup. To hand mix the thinset and grout. The thinset, mix maybe a third of a bag at a time. Pace yourself. Or you can buy a paddle if you have a low-speed drill that has the torque to spin it. -notched trowel: $5, 1/4" x 1/4" to spread the thinset. To Grout: -Grout float: $10 -Grout Sponges: 2- or 3-multi-pack for $5 Basic hand tools, about $50. Add $50 for a tile cutter, so total tools is about $100. Materials: $150 Tile: $300 @ $5 a ft Tools: $100 Total, about $550 Rough guess.

The point is that you can't predict, when, how badly or even if--to some extent--that a bath done without a full membrane, whether it's a textile or paint on, will fail, and I don't know what the point is of telling someone that just completed a bath in something other than one's approved method is an immediate and complete tearout and start over. I've seen the opinion that a paint on membrane is completely inadequate and the job should be redone. I've seen people told it's inadequate because they can't see it and really it's been put over the studs underneath, I've seen someone told on the kitchen forum that their backsplash was "Probably not up to Code" because tile shouldn't be installed on drywall, it needed to be installed on cement board, that it should be taken down and redone. And rarely is it presented in the manner of "In my location, local code requires" or "In my location it's customary to" or "You may want to find out what sort of water proofing your contractor..." it's almost always presented as "Your lowest-estimate incompetent hack-- that it's your fault for hiring, by the way you cheapass--has totally screwed you over by ________etc. and so forth".

Talked to my tile installer and he was able to provide this to me. This is a residential steam shower and not a continuous use shower (which is what you need the DS for). See below for KERDI info. I’m a structural engineer and ran a calculation on a 10.5 ft 1/2” panel and it worked fine. The 3/8” was not working - BUT we were very conservative with our assumption (assumed spanned full height and will actually be supported on 4 sides). Looking for others who have done something this tall...trying to avoid a much deeper structural analysis to prove it will work and get installed feed-back. What did you use? Thanks!