Questions & Answers

Some things seem so easy and then turn out to be way more difficult! I’m installing an acrylic tub and figured I’d set it in a high-strength mortar, Laticrete 3701 fortified thick bed mortar. Knowing that I want to have it squeeze out from the sides a little (to get full coverage on the bottom, and give a real solid feel when standing in it to shower) I mixed in 3.6 L of water, the top end of the range listed on the label. Welp, that resulted in a consistency half way between a dry mix and wet mix (too dry and dense with sand to be able to squeeze out). I figured “just roll with it” and that was a mistake. I set the tub in it (which has a really flat bottom) and it would not compress or squish out enough; the apron was 1/4 off the ground and the tub rocked (not squarely seated). I tilted the tub out, removed some mortar with a screed, tried again, and still had rocking. Took out more, and then it was too much, so NOT supporting the bottom of the tub. From what I understand, more water can result in shrinkage and ultimately, not supporting the bottom of the tub. So… should I just use a basic fortified thinset mortar, with a peanut butter consistency, even though some areas are 2 1/2” thick? Would love to hear whats the best product to give full coverage and allow me to slightly squish down as needed to get a perfectly level tub. Thank you in advance.