top of page

Shower Waterproofing

Public·191 members

Robert Lepping
Robert Lepping

Curbless Waterproofing Outside

Greetings members. I've been watching Coach for several years and finally I get to put all this knowledge to use on my own home.


Second floor kids' bathroom remodel, curb-less shower install in place of existing 3X5 tub/shower on top of 3/4 wood sub. I have already selected my system, which is a sloped mud pan, sheet membrane, FloFX drain, kerdi wall-board installation. With the years of Coach's videos I have absorbed I am pretty sure I have all the knowledge I need to avoid all of the common pitfalls. However, there are two areas that I am still unsure how I will attack.


(1) How to waterproof the area immediately outside the pan. We all know kids love to exit the shower dripping wet and I just don't want water penetrating clear to the subfloor when this happens. My plan is to quite simply extend the kerdi sheet membrane at least 3 feet into the rest of the bathroom immediately outside the shower pan. This includes using banding to wrap up the sides of the walls 3 inches. And since the rest of the bathroom will receive tile flooring, Ditra would go directly on top of the membrane and into the rest of the bathroom. I am curious to receive everyone's thoughts on this plan of attack.


(2) The dreaded "capillary action" - My research has led me to this question and it makes sense if you think about it. Water inside the shower pan is able to wick through the grout and thinset into the non-shower area. I have seen others recommend a "capillary break" in the tile floor, which involves using silicone or other adhesive in place of grout for one complete grout joint just outside the shower pan. Thoughts from the forum?


(3) Lastly....the shower door installation and the damn screws needed to secure the glass. I will using the Vigo Elan sliding shower door, which I believe has a couple "guides" that contain and guide the glass while it slides. These obviously will need to be secured to the floor just outside the shower pan. How in the hell do I secure these to the floor without penetrating my topical system underneath? I have seen where Coach and team cut down their screws so it doesn't penetrate the system, but does this provide enough "bite" to secure these guides?


Thanks in advance for all comments.

73 Views
Larry S
2024년 3월 09일

I like how you put the ditra there first. Honestly I can't remember the last time I did Ditra without the heat cable in the shower. Slightly different process. Maybe my mind was in that during my comment.

I haven't found a glass pro that will only use silicone. They drill into EVERYTHING around here. Please Ben if you know of some good screwless systems that you like, I would like to know

I'm heading to Coverings in a month, I'll definitely be on alert for glass hardware now

bottom of page