Reader’s Projects
After a LOT of prodding from my readers (the high-voltage was unnecessary, by the way) I have finally worked out a way for you to upload pictures of your projects. To upload your own photos and get your gallery here just visit our upload page (click here).
Below are galleries of reader’s projects. These will help everyone see what can be accomplished with proper techniques, some hard work and a little imagination. We want to see YOUR projects as well – don’t leave me hangin’ in the wind here. It will help everyone who may be stuck for design ideas, solutions to tricky layouts or simply a little inspiration which, let’s be honest, everyone needs at some point in every construction project.
This page is for my reader’s projects. If you want to see my work you can look at my mini-gallery up in the right corner there (refresh the page and the picture will change) or you can visit my professional site at Tile Art. They are not pictures I’ve stolen off the internet – I actually do this stuff. 
It’s great for design ideas, though.
I’ll show you mine if you show me yours! The slideshows will change photos every five seconds or you can just click on the photo to change to the next one.
Jane’s Bathroom Remodel
Jane’s bathroom is still under construction. I’ll add photos as she sends them.
A More Efficient workspace
First Coat Redgard
First Coat-Protected Tub
Final mudding
Construction photos by David
David's Photo
Jane's Bathroom-New copper plumbing stub-outs
Shower/tub enclosure
Ceiling
Jane's Bathroom-better pic of the pegboard repair on master wall
jane's Bathroom - New Skylight
Need to rotate this one, sorry.
Jane's Bathroom-Caulked shower
Jane's Bathroom-Caulked shower
Jane's Bathroom
Dave’s fireplace and kitchen
Photo of dave's fireplace project before tile
Photo of dave's fireplace project
Photo of dave's fireplace project
Photo of dave's fireplace project
Photo of dave's kitchen project before tile
Photo of dave's kitchen project
Photo of dave's kitchen project
Photo of dave's kitchen project
Photo of dave's kitchen project
Janet’s fireplace
Photo of Janet's fireplace project
Photo of Janet's fireplace project
Photo of Janet's fireplace project
Photo of Janet's fireplace project
Photo of Janet's fireplace project
Rick’s Shower
Last year Rick began a long and very laborious remodel on his shower. What he ended up with was nothing short of spectacular and I am seriously impressed with the end result. the base materials in the shower are travertine and onyx tiles. However, Rick also made his own white concrete accent tiles with glowstones and dolphin inlays. Not only that – he incorporated led’s and fiber optics in the shower itself! All the dark photos show the shower at night – the pinpoints of light are led’s drilled through the stone and the larger blue points of light are the glow from the glowstones. The led’s can be seen on the shower floor from inside the curb.
Rick’s project truly deserves an individual page – and if he ever gets the full description written up and sent to me I will do that. He was even kind enough to send me one of the insert tiles and soap dishes he made with the dolphins in them – very nice!
Add a Brilliant Retort
Roger,
I don’t want anything. Just a note of appreciation.
Thanks for taking the time and thanks for sharing your wealth of experience and information. The DIYer must tread lightly and travel with many grains of salt on the internet. Very seldom does one stumble upon a cache of advice such as this one. No single source of anything is ever 100% of everything anyone ever needs to know about a topic, and most places force you to wade through a LOT of bad advice to find a nugget of good. I feel smarter and better equipped for my current and future projects having studied your hard work. Finding and reading this material has improved my knowledge on several tiling topics. It helps improve me as a DIYer, and helps to restore my belief that the contracting industry is full of qualified professional that take pride in their work, and not just the BS artists that I seem to keep cleaning up after.
Please enjoy a well deserved (Pepsi) on me, and sleep well knowing that there less hackery due to ignorance thanks to quality tradesmen like you. When the laws applicable to the physical protection of contractors that allow the type of hackery that you detest with such vigor are repealed, rest assured that I will be one of the first to sign on to any posse you endorse. I will be the one with all of the “poetic justice” suggestions for retribution against pros that don’t give a damn. (you will recognize me as the one that keeps shoving various things into places re: the offenders
)
Thanks Rusty!
If those laws are ever indeed repealed I’m gonna be one very busy guy. Nice to know I’ll have some help. Knowing me I’ll likely just get bored quickly and end up in a bar sucking down *ahem* Pepsi.
Dearest Elf:
Love reading your comments . They are always soo interesting and make learning fun.Today need help!
Details: Doing bath/dressing area, ~70 sq. ft.
Tiles: 12X12 Set Diagonally
Tile Pattern: Shades of Grey w, Shades of Beige, Ratio: .65 Greys: .35 Beiges
Floor: Concrete slab – all traces of carpet padding, plaster, etc. removed – it is smooth – crack-free.
Questions:
. Do we use thin-set , or other…?
. Do we need spacers?
. Should groute lines be 3/16 or less? The groute is a color that blends with either the Grey or the Beige.
Sealer?? This is ceramic tile. I definitely want to seal the groute, but should we seal the 12X12′s as well?
With thanks for whatever suggestions you may offer.
Dee
Hi Dee,
Yes, use thinset. It would be best to also use a membrane over the bare concrete like ditra, but it’s not necessary.
You don’t need spacers – but you do need space for grout lines. Spacers are simply the easiest way to keep them consistent.
I prefer the smallest grout lines possible, on typical floor tile that is normally between 1/8″ and 3/16″. Which you decide on is mostly a personal choice. As long as the tile will allow it (it is consistent enough for whichever you choose) then do whichever you like.
Sealing ceramic tile is not necessary, but it doesn’t hurt and makes it much easier to get all the grout lines sealed without going over each independently.
Hi Roger,
Very informative website! First time bathroom remodeler here.
I have a question regarding vapor barriers. It looks like you get this question quite often. I combined your website for an answer, but I couldn’t find an answer for my exact scenario.
I accidently forgot to install a vapor barrier behind the cement board. What are my options now? I already mudded the joint so I really don’t want to rip the cement board out.
The exterior wall stud bay are filled with craft backed R-13. I’m located in the Chicago area, so that should give you an idea of the climate I’m in, as I ‘m told that effects the use of a vapor barrier? Should I use a product like redgaurd on the cement board to make a vapor barrier or would that now create a “mold sandwich” between the craft backing and redgaurd.
Thanks!
Hey Ryan,
Ideally you should not have the kraft paper back there but you do need a water barrier. Hydroban or redgard will work fine and be your best option at this point short of taking out the board and installing a barrier behind it or cutting slits in the kraft and using a topical membrane.
Hi Roger,
Great website loaded with very pertinent information & great photos–thank you very much! We are building a large roll-in tile shower with a mortar bed base that will also be tiled. How do we waterproof the walls? We were thinking about using a roll-out type membrane material but are worried about where the wall connects to the shower floor–how do we waterproof that area?
Thanks so much!
Linda Alexander
Hi Linda,
The manner in which you waterproof that change of plane depends entirely on how you are waterproofing the shower floor. Are you using a traditional or topical method on the floor?
If you are using a topical method on the floor the wall is installed first, the mud installed directly against it and the membrane simply painted down onto it. If you are using a traditional method the backer is left 1/8″ off the mud deck, that gap siliconed, and the membrane is painted down over that to about 2″ onto the perimeter of the mud deck.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can download my free waterproofing manual to explain all the different waterproofing methods. You can find it here: Methods of waterproofing a shower
Hi Roger,
Not sure what happened, but I left you a question and a picture on April 15th….maybe the “revenuers” hijacked the website or had the elves running around after tax forms? Anyway, we wanted to see if our toilet floor drain is too high before we start tiling our main floor bathroom. We had a problem in our master bath toilet which was a b—ugger to fix so thought we’d ask you before we run afoul again. Our plumber installed a non-adjustable 3 inch floor drain and it sits nearly an inch above the hardibacker. We are using 3/8 inch marble with thinset – is it OK to have the toilet flange nearly 1/2 inch above the finished tile or should we consider building an area up around the toilet (dorky as it sounds, it is preferable to have a 1/2 inch platform if needed rather than worry about the toilet wax seal going south). We’d like to start working on the floor this weekend so any help would be appreciated!
Best, Deb
Hi Debbie,
I know you did. And I answered it on April 15 also.
You can find it here: Debbie’s misplaced query
Thank you so much!! That is very helpful
Great Site and Great Books, thanks for everything…now that the smoke blowing is over, here is my real reason for posting:
I am very slowly redoing our spare bathroom, and screwed up my floor tile install. I decided to install a flloor warming mat (suntouch, if it matters) and the install seemed to go well, checked proper voltages and resistance and all…but I thought it would be easier for a novice like me to install the mat in seperate steps from the tile. So, after the mat was installed and the thinset dry, I installed the tiles. Now, none of the tiles are level. They are not horribly off, and my wife says its ok, but I’m not happy with them, and hate feeling the edges stick up. I have not yet grouted them as I consider what I should do.
So, what would be the best way to level the existing mat/thinset so that I can install the tiles properly, without damaging the electric mat?
thanks again for trying to help a novice fix their mistakes!
Hey Craig,
If you have natural stone it can be honed down and refinished. That, however, is a job for a professional. If you have ceramic or porcelain unfortunately the only solution is to remove it and replace it.
SLC (Self-Leveling Cement) is the easiest way to level the floor over the wires. You can level the tiles with thinset as you tile but that takes a lot of practice and a lot of patience.
Thanks for the smoke blowing.
Hi Roger! I love your site! I have a question for you. We are in the process of redoing our master bath. We are using polished marble herringbone mosaic for shower floor. The tile man who came to give a quote looked at our mosaic and expressed concern about the adhesive and mesh used to hold the pattern together. He stated that some manufacturers use glue that when exposed to water for long periods of time dissovles and we could have problems down the line with tiles popping out. This is concerning. We were also considering putting herringbone on shower ceiling but are now worried about falling tile pieces. We water tested a small piece of tile with mesh on the back and the mesh lifted off quite easily and the adhesive was like wet caulk and easy to remove. Is this a problem? Can our herringbone still be used? Thank you, Erika
Also do you recommend use of epoxy grout with polished marble? If not, what do you recommend? Thanks again, Erika
If the marble is white or a lighter shade check an extra piece to ensure that it won’t stain the marble. On some marbles the liquid in the epoxy can leech into the sides of the marble and leave a darker ‘framing’ shade around the edges of the tile.
Hi Erika,
The glue is normally water soluble. As long as the glue does not cover the marble between the mesh (it is not fully covered on the back) then the thinset will still adhere the tile just fine.
Thanks Roger!
Don’t know about brilliant, but I’ll try for witty……just wanted to thank you for acknowledging that a few people in the world have SLAB floors. I’ve lurked about and sponged up all of your advice. Eagerly waiting for the elf to get off his ass and write part four of the “how to create a shower floor” series. Will have popcorn waiting……….
Hi Barbara,
You mean like this: How to build a shower floor part 4? After that He’ll get off his ass and write this one: How to create a shower floor part 5.
Pass the popcorn.
love your site roger!
so i just read your traditonal waterproofing shower guide i understood mostly all of it very well one question i do have is after i lay my membrane up my wall and then put my moister barrier on then the cement backer… correct? are u suppose to put the backer board all the way to the floor or just to where the membrane stops? i seen in a couple pictures that your cement backer went all the way to the floor but if u do not want to screw through the rubber membrane then how do you attach the backer at the bottom? if u stop before u get to bottom then you will have an unlevel wall and cause my dog to explode into flames! i dont want that!!!
Hey Mario,
It needs to go all the way (or at least nearly so) to the floor. You can either notch out the studs so the floor liner sets back from the plane of the studs, bump out the studs above the floor liner so it’s even with the thickness of the membrane (cardboard drywall shims behind your moisture barrier), or install the backer before the top mud deck and use the top mud deck to hold it in place. Whichever you choose the fasteners need to stop above the liner and not through it.
I normally bump out the studs with shims – it’s the easiest way to keep the wall flat all the way to the bottom. I don’t want your dog to explode either!
Hey Roger,
I wrote you a few weeks ago(might have sent pictures too)of my bath reno where the caulking at the tub/tile joint had failed twice since the renovation. You suggested to fill the tub with water and apply silicone and allow to cure before draining tub. What a genius! I am very happy to report that your method has solved the problem. My guess was an adhesion problem with the surfaces, not a minor movement of the tub due the weight of water and people! Thanks again for being a great information source to us do-it-yourself types as well as a real professional willing to share the trade secrets! Neal
Hey Neal,
Thanks for letting me know! Most people just ask and run away with my useless information and I never know what happens. Glad to hear it solved your problem.
Much easier to have a dance party in the bathtub when it’s sealed correctly!
I am replacing a shattered glass tabletop with ceramic tiles.
I am wondering if you would think backer board is too weak to handle tiles suspended over a metal table base? Would you seal wooden board instead, and then add tiles? and would you glue tiles with mxbon 105 glue, then grout the top only(not under each tile when attached to a base)?
Do you have photos of any other tiles as tables and how secure their bases were?
Hi Michelle,
Cement board is absolutely NOT structurally sturdy enough by itself to support the installation. I would use 3/4″ layer of plywood – minimum – then cement board or ditra, then tile. You seem to be way overthinking this whole thing.
Do not seal the plywood, do NOT use the glue – use regular thinset. The security of the base is not as important as the integrity of the substrate attached to the base. Build a nice solid substrate, bond the tiles to it, then attach the base.
I haven’t done a tile table in YEARS, sorry, I don’t have pictures.
I will be installing a mixture of porcelain and stone tile in the entryway of my front door, in a simple checkerboard pattern; the tiles are 12″ square. The porcelain tile is 1/4″ thick and the stone is 3/8″ thick. The contractor thinks he can accommodate the 1/8″ height difference with grout; do you think it would be better to use ditra under the porcelain pieces instead?
Hi Lorraine,
I think it would be better, but different guys have different techniques. Thinset will work fine. I do think (I really, really hope) you mean thinset rather than grout, yes?
Roger,
Thanks for taking my question. I own a 70+ year old house, and I am ripping up a wood floor in the kitchen to lay down 18 x 18 travertine tiles. My goal is to not have much of a step up transition from either one of the doorway entrances to the kitchen , but understand there may be a little bit. The wood I tore out was 3/4 in thick, and the travertine is 1/2 in.
I know the goal is to have a subfloor that is flex free to not crack your tile. My deliema is that when I tore my wood floor out I found that the sub floor was constructed by nailing 3/4 x 6in planks across the joists, then nailing 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 sleepers over that, perpindicular of course to the planks and essentially on to of the joists, which by the way are a max of 16 inches on center. Unfortunately I cannot just tear out the sleepers and planks and just start building it up from there, because there is electrical and water pipe running through the voids.
My solution was to fill the voids with the high density pink foam board, and then screw 1/4 hardie backer board to the sleepers(without thinset). Any place where two sheets of backer board meets that is perpindicular to the sleepers, I screwed a 2 x 4 (laying flat of course) any place where two pieces of backer board come together, so there is no flex there. Also, I am trying to lay it out so that none of the grout lines line up with the backer seams.
Finally, I am installing a free-wire (not mat) electrical heat system. When I put a level across the floor, I saw somelow spots, so I plan to tape the backer board seams and pour self leveling concrete on top.
My question is do you think this is solid enough so that I dont have to worry about the tile cracking, especially when I move the refrigerator? I have only gotten as far as screwing the backer board down in the breakfast nook part of the kitchen, so I still have time to switch up my tactics as the main part of the kitchen which makes up about 2/3rds of the area still remains.
Thanks for the help.
AJ
Hey AJ,
With what you have there it sounds like the that’s about the best you’ll get with wood and backer. My solution would be to simply mud in between the sleepers with deck mud, that will give you a nice flat, solid surface, then install ditra over that. I don’t really like the foam aspect, nor do I like not having the entire backer fully supported. You could even float deck mud up to the level you need and install the tile directly to it – that would be more solid that even a properly build wood floor substrate. It would also allow you to have a flush surface at the entrances.
Roger,
Thanks for the prompt response. I forgot to tell you that the foam board comes above the sleepers by about 1/32 in, so it actually supports the backer as it sits over the sleepers. When it is screwed down it compresses the foam just enough that it feels pretty solid, I can’t detect any flex anywhere, even dead center between the sleepers. I really am trying not float it if I don’t have to. Thanks again.
AJ
Well give it a shot. Sounds to me like it should work, just not a common installation. That, however, doesn’t mean it won’t work.
Hello Roger,
I would like to tile our laundry room and laundry bathroom with natural stone. Currently it has hard linoleum on top of particle board having a combined height of 3/4″. It butts up to two rooms that have carpet installed on top of the plywood main floor. So, the 3/4″ height is just perfect. What do I need to do to keep the height the same when project is finished. The stone tile will be 3/8″. Thanks so much! Sheryl
Hi Sheryl,
There is no way you’re going to be able to meet the same height with a natural stone installation. To do that you would need only a 3/8″ substrate beneath your tile – you need a minimum of 1 1/8″. The best you’ll be able to do is 3/4″ layer of plywood and Ditra XL, which would give you a height of about 1″ before the stone is installed. A good Schluter transition strip can help transition the height difference for you.
Hello Roger,
Thanks so much for your fast response. There is 3/4″ plywood (main floor) that is beneath the particle board the linoleum sits on. Does that count as part of the substrate? The plywwod main floor is 3/4″ plus the particle board and hard lineoleum is another 3/4″. Will pull of the particle board. Forgot to mention another reason we want to keep the height the sames is because it butts up to the brazillan cherry wood floor in two other door locations. Thanks so much! Sheryl
Oh, I was under the assumption that the 3/4″ particle board was the entire substrate.
You can use Ditra XL over the 3/4″ ply and you should be about even with all that. Although not ideal (to my mind) Schluter says you can use their XL over a single layer of 3/4″ ply. As long as you follow their installation requirements you should be fine.
Hello Roger,
Thanks so much for your help. Will use the ditra.
Sheryl
HELLO ROGER
THANKS YOU FOR ALL GREAT ADVICES AND I’M REALLY ENJOY YOUR WEB SITE. CURRENTLY I’M IN PROCESS OF
MAKING A SHOWER FLOOR AND JUST FINISHED THE PRESLOPE BEORE INSTALL THE MEMBERANCE.
SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME FOR ME THEREFORE THE SLOPES ARE NOT CONSISTENCE ALL AROUND AND I’M AFRAID THE
THE WATER IN MEMBRACE WILL NOT FLOW TO THE DRAINS THRU WEEP HOLES AT SOME LOCATIONS
MY QUESTION IS IT OK TO PUT ANOTHER THIN LAYER OF DECK MUCK ALL AROUND THE FLOOR THE MAKE THE SLOPE FLAT AND STRAIGHT. I’M CONCERN THE NEW LAYER AND THE PRESLOPE FLOOR MAY NOT BOND PROPERLY.
IS THERE ANY PROBLEM REGARDING INTERGITY OF THE FLOOR BECAUSE I PUT TOO MUCH WATER WHEN I MIX THE WATER
TO THE SAND MIX (I USED SAKRETE SAMD MIX AT HOME DEPO) . I DIDN’T REALIZED THE DECK MUD SHOUD BE DRY, WITHOUT WATER DRIPPING FROM IT WHEN SQUEEZE.
I’M VERY MUCH APPRECIATE FOR YOUR TIME TO READ MY EMAIL AND REPLY
Hi Tim,
Too much water is less important on the pre-slope, so you should be fine. Too much water also makes the mud shrink as it cures, which is likely why you currently have a goofy slope.
You can add more deck mud, by you’ll need to bond the two with thinset between them.
I thought I uploaded some pictures for you to look at but could not find them.
Am I being silly to ask if you might of received them from me and if so where they are?
If you don’t have them I will resend them as I have some questions that go along with the pictures.
Have a super weekend!
I may have them, Anita, I have no idea. I have about 40 different photos back there with questions attached to them on which nobody has placed their name. I get the photos, I get the questions, I can even answer them – I just don’t know who to answer. If you want to re-upload your photos with your question and include a name and email address I’ll be more than happy to answer, I just need to know where to place the answer.
Hello, again, Roger;
A few questions have now adequately emerged in my dwindling grey matter …
1) One of your fans mentioned he put in “1000″ or so deck screws to further secure the subfloor to the joists. I was contemplating doing the same for my living room project (a glue down engineered wood floor). Some parts needed it as they were lifting up. What do you think of the idea of doing the entire floor to ensure the subfloor is throughly locked down?
2) I read somewhere else that prior to putting down the flattening agent (in my case I’m using Henry 547) one should paint the area first with, if memory serves, a latex paint. I gather the premise is to prevent the plywood subfloor from getting wet. In your 19 years have you found this practice necessary?
3) You state somewhere that we need to avoid screwing down the backer board into the joists. This was, also, the same advise the Masonite site gave when nailing down their product. The reason being, if memory serves, that the joists and the subfloor do not expand and contract identically. And we do not want to secure the backer board to any thing but the subfloor. I haven’t been able to locate where you explain why this must be done and am interested in understanding the physics involved. I understand the backer board doesn’t move, yes? but the subfloor will still do so, but independently from the joists. But the subfloor is already nailed, and maybe also screwed (depending on your response to #1), to the joists … and the backer board is screwed to that subfloor, which is secured to those joists … so what is going on with not wanting to also secure the backer board to those joists … etc & so forth …
thanks,
Michael
Hi Michael,
1. If you have an engineered plank wood floor you’re planning on installing tile over I would strongly urge you to reconsider removing it and replacing it with regular plywood. There are just way too many points in that particular installation technique which could fail. That said, yeah, you could place thousands of screws into it, but that’s the hard way in my opinion. I would just remove it.
2. If you use an SLC you need to use a primer over the substrate – not paint. It is to allow the SLC to get a complete bond to the substrate.
3. A double-layer plywood or substrate construction method allows for in-plane movement between the separate sheets of the substrate. In other words, when the joists expand and contract this movement is transferred directly into the bottom sheet of plywood. As it is dissipated out through the bottom sheet it reaches the top sheet, which will dissipate this movement even more. By the time this movement reaches the underside of your tile substrate (the backer) it is essentially eliminated. Screwing the top layer into the joists, however, eliminates this method and transfers all the energy of that expansion and contraction directly into the top layer, as well as directly into the back of your tile substrate. It’s simply a way to dissipate a bunch of movement before it gets anywhere near your tile. Screwing the top layer into the joists negates that.
Thanks for the reply, Roger.
1) the screws would be going into the plywood laid over the joists. I’m installing a glue down engineered floor on top of them. Some of the plywood had lifted so I’ve pulled the offending failing nails and replaced them with deck screws. Just wondered of putting in extra screws was really needed. I’m glueing down and nailing, perpendicular to the plywood, 4×8 masonite to add additional sound muting to the engineered floor, plus add the 1/8 height to make the transition level to the kitchen tiles I’m also installing. Would you just stick with the deck screws where needed or add more for certainty of future security?
2) What is SLC, my good Elf? I’m using Henry’s patch and self leveling to flatten both the upcoming engineered flooring and tiling. Since it requires water in the mix, would it, like the mysterious SLC, call for the primer?
3) thanks, too, for the physics lesson … interesting stuff.
I would stick with the deck screws, that should work fine.
SLC is self-leveling cement, not a patch. It goes over the entire substrate to level it. I don’t know if henry’s requires primer or not, I would check with the manufacturer.
Sorry, I assumed you were doing tile – I have tile on the brain.
Wow … at first blush you are definitely someone I could rely on. Being in need of experience on most things.
Have some questions forthcoming … need to formulate them, yet.
Good stuff on your site, thought, again …
Michael
Dear Floor Elf,
Wish I had discovered your website 4 tiling projects ago! At the very least, it would have provided some laughs to offset the stress! My husband and I are on our last tiling project in new construction – the kitchen back splash. We snagged some 6×6 tumbled travertine for a good price but are totally confused about sealing it (all our other projects involved porcelain tile which we did not seal). The tile is very dense and does not absorb water easily. Do we need to seal it before installation to avoid potential staining from thinset or grout? Since we’ll be filling the pits in the tile with grout, we want to seal the tile after installation along with the grout joints. Is there a sealer you would recommend that could work as a pre-installation sealer (if necessary) and a post-installation grout and tile sealer that won’t result in a glossy surface? Do you think an oil-based sealer would penetrate better than a water-based? We’ve contacted several sealer manufacturers and have gotten different answers from each. Please HELLLLLLLLLP! Thanks.
Hey Sandy,
If you have light travertine and dark grout then yes, seal it before you install it. Short of that just seal afterwards. I use Miracle Sealant’s 511 impregnator pro. It is a solvent-based (as you described oil-based) sealer which will penetrate deeper than a water-based. It is not a topical or enhancing sealer – those are the ones that get the glossy surface. It can be used for the stone as well as the grout.
Roger,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I couldn’t find a Miracle product called 511 Impregnator PRO at their website – just 511 Impregnator Is there a “pro” version? Is the 511 impregnator I can find at Home Depot the real deal or a lesser quality? I plan to experiment with the 511 this weekend on extra tile and may have additional questions after I see the results. Thanks in advance for being there.
Yup, same stuff essentially. Grab that and play around with it. Don’t inhale too deeply.
Elf man,
I am replacing the tile and shower recepter and have a few questions. I have searched the web without consistant results. BTW, I live in CA.
Q1. Can you have the shower head above the tile line. ie: tile line at 6′, shower head exits at 6′-4″.
Q2. To have the morterboard line up correctly with the recepter, can I first put up (or leave up) the greenboard (or purple) and then staple the #15 roofing felt, then attach the moterboard? (The original install was 2 layers of greenboard, the outer layer and lower area stripped away.)
Q3. The ceramic niches that are installed with a cut out through the tile and motorboard are siliconed in place. Is this code compliant for the vapor barrier is removed as well.
Q4. The water seal around the valve is a small hard rubber like material. This will easily allow water to trickle its way through. Any vapor barrier is removed at the valve area. Is this right? Where does the water go, for it won’t find its way down the vapor barrier. Or is the amount of water little concern. I would think the valve would come with a plastic flange that it first siliconed to the wall, and the face plate would fit over it.
Thanks again for your help. Great info on your site.
Hi Robert man,
1. Yes, you can. It isn’t a good idea because you’re stopping your waterproofing below the point water enters your shower. But yeah, you can.
2. Again, yes, you can, but it isn’t a good idea. It would be better to remove the green (purple, pink) board and shim out the backer to where you need it.
3. There is no code compliance in place for that particular scenario. The accepted method is to silicone your barrier to the back of the backer around the cavity you cut out, silicone the inside perimeter of the cavity so it forms a solid bead from the niche material to the barrier, and silicone the niche in.
4. The barrier is indeed cut around the hole in the backer for the valve. Again the barrier is siliconed around the perimeter of the cutout to the back of the backer. This creates a dam around which water will flow as it runs down the barrier. The water flows down and around this silicone bead without entering the cavity for the valve and the wall cavity.
Wow, you are the man. Thanks for the quick answers. Can you clarify a bit though on the following:
on Q1, it is sort of an aesthetic thing leaving the last 18″ or so painting in the room accent. I will still seal the pipe to the greenboard. I just wasn’t sure why the code says to tile 6′ minimun, unless all people who take showers are only 5′-4″ or shorter (or use the “S” pipe).
on Q4, if you seal the vapor barrier (BTW, I am using #15 felt, and not sure how well silicone sticks to it) to the small opening in the valve, how do you get to the shutoffs on each side of the valve? Plus, I have no clean way to cut a perfect 6″ circle in the tile and backer.
Just cut your hole large enough to get to the shutoffs. The hole can be as large as you need it to be as long as the barrier is siliconed to the back of the substrate around the entire perimeter of it. Silicone sticks to the felt just fine.
I don’t know why the code says that either. I don’t know why half the building codes state what they state. It varies so much no one can keep up with all of them. Every time I stay in a hotel I’m fairly certain that everyone else who has ever stayed in a hotel was only 5’4 – ice cold blast of water straight at my chest. Maybe all the code writers stay in hotels and want everything to be at least 6″ higher than their current height?
Hi, I stumbled on to your site while looking for some info on defective grout and thought i drop you a line and say its nice to see some one giving GOOD free advice. i also checked out you bus. page and you do nice work. Do you do mud work? cuz your showers etc. look too nice to be over backerboard. anyways thanks for the free advice. tile setter for 30 yrs / So cal contractor. Dan Phillips
Hey Dan,
Thanks. Yup, I do mud as well. Most of my stuff is over kerdi these days – hard to get people to foot the bill for mud lately, but I still bust ‘em out every now and then just so my body can let me know how damn old I’m gettin’.
Currently doing a shower larger than my first apartment with 18 x 18 thassos marble – feel about 100 years old this week.
Roger – I was in the midst of uploading some photos on my master bath project and got a Floor Elf server error! Sorry if my uploads over-burdened the elves and/or caused your dog to burst into flames…
Maybe you could hold off putting up my photos until I can get time to try again. I’d like to get the ‘after’ photos up because most of the ones I think I got up before the elves rebelled were the ‘before’ ones and don’t reflect the amazing work I was able to get done with your guidance.
Thanks
Hey Tim,
Elves are drinkin’ again – bastards!
I got seven of them including the after of the vanity and the vanity with lightbar. The error was likely just from attempting to create the thumbnails from photos that large. I need to try and fix that. It uploaded the photos anyway so don’t worry if it tells you that again. I had three copies of the last one (with lightbar) so I’m gettin’ them anyway.
Hi Roger:
I wrote to you at the end of August about a leak that had started from our 4 year old tile shower. You explained how the contractor installing the cement board without a vapor barrier was where the leaking was coming from. We contacted the contractor and explained the problem & reason for it and that the tile & board had to come down and start from scratch, this time installing a vapor barrier first. He agreed to do this but wanted to do the job when he had some down time. Well now he’s come to us with this 511 Impregnator Sealer from a Miracle Sealant Company and is claiming applying this to the entire shower (tile & grout) will make it water proof. I’m not going for it. I went to the MiracleSealants.com site and looked around, watched a video on it and it says “resistant” not waterproof. Do you have any information about this method? What do you think….oh great tile elf?
Thanks,
Shelly
Don’t know if he actually doesn’t know what he’s talking about due to lack of education about sealers or if he’s purposely trying to blow smoke up your ass. Sealer doesn’t waterproof anything. All it does is assist in making tile and grout stain resistant. There are different types of sealer which can give your tile different looks and two basic types of sealer (impregnating and topical), but all of them only do the one thing – assist with cleaning by making your tile and grout more stain resistant.
That is actually one of the main sealers I use, but it doesn’t make anything waterproof at all. It will slow the absorption of water, so it will initially slow the leak, but that’s all it will do. The water ‘resistant’ aspect you saw on the video simply indicates that water will not wash it out of the tile and grout.
Thanks for clarifying the sealant waterprooflessness (is that a word?) Roger!
The contractor is coming back today to start ripping out the tile and backerboard and will be using the “topical” method to moisture-proof. Question: how far UP the walls should he go to remove the tile? He used a copper pan for the floor, is that going to be okay to not touch? There is also a 4″ rise at the entrance to shower that the door sits on, should that also be removed and topically covered? We plan on watching this entire reconstruction very closely – like a hawk who hasn’t eaten in a week.
Also, he seems to think he can salvage the tiles he’s removing, how likely is that?
Thank you for your help, you ROCK!
Up to the showerhead is the minimum for waterproofing. If the curb is not waterproofed (the 4″ rise) then yes – it definitely needs to be taken out and waterproofed. The curb is the number one area of shower leaks, mainly due to improper construction.
If the tile was correctly installed he will NOT be able to salvage any of it. HOWEVER, if it were properly built he wouldn’t be coming to fix it, eh? So I don’t know, guess you’ll find out if he can save it or not.
Dear Floor Elf,
I have a few questions about my tile shower. I have recently found your website learning about weep holes. I have had a problem with a strange smell in my bathroom for months and have done everything I can possilby think of to eliminate it. Up until last friday, I didn’t have weep holes in the shower. Would this cause it to smell bad? and if yes, will it eventually go away? or will i have to tear out the shower again. Have already taken out bottom 2 rows and replaced the base and have had tile redone. I don’t think that the man we paid to retile used mesh tape on the seams and he did put cement board directly on the base and did not use caulk or silicone along the edge of the base but I have access to one of the walls and don’t see any moisture. Do you have any ideas on how I can figure this out?
Hey Alice,
Something back there is wet and likely mildew or mold is growing. Was the shower dried out completely before replacing the wall and tile? If not moist studs, when covered up, can simply begin to grow mildew again. You can try to cut weep holes in there and see if that helps in a couple of weeks of draining properly, but your best bet is probably taking it out again – letting it completely dry out, then reinstalling the tile.
Hello Roger,
When I removed the tile and cement board, all was dry. So yes, in answering your question, it was dried out. This is what I have, wall studs are covered with plastic, cement board then tile. I dont have any other waterproofing installed and was told that I didn’t need it. I wanted to use red guard on the cement board before I tiled. Now, i have removed the sheetrock from the outside corners of the shower and the cement board is definitely wet. While I am going to remove this again, should I take out all the tile and use redgard or is what I have sufficient and just remove the bottom row to put the cement board in correctly so that it is not sitting directly on the base?
The cement board will get wet – it’s completely normal. And the plastic behind the cement board is sufficient provided it is properly overlapped over the tub flange and the back of it siliconed to the tub lip. This ensures that water behind the tile and backer runs into the tub. As long as the barrier and cement board are properly installed you shouldn’t have any problems with it.
Roger,
Again, thank you for sharing your knowledge with all.
Thank you so very much for your advice. I love this site and will be using it regularly. You told me exactly what I wanted to hear. My next project will be my kitchen floor…
Alice
Mr. Elf,
I am currently working on a bathroom renovation–major renovation– for a friend of mine. I have installed the marble tile, shower and floors and now it’s time to grout.
Woot woot
Everything that I have read says to silicone any change-of-plane instead of grout. Makes sense to me. My question is should I caulk before grout or vise-versa.
Also, We put in some black pencil accents and we want to caulk those joints with black so that there is no interruption in the line that they create, and suggestions would be great!
And for what it’s worth, you rock, this site rocks and all of the info you dole out rocks.
You deserve and Atta Boy! Keep up the good work!
Thanks
r
Thanks Ryan!
It’s always better to use grout in the liners rather than caulk or silicone, but provided they are small inserts using black silicone shouldn’t be a problem. Do the black silicone first at least. You can do all the silicone first if you have time to wait for it to cure before grouting. No matter how you decide to do it – make sure to install that black silicone first. You can get any grout or a lighter silicone off the black – you’ll never get the black out of anything else.