Ceramic Tile Shower

We were 'victims' of our contractor believing the manufacturer's claims that the new backer board was waterproof. We were having mold problems within 4 years of the new shower install! Water was actually travelling through the wall into the adjoining closet where clothes were mildewing! We were accused of not maintaining the tile grout properly to keep water from getting behind the tile! In digging into the wall, it was obvious that water was wicking into the plywood behind the backerboard & travelling through gaps between the pan and the wall. I then spent many hours researching how to correctly construct a tiled shower...using some of Tim's ATB past articles in the archives - and kept pushing our contractor. We had the shower rebuilt (with cementitious backerboard & a membrane) by a bona fide tile guy, at our contractor's expense, who said the misunderstanding was not excusable - and just plain WRONG.

Thank you for this artical... we ..the Grand.. in-laws.live in an old farm house..over 70 years old.. which has the same problems as this shower artical.. only with the bathtub!! They are aged and do not want to spend a pile of dough fixing it.. your solution for the walls is something we can look at !!
.. however.. before the walls can get addressed... the bathtub!!.. it is listing badly into the inside corner!!!
.. they do not want the walls ripped out to address the lip around the tub !!
..I can get underneath the tub through the crawl space..its a dug out 'basement..to see what is what from underneath..would wedging a '2x4' under the tub corner to try to level out the tub be a good solution?? how secure would that be ??

..is there way is somehow 'pulling up' the tub from above and how th secure it??

..quite a dilemma !!!

awaiting a reaction..

Julius

how to take out a brick fire place

My name is Chad and I have started my own tile business and doing quiet well so far with it. I would like to know if anyone could share with me their way of nailing hardwood down when you get to the wall and neither one of your guns will shoot into the toungue, where or what would you do? I have tried several different ways but would like a little more advise on the proper fastening solution to it. thanks you can email me at aacflooring@google.com

I am in the process of installing 4" ceramic tile around the bath tub all the way to the ceiling.
How do I support the towel bar, soap dish and tray until the cement sets up?
It appears as though part of these attachments fit over the the tile. Is the a spaces just calked or grouted?
Thank you for your advice. I read your column in the Toledo Blade every Sunday. I don't recall this situation was mentioned.

I read your advice on tile for a shower. Its nice to hear someone actually puts up the vapor barrier behind the board. But, there is another problem you need to deal with. In a shower with a sloped cement pan, the water that is held by the mortar bed will "wick" up the backerboard walls and create mold. I would recommend using Schluter Systems Kerdi shower membrane kit. It puts the waterproofing membrane on top of any wallboard even standared sheetrock, and its uses a new style drain that doesn't rely on weep holes. I have done about 50 now and they are leak proof and completely mold and mildew proof. No gimmicks lick Mold protectere add to the board etc... It is by far the best systems on the market. Thanks for your work. Kim.. Tile Installer Dallas TX.

hi
Well my shower walls are tile. they were put two days ago. my concern is that no water barrier was put any were. So, is there a way i could put a transperant water barrier on the tile and grout.
please help
thank you

What is the best way to kill this black mold that appears in the walls of a water damaged shower? And is a respirator enough protection for someone who is severely allergic to it?

Need help doing a ceramic cieling...no videos on that...anywhere why?
Is it really that tricky?