Author Topic: shower walls--alternative to tile  (Read 4192 times)

cooking

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shower walls--alternative to tile
« on: September 16, 2017, 03:37:28 PM »
Hello to all, esp. looking for people who know something about tile setting:

I need new walls in my bathtub/shower combo, right down to the studs.  Can't really afford to have a tile setter do it right now.  I found this description of an alternative to tile on a semi-defunct forum on another site.  The poster, as stated in his quoted post below, said he had had no leaks for 4 yrs.

My question: Would I be able to get it tiled over at some future time when I had the money to do it?  Or would the glossy coating prevent the tile adhesive from sticking?  The OP had a picture of it, & it was quite attractive, but since my house was built in the early 1900's it would probably be too much of a modern industrial look on a permanent basis.  Do any of you experienced tile setters have opinions?


This is the description:
"I did my showers in Minerit, much like Hardie panel, and it turned out great. Make sure you coat the panels with a cement-type waterproofing agent. Glue them down with a superior construction adhesive. Seal your Durock seams with that "Red-Seal" stuff - it's a waterproofing coating. Make sure you cover your studs with plastic sheeting, and if you really want to go for it, face your studs with self-sticking bituthane before stapling the plastic sheet to it. My showers have been going for two years with not any hint of moisture seeping through.

I used a construction adhesive to mount the boards to the hardie backer - I don't remember which kind, but NOT liquid nails. Go to a good lumber yard, not HD or Lowe's, and talk to someone there.

To cut the board - again, Minerit Lightweight - I used a skilsaw and a diamond blade. Remember to use a straightedge when cutting, don't freehand it.

Before I cut the boards, I sealed them, lying them flat and spraying them with a hudson sprayer, then rolling out the sealer with a fine roller. I used Mason's Select Glazecrete Clear Concrete Sealer, Gloss. No paint because I like the look of Minerit Lightweight which is gray with gold flecks. If you were to paint, I would do some tests to see if the paint would adhere to the sealer. Paint itself is a sealer, so there may be no reason to seal if you were to paint, I'm not sure.

Check out this pic of how I used 1x4's to hold the boards in position while the adhesive dried.

I'll also mention that because walls are never straight, I used strips of 1/8" material and a hot glue gun to create fullscale templates of the wall before I cut the cement board."

OP 2 yrs. later:
"4 years and going strong, no issues at all. "

Papa bear

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2017, 05:32:34 PM »
Looked up the product, I haven't seen it before. 

I don't put tile on anything but backerboard, so I would tear out your old shower surround before doing it from scratch.


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pbkmaine

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Goldielocks

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2017, 11:22:38 PM »
Glossy coating?  The minerit link I saw indicates a cementious fibre exterior wall cladding suitable for attaching other cladding to or leave exposed.

I think it woudl have a small porous structure that you would not want in your shower. Looks like you could tile over it, treat it like masonry block.

ETA..  ok, he used "Mason's Select Glazecrete Clear Concrete Sealer, Gloss." on top,...  then recommended paint.   Paint is not a good sealer unless you get special coating for this purpose.    This is only a bit better than using a strong sealer on top of moisture proof drywall, IMO.  The substrate is still porous.

This is a bit like when they paint masonry block, like at a campground shower room.  It does erode / flake with time, then the underlayer absorbs water.  I would guess it would last a couple of years. 

To tile, you need to roughen the surface or apply a mesh screen (metal lath) over the surface to hold the tile mastic/mortar up.  Some mastic may be designed to be stickier to smooth surfaces and not need the lathe.  This lath is quite common for some tile jobs, a classic method from 100 years ago.

Instead, install a shower wall panel system, which is easily removed when ready to tile, and cheap for now.  or something like this...
http://www.maax.com/en/products/showers/new/utile-showers
« Last Edit: September 17, 2017, 11:34:46 PM by Goldielocks »

Fishindude

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2017, 06:51:10 AM »
If you want short term, economical shower walls, just buy plastic "shower surround" kit.
There are multiple grades of these and some are very inexpensive.

paddedhat

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2017, 08:02:45 AM »
If you want short term, economical shower walls, just buy plastic "shower surround" kit.
There are multiple grades of these and some are very inexpensive.

X2   The written description of the whatever the forum poster did sounds like a world class clusterfuck. I doubt it's anything but strange and ugly looking, took more time, more money  and is more likely to leak, that a typical plastic tub wall kit. A mid grade tub surround will solve your problem, and is a pretty easy DIY task.

lthenderson

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2017, 03:28:00 PM »
Can't really afford to have a tile setter do it right now.

Do it yourself! There isn't a huge learning curve for setting tile and getting it to look better than a plastic tub surround. I taught myself by watching Youtube videos and giving it a go. Of course you get better with practice but even my first attempt looked ten times better than the one piece plastic unit that I replaced.

Goldielocks

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2017, 10:00:00 PM »
Can't really afford to have a tile setter do it right now.

Do it yourself! There isn't a huge learning curve for setting tile and getting it to look better than a plastic tub surround. I taught myself by watching Youtube videos and giving it a go. Of course you get better with practice but even my first attempt looked ten times better than the one piece plastic unit that I replaced.
+1  me too.

I have learned that the small 4x4 white tiles are very cheap and very easy / forgiving to install.   They look great, simple.  oh,  and did I say cheap...  Daltile Semi-Gloss White 4-1/4 in. x 4-1/4 in. Ceramic Wall Tile (12.5 sq. ft. / case) $1.28/sq.ft .. maybe $4 /sq.ft including mastic, grout, tools and moisture proof drywall?

Otherwise, the wall kits that don't need drywall are a great alternative for now....  I just find that "for now" evolves into "forever".. you know?

tralfamadorian

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #8 on: September 20, 2017, 08:06:51 AM »
I just had a rental bathroom tiled with white subway tile for $1.26/sqft.  Very inexpensive, on trend and looks great. 

KarefulKactus15

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2017, 04:10:34 PM »
Can't really afford to have a tile setter do it right now.

Do it yourself! There isn't a huge learning curve for setting tile and getting it to look better than a plastic tub surround. I taught myself by watching Youtube videos and giving it a go. Of course you get better with practice but even my first attempt looked ten times better than the one piece plastic unit that I replaced.


According to the tile counsel of north America, about 70% of showers are incorrectly installed.   Food for thought. 

Id go with the plastic insert if cash it tight, unless your going to devote the time and money to do it right your just creating problems.

paddedhat

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Re: shower walls--alternative to tile
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2017, 04:57:18 PM »
Can't really afford to have a tile setter do it right now.

Do it yourself! There isn't a huge learning curve for setting tile and getting it to look better than a plastic tub surround. I taught myself by watching Youtube videos and giving it a go. Of course you get better with practice but even my first attempt looked ten times better than the one piece plastic unit that I replaced.


According to the tile counsel of north America, about 70% of showers are incorrectly installed.   Food for thought. 

Id go with the plastic insert if cash it tight, unless your going to devote the time and money to do it right your just creating problems.

As a builder, I have done many tile shower and tub surrounds for customers. In the last three decades of living in homes that I build for my family, I have always had acrylic one piece tubs and showers. We now live in a mid-century ranch, that the last owner had renovated. As soon as I get the chance, I'll sledge his Faux marble tile out of the tub area, and install a quality acrylic unit. I like tile floors, but have no use for it in a shower. IMHO, the 70% figure is probably low. Unless I did it myself, or knew the installer, I would assume that it's leaking, and creating a moldy mess in the wall, and chances are, it would be a safe guess.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!