Perfect Tile Shower Niche

Posted on June 17, 2011 by PanMan

Installing a perfect tile ready shower niche can be a real challenge, even for the master tile setter.

There are several approaches and each has benefits and disadvantages in price, difficulty and results….

1. Buy a prefab niche and be totally disappointed with the results. This would be my least favorite choice since the problem with this is one of what it looks like when you are done. While the concept is great it doesn’t address the issue of integrating the size of the niche with the tile layout. Using a 14×20 niche might seem to be a great idea, but if you are using 8″ tile, is that really going to line up nicely? If you choose to use one of these, don’t buy it blind, thinking that it will somehow work out. Plan out the tile work on a piece of graph paper and be sure you know how to integrate it. The real problem with the stock size drop in is that you have to waterproof the joints where it meets the wall board after all that futzing with blocking and planning. For the newbie, the two options that are discussed next are way better and deliver much better results than the redy to tile plastic niche.

2. Build the perfect niche onsite and spend almost nothing. This is what most tile people do and while it takes a good bit of time to do it, they come out perfect. Before you put up your wall board, pick a place for the niche. It doesnt have to be perfect. Make sure the framing is out of the way and make the framed opening a few inches larger all around. This way you have some latitude to move the niche location a few inches either way to line up with the tile work. Cut a small locator hole in teh center of the niche area once you put up the walls or you may forget the niche is there and tile right over it. It wouldnt be the first time. Once you have the walls tiled all around the niche, go ahead and cut the wall board out and you can frame the niche right to your layout lines. Once you have this wooden box in the wall, line it with wallboard and use mortar and meshtape followed by a waterproofing agent to make a liner that you can set your tile right on.

3. Have a custom designed niche made by a fabricator. There are fabrication shops out there who will make niches of marble, granite or solid surface and these, while at the total upper end of affordability will be totally elegant and beautiful. The great thing about these is that they can fuse the corners to be perfectly waterproof with epoxy in the shop with no need to bring that toxic stuff into your home. The other thing I like about this is that they can build the niche to order after the tile work is complete and you don’t have to worry about getting the joints to line up.

Pan Man


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Using Epoxy Mortar on Shower Pan Projects

Posted on May 26, 2011 by PanMan

TIPS ON USING EPOXY MORTAR FOR READY TO TILE SHOWER PANS & BASES

Installing ceramic tile on the floor of a ready for tile shower pan is tricky business to start with because the smallest misalignment will make a puddle and trap water in your shower pan. Even with pre-made shower pans it is best to rub a rubber float or grout float over the tile to be sure it is all in the same plane. Installing them with epoxy mortar is even trickier because the mortar sets so fast and it is so sticky. The good news is that once you trowel out the mortar you are basically building a second pan inside the first which is good since some of the pans out there are prone to developing hairline cracks especially when shipped by freight or package service or if they get dropped or manhandled….unfortuately you can’t see the cracks sometimes. Buyer beware.

Once you have mixed the components you need to work really fast because you only get thirty to forty five minutes to work and less in hot weather. It may be best to split the batches up but you end up having to waste a bucket usually and sometimes the tools are hard to get clean once it starts to set. Tilesetters always work with epoxy in small batches because of the impossibility of cleaning it up once it starts to set. Measuring it out can be really messy and sticky but epoxy is the best method to put it down if you want it to be permanent. Just dont make a mistake. Certainly dont leave any on the face of the tile. Not even a little bit because it will never come off.
Using a 3/16″ inch notch is usually the best choice since if you go larger the mortar will usually sag. Using a 1/4″ notch will usually cut your coverage pretty dramatically also. It is not unusual to run out of mortar or time before a project is finished especially with a larger notch. Companies will let you think it is your fault but the dice are loaded against you especially if you are a first timer with epoxy. The stuff is expensive and it may not be worthwhile to buy a full two unit pail at the tile store. Very few places carry the epoxy mortar. Overall if you run out you are going to have delays or extra expense so lay out your tile ahead of time and then work quickly and confidently.
Cutting batches in half may be a good idea but it is very messy business. You also want to be extra careful measuring and handling the resins since most epoxies are known to have pthalates in them. Always use rubber gloves and have solid cross ventilation.  It will be nice when there are other options in the marketplace.
Do I really have to mention how important it is to keep pets and kids out of the work area, have really good ventilation and to have the finished floors and carpeting covered before you work with this product?
Pan Man – OUT

PS: If you haven’t worked with epoxy before or are prone to brain farts, be sure to either order a second bag or get help from someone with experience.


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ADA Universal Access Shower Pan Installations

Posted on May 26, 2011 by PanMan

ADA UNIVERSAL ACCESS SHOWER PAN INSTALLATION

ADA Pans can be tricky to get right…. 

First off, a lot of folks have asked me over the years about installing barrier free pans on the second floor. I always feel inclined to ask the logical question about whether there is wheelchair access to the bathroom itself. If the bath is even up one small step, the idea of installing a barrier free shower seems a little useless. Most folks who need a barrier free access later in life are usually in a situation where they need someone to help them in the shower. Often at that point, a wheelchair with a transfer board to a shower chair can make a lot more sense.  If you are thinking of a barrier free pan as an elegant shower solution you may want to just consider first where the inevitable drain overflow would go and how much damage it would do to your home were that to happen.

Construction-wise it is not that simple. Getting the pan flush with the floor is critical. The whole idea of barrier access involves a nice level transition with the main floor with a minimum threshold of one inch. On a concrete floor it can be necessary to chip out the area for the pan in order to get it flush with the finished floor. Raising the main floor area will create a taller threshold at the door to the bathroom so if you need a conforming ADA installation, the floor needs to be lower at the pan area. If the construction is wood then it may be necessary to cut the joists down a bit to fit the shower pan in level with the main floor.

Flashing the joint between the pan and the main floor can be tricky. Sometimes it is best to waterproof the entire floor area along with the pan area since the possibility of having an overflow is as simple as dropping a washcloth over the drain accidentally.

Thresholds are commonly treated with a piece of stone. The stone if its siliconed or epoxy mortared into place can create a small curb that can help keep the water in the pan. There are also the flip up / flip down type of curb that can help keep water in the pan as well.

Grab Bars are always a sensible addition to any shower stall, especially to a barrier free pan. The ADA guidelines are really helpful because they have been refined many times over to meet the needs of the physically challenged person.

Pan Man Out.

 


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