How To Waterproof A Shower Floor Before Tiling

There are two types of waterproof membranes sheet and liquid applied options.

How to waterproof a shower floor before tiling.

Fortunately waterproofing an enclosure is only a matter of proper preparation of the walls before the first tile is laid. For our shower we chose a running bond pattern. It s likely that different styles of tiles will be used for floor and walls based on how much slip resistance they provide. Determine how much tile you ll need.

It is not structural but it must be non. After letting the waterproofing agent dry apply a final coat of waterproofing to the walls and bathroom floor with a brush or roller. Once all the mortar has cured tiling can commence. You can also use plywood we typically call the tile people to put a mud bed sloped to the drain before we get going.

Smooth the membrane with the trowel. Use the notched trowel to spread mortar over the entire shower floor then press a sheet of waterproof membrane into the wet mortar. It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. Cement is actually a very porous material and can easily absorb water.

Preparation for installing floor tile depends on the type of subfloor in the room you are tiling. This used to be done with sand and it is still in the tcna handbook. Water can ruin the best tile installations destroy bathroom walls quickly and seep through floors to attack foundations if the waterproofing is badly done. Tile and grout 1.

After the second coat is dry and the whole shower area is prepped it s time to make tile decisions before going any further. You ll need to let this second coat dry another 24 hours before it s ready. You ll need a design plan before you start attaching the tile. This means deciding where the first tiles will be laid and how the tiles will align with floor and wall joints.

A subfloor is the bottom most structural level of your floor. To prevent water damage you must install a waterproof membrane just below the tile bonding mortar as close to the tile as possible. Measure each wall area calculating the width times height. Mud floor durock walls.

Therefore any concrete that may come into regular contact with water such as under tile or for a pool will need to be waterproofed. Tiles are cut as necessary to fit where they belong. Sheet membranes are plastic or elastometric sheets that have to be bonded to the substrate before tile installation. Waterproofing concrete is a fairly simple procedure.

For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.