How To Waterproof A Shower Floor Before Tiling

Determine how much tile you ll need.

How to waterproof a shower floor before tiling.

To prevent water damage you must install a waterproof membrane just below the tile bonding mortar as close to the tile as possible. Cement is actually a very porous material and can easily absorb water. Once all the mortar has cured tiling can commence. Therefore any concrete that may come into regular contact with water such as under tile or for a pool will need to be waterproofed.

It supports your decorative floor finish whether it s carpet hardwood vinyl laminate or tile. Tile and grout 1. It is not structural but it must be non. You ll need to let this second coat dry another 24 hours before it s ready.

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. After letting the waterproofing agent dry apply a final coat of waterproofing to the walls and bathroom floor with a brush or roller. Waterproofing concrete is a fairly simple procedure.

You can also use plywood we typically call the tile people to put a mud bed sloped to the drain before we get going. Measure each wall area calculating the width times height. Pattern they ll take is established. Use the notched trowel to spread mortar over the entire shower floor then press a sheet of waterproof membrane into the wet mortar.

After the second coat is dry and the whole shower area is prepped it s time to make tile decisions before going any further. It s likely that different styles of tiles will be used for floor and walls based on how much slip resistance they provide. Second waterproofing on flats and down to floor. There are two types of waterproof membranes sheet and liquid applied options.

Water can ruin the best tile installations destroy bathroom walls quickly and seep through floors to attack foundations if the waterproofing is badly done. 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. For more information download our pdf about types of subfloors.

Tiles are cut as necessary to fit where they belong. Install the preformed curb covering it with mortar and waterproof membrane. Smooth the membrane with the trowel. You ll need a design plan before you start attaching the tile.

Mud floor durock walls.