Faux Stone Shower Walls
|Faux Stone Shower Walls – When most people enter their tile shower they rarely look at the behind the scenes procedure that went into making that shower work correctly. Unfortunately some contractors will use this to their benefit to scrimp and save a couple bucks. I have to say most contractors making the effort to do a good job, although some people might of which never learned the best procedure and why these processes are crucial. The best method to find a very good tile contractor is always to make them explain the thought. If they’re able to tell you the ins and outs behind the scenes, the chances are greater you’ll get a great job. If your pals refer somebody to you will still be OK to inquire about these questions, in the end so what can your pals really know regarding the reasons for a tiled shower? They may have found a contractor who is nice and simple to use and their brand new shower looks great, however, if ensure fight mildew in a few months but for the next two decades you will ask a couple of questions.
So let’s start at the beginning and explain common language and theory of an tile shower. First you have what is known a shower pan. This is a completely waterproof section that covers the shower floor and up the walls about 10″. This is either a hot mop, (that is a variety of layers of tar paper, hot tar, tar paper, hot tar etc) or it could be a PVC membrane that is folded in the corners as well as over the dam. The most important thing about this for you the homeowner to learn is obviously it is absolutely waterproof but in addition which it has what is known a sub-pitch. A proper sub-pitch is simply float of cement or similar product within the pan that creates a flow on the drain in addition to the shower pan. This is important because, say as an example your shower pan is flat (no sub-pitch) water will traverse your grout to make its way on the pan while showering. If this water forms a puddle under your tile floor instead of flowing towards drain it becomes stagnant and soon can be mildew in your grout. With a sub-pitch water that produces its way on the pan continue to circulate towards drain always being substituted for water. It is just like the difference between a pond and a creek.
Next you’ve got a vapor barrier that is applied on the walls directly on the wood studs. This is ordinarily a paper that has a tar kept in the guts. This paper keeps moisture out of the walls. Why is this important? Not a lot of water penetrates the shower walls, nevertheless the substrate (the substrate is whatever surface your tile is stuck to, backer board, cement float, etc.) this surface can get moist. Moisture will move from substrate toward the inside wall, out with the grout and down towards pan, without vapor barrier paper you’ll get small amounts of water to your wall cavity. So you say “why should I worry about this type of small amount of water”. The reason is when you’re getting a drop of water as part of your wall every time your shower is utilized, those drops add together since your wall doesn’t have any ventilation for evaporation, so eventually the wood is usually moist. Do you know what loves moist wood? Termites, they love these conditions simply because they never have to travel back on the ground to get a drink, they’re able to just keep eating. It would be as if you and I never having to go on the grocery store. Think of how productive we could be in the event it were true.
Well that’s the thought of waterproofing behind your shower walls. When you stick to these tips your new shower has got the best probability of looking great for several years, without extreme maintenance.
So in closing, I hope it’s been an instructive as well as understandable explanation of why a properly waterproofed shower makes a difference. As a Contractor I welcome customers who will ask me these questions, it tells me they understand the value of an job well done.