Custom Shower Walls
|Custom Shower Walls – When many people enter their tile shower they rarely think about the behind the scenes method that went into making that shower work effectively. Unfortunately some contractors will use this with their advantage to scrimp and save a few bucks. I have to say most contractors making the effort to do a passable job, although some people might of them never learned the best procedure and why these processes are essential. The best way to find a good tile contractor would be to keep these things explain the thought. If they can show you the ins and outs behind the scenes, the chances are greater you will get a fantastic job. If your friends refer somebody to you it’s still OK to inquire about these questions, in the end so what can your friends fully realize about the first step toward a tiled shower? They may have discovered a contractor that’s nice and an easy task to help and their brand-new shower looks great, in case you dont want to fight mildew in half a year as well as the next 20 years you may ask a few of questions.
So let’s begin in the beginning and explain common language and theory of a tile shower. First you have what is known as a shower pan. This is a completely waterproof section that covers the shower floor or over the walls about 10″. This is sometimes a hot mop, (the industry quantity of layers of tar paper, hot tar, tar paper, hot tar and so on) or it can be a PVC membrane which is folded into the corners as well as over the dam. The most important much of this for you personally the homeowner to learn is of course it’s absolutely waterproof and also which it has what is known as a sub-pitch. A proper sub-pitch is only a float of cement or similar product beneath the pan that produces a flow for the drain on top of the shower pan. This is important because, say for example your shower pan is flat (no sub-pitch) water will travel through your grout to make its way for the pan while showering. If this water forms a puddle under your tile floor rather than flowing for the drain it is stagnant and soon will end up mildew within your grout. With a sub-pitch the lake which makes its way for the pan continue to flow for the drain always being replaced with water. It is similar to the difference between a pond plus a creek.
Next there is a vapor barrier which is applied for the walls directly for the wood studs. This is ordinarily a paper that features a tar trapped in the center. This paper keeps moisture out from the walls. Why is this important? Not a lot of water penetrates the shower walls, but the substrate (the substrate is whatever surface your tile is stuck to, backer board, cement float, etc.) this surface will get moist. Moisture will move from substrate toward the inside wall, out from the grout and down for the pan, without vapor barrier paper you will get small amounts of water in your wall cavity. So you say “why should I concern yourself with a real small amount of water”. The reason is when you invest in a drop of water with your wall every time your shower can be used, those drops add together because your wall doesn’t have ventilation for evaporation, so eventually the wood is definitely moist. Do you know what loves moist wood? Termites, they love these conditions since they never have to travel back for the ground to get a drink, they can just keep eating. It would be just like you and I never having to go for the food store. Think of how productive we could be if it were the truth.
Well that’s the thought of waterproofing behind your shower walls. When you adhere to the following tips your new shower has the best possibility of being confident for countless years, without extreme maintenance.
So in closing, I hope it has been an informative as well as understandable explanation of why a properly waterproofed shower makes a difference. As a Contractor I welcome customers which will ask me these questions, it tells me they view the value of a job well done.