Grey Shower Wall Panels
|Grey Shower Wall Panels – When most people enter their tile shower they rarely look at the behind the scenes procedure that went into making that shower be effective. Unfortunately some contractors uses this to their benefits of go cheap and save one or two bucks. I have to say most contractors are trying to do a sufficient job, however some of them never learned the right procedure and why these processes are crucial. The best method to find the best tile contractor is to keep these things explain the theory. If they are able to let you know the way it operates behind the scenes, it is more likely you’re going to get a great job. If your friends refer somebody for you will still be OK to inquire about these questions, in the end what can your friends actually know regarding the first step toward a tiled shower? They may have found a contractor who is nice and easy to help along with their brand new shower looks great, but if you won’t want to fight mildew in 6 months but for the next two decades you may ask one or two of questions.
So let’s begin in 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 or higher the walls about 10″. This is whether hot mop, (the amount of layers of tar paper, hot tar, tar paper, hot tar etc) or it can be a PVC membrane that is folded into the corners well as over the dam. The most important thing about this for you personally the homeowner to understand is obviously it’s completely waterproof and also which it has what is known a sub-pitch. A proper sub-pitch is simply a float of cement or similar product within the pan that can cause a flow to the drain on top of the shower pan. This is important because, say as an example your shower pan is flat (no sub-pitch) water will traverse your grout and make its way to the pan while showering. If this water forms a puddle under your tile floor as an alternative to flowing on the drain it becomes stagnant and shortly can be mildew with your grout. With a sub-pitch the water that creates its way to the pan continues to flow on the drain always being substituted for water. It is much like the difference between a pond as well as a creek.
Next there is a vapor barrier that is applied to the walls directly to the wood studs. This is commonly a paper which has a tar trapped in the guts. This paper keeps moisture from the walls. Why is this important? Not a lot of water penetrates the shower walls, though 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 within wall, out over the grout and down on the pan, without vapor barrier paper you’re going to get small amounts of water into the wall cavity. So you say “why should I bother about a real tiny amount of water”. The reason is when you are getting a drop of water inside your wall whenever your shower can be used, those drops mount up when your wall does not have any 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 to the ground to secure a drink, they are able to just keep eating. It would be as if you and I never having to go to the supermarket. Think of how productive we will be if it were the case.
Well that’s the theory of waterproofing behind your shower walls. When you stick to these tips a new shower gets the best chance of looking wonderful for quite some time, without extreme maintenance.
So to summarize, I hope it is been an enlightening in addition to understandable explanation of why a nicely waterproofed shower makes a difference. As a Contractor I welcome customers which will ask me these questions, it tells me they understand the value of an job done well.