Decorative Shower Wall Panels
|Decorative Shower Wall Panels – When a lot of 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 use this for their benefit to scrimp and save a few bucks. I have to say most contractors making the effort to do a sufficient job, however some of these never learned the correct procedure and why these processes are crucial. The best way to find the best tile contractor would be to you can keep them explain the idea. If they’re able to show you how it operates behind the scenes, the chances are greater you’re going to get a good job. If your friends refer somebody for your requirements will still be OK must these questions, in fact exactly what do your friends fully realize concerning the foundation a tiled shower? They may have realized a contractor that’s nice and all to easy to assist and their fresh shower looks great, in case you won’t want to fight mildew in six months and for the next two decades you’ll ask a few of questions.
So let’s start 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 more the walls about 10″. This is sometimes a hot mop, (the industry amount of layers of tar paper, hot tar, tar paper, hot tar and so on) or it’s really a PVC membrane that is folded into the corners well as over the dam. The most important point about this in your case the homeowner to know is of course it’s totally waterproof but in addition who’s has what is known a sub-pitch. A proper sub-pitch is simply a float of cement or similar product beneath the pan that can cause a flow to the drain together with the shower pan. This is important because, say for example your shower pan is flat (no sub-pitch) water will traverse your grout and earn its way to the pan while showering. If this water forms a puddle beneath your tile floor as an alternative to flowing for the drain it is stagnant and shortly will end up mildew within your grout. With a sub-pitch the river that makes its way to the pan continue to circulate for the drain always being substituted for fresh water. It is just like the difference between a pond along with a creek.
Next you have 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 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 can get moist. Moisture will move from substrate toward the within wall, out from the grout and down for 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 this type of little bit of water”. The reason is when you’re getting a drop of water inside your wall whenever your shower can be used, those drops mount up as your wall doesn’t have any ventilation for evaporation, so eventually the wood is obviously moist. Do you know what loves moist wood? Termites, they love these conditions simply because they never have to travel back to the ground to acquire a drink, they’re able to just keep eating. It would be like you and I never having to go to the supermarket. Think of how productive we’re able to be in the event that were the truth.
Well that’s the idea of waterproofing behind your shower walls. When you stick to these tips your shower gets the best chance of looking great for many years, without extreme maintenance.
So a final thought, I hope this has been an instructive along with understandable explanation of why a correctly waterproofed shower makes a difference. As a Contractor I welcome customers that will ask me these questions, it tells me they comprehend the value of an job done well.