Redgard for tiled shower? Waterproof...

[worrywell]

Hello all,

How do I waterproof a walk-in shower? I am attempting to waterprrof a walk-in shower that will be tiled on all three walls. The size of the shower will be a standard 60 x 34. Is Redgard a good waterproof sealer for the floor and walls and then tile over it. Is this possible?

I do not want to use a pan liner, just a liquid waterproofer. The reason is that the home is located in Baja Mexico and liners are practiced yet.

The subfloor is cement and the shower is located on the second floor. I just installed the 1/2 durolock cement boards for HD on the walls. What is next?

Thanks!

[jadnashua]

Redgard is a good product, have you read the installation instructions? They are fairly detailed.

You really do need a sloped bed and a preslope, though for the pan.

The hardest part of the install is ensuring you have the prescribed thickness without voids or bubbles.

There are surface applied membranes that work well, too. www.schluter.com (http://www.schluter.com) makes Kerdi, which may be eaiser in some ways, and is maybe less prone to install errors. Noble makes some that work well, too.

[jimbo]

I would check over with the tile guys at this forum: www.johnbridge.com (http://www.johnbridge.com), to see if redguard by itself is can be the waterproof foundation on walls or floors, in lieu of cement board on walls, and vinyl liner or copper pan on floor.

[jadnashua]

REdgard is an approved substance to build the liner of a pan with. Most of the pros prefer Latticrete's version which requires embedding fiberglass reinforcement bands on the corners. The procedure is described on www.custombuildingproducts.com (http://www.custombuildingproducts.com) website. Most of the pros don't particularly like it - they prefer a traditional liner, a sheet surface membrane like Kerdi, or to just use the Redgard as a wall, niche, surface waterproofer and do the pan normally. When you are painting/rolling the stuff on, it is really hard to know when you've built up the required thickness so it will work properly. Too thick and you've got stability problems, too thin, and it is just too easy to breech it.

[worrywell]

Question applying Redgard. After I apply the Redgard it to all shower walls and floor, do I have to apply a coat of cement on top of the redgard or can I start tiling with my mortar?

Thanks!

[jadnashua]

Once the Redgard has dried/cured, it is designed to have the thinset and tile applied directly. Suggest you go to their website and read the installation instructions...you'll want to follow all of the proper steps to make the system waterproof.

It's been awhile since I read them, but I think they intend the pan liner to be done in a similar manner as if you had used a sheet liner. Double-check...if this is true, there is a preslope, Redgard, then the final setting bed, then the thinset and tile. I'm not sure it is designed for direct placement on the pan for tile. In other words, on the floor (as opposed to the walls), I'm not sure if it is intended to be tiled over directly. Normally, you'd use a clamping drain with weep holes that allow the moisture that gets under the tile and grout to flow down to the waterproof membrane, and out the weep holes.

The only systems I'm familiar with that have the waterproofing right underneath the tile is Wedi, and Kerdi. There may be others, double-check the installation instructions for Redgard. I loaned my TCNA spec out, and can't look it up, but the www.custombuildingproducts.com (http://www.custombuildingproducts.com) website should have their installation instructions on it.