Old Bathroom Deme-Metal Lath and Concrete

[Jasesun23]

So I decided to demo my downstairs bathroom to put in a new one . House was build late 50's and I think the bathroom was updated once 30 years ago. I'm just wondering has anyone every seen shower wall made of metal lath and concrete around 3 inches thick?? I measure from the back of the metal lath to the front of tile and its just short of 3 inches. That's 2.5 inches of concrete.
Basically just wanted to vent. What a pain in the ass.

 

[Terry]

Yes, pretty much built to outlast the home it's in.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jadnashua]

That actually is still considered one of the premium ways to prepare a wall (or floor) for tiling as it lets you make the surface perfectly plumb and smooth and exactly where you want it to be. It's a skill not all that many people can still do, but they are out there.

It is a bear to tear down, and watch out for the lath...it will chop you up in an instant if you let it! It doesn't need to be that thick, but could be depending on the circumstances of where the wall is verses where the tub was installed originally.

Today, most people use cement board, not because it is better, but because it is easier and faster. But, there are, IMHO, better ways to prepare a wall for tiling. Suggest you check out www.johnbridge.com which is dedicated to tiling things.