Contractor screwed thru PVC shower liner

[jjpatt]

I started to tile a rough in shower myself. I got a bit busy at work and ended up turning the project over to a contractor.

I had already installed the PVC shower liner and check for leaks. The next step was to put in the mud with the required slope. Everything I read said to mud the curb as well.

I get back from work today and the contractor has put hardiboard on all three sides of the curb with screws thri the liner. To include screws in the hardiboard for the wall all the way down to within a 1/2 inch of the shower floor. So once there is mudd that screw could be right at the floor level.

I call him and he said I was "overthinking" this and he never had a shower leak.

What is your take?

Thanks !!

[hj]

The liner is supposed to be intact, no holes, to a point higher than the door's ledge. Anything lower will have a chance to leak. Maybe he has just never been back to one that leaked. Since it is Hardiboard, have him plug the drain and test the liner for being leakproof, by filling it to a point just below the door overflow level.

[jadnashua]

Well, you should stop and start over!

The liner should NOT be flat on the floor...how is any moisture that gets there (and it will) ever flow to the drain? The LINER must be on a sloped bed, then a setting bed, then the tile. Ever been in a shower that smelled like a swamp? It takes awhile for the natural high pH of the mortar to be overcome and become conducive to growths, but it will happen as the whole pan starts to fill up and fester in body oil, soap scum, pee, etc. that gradually builds up in that bowl you've got with a liner flat on the floor. The pan, eventually, doesn't dry out, either - leading to mildew on the grout as it wicks up into the walls, too.

A proper shower pan has a mortar preslope, then the liner, then a setting bed. If you install the liner after the preslope, then the cbu on the walls (don't screw it in below the liner), when you put the final setting bed down, it locks the cbu in place on the bottom.

Highly suggest you check out www.johnbridge.com for help in building a tiled shower that will last without problems. They have some detailed descriptions and drawings in their Liberry(sic).

[jjpatt]

I am sorry that I did not say this but we did a presloped morter bed - then the liner. We got a tile book - plus the instructions on the pvc liner - plus some of the websites out there. We were following them but I just got too busy at my "other" job. So when I came home to see the screws in the pvc liner below the curb I just thought that was wrong.

Do you think I should fire the contractor and get a new one? I guess the best bet is to replace the liner?

Thanks

[hj]

Replace the liner, and test it for leaks before tiling, regardless of whether it is done by a new contractor or the present one.