steam shower question

[trader14]

hi guys - we are putting in a steam shower as we speak and I hope someone can provide some insight on
steps to build it right...here is where we are at, so far he has installed durock , so my question is what should
go on top of the durock step by step until the tile gets installed.
thanks and cheers!

[johnfrwhipple]

hi guys - we are putting in a steam shower as we speak and I hope someone can provide some insight on
steps to build it right...here is where we are at, so far he has installed durock , so my question is what should
go on top of the durock step by step until the tile gets installed.
thanks and cheers!

Did your contractor use any poly behind the Durock? If so you can use a liquid membrane from Laticrete called Hydro Ban. If not then you need to use a sheet membrane with a perm rating of under 1.0 Perms.

Schluter's Kerdi membrane is acceptable for this steam shower if your tile selection allows for un-modifed thinset. If not then the sheet membranes from Dural, Wedi, Dal Tile and Noble are all good options. If you prefer working with Kerdi and need a modified thin set (most glass tiles and large porclean tile require it) you can use certain thin-sets from Ardex and qualify of an extended Kerdi Warranty. Contact Bob Russell from Ardex on the details. Robert Russell Robert.Russell@ArdexAmericas.com

Personally I prefer Noble Companies Noble Seal TS - it is best in class when it comes to Perm ratings and has a perm rating of 0.05 Perms. With any of the sheet membranes other than Kerdi you can use any modified thin set. Modified thinsets are required in Canada (as per the TTMAC guidelines) but not in the USA if you follow the TCNA guidelines.



http://www.noblecompany.com/Portals/...ion%200112.pdf

The picture above is from the Noble Company website. Noble Seal TS can be ordered direct from the Noble Company online store and ships at a flat shipping rate of $5.00 in the US I believe.

Insure that all the penetrations in your steam shower are properly flashed and that the edges are sealed with the Noble Sealant 150. Sheet membranes wick moisture and this sealing of the edges will prevent water from wicking straight to the edge.

Has your shower already passed a flood test? Have your water lines been pressure tested? Was your steam line insulated?





Here is a peak at some Noble Seal TS being installed. Durock like many backer boards are thirsty so installing the sheets it's important that the thin set does not dry out to fast. We use a modified setting material and first wipe down the backer board to remove any dust or bond breakers. Then we load up the thin set a little heavy and let it dwell until all the surface has been burned or scratch in. Once we are ready to set the membrane we trowel it and install full sheets (5' wide). It is easier to do with two men and easier still if you work with these sheet membranes on a regular basis. I like to recommend to people not experienced in sheet membrane to work in smaller sections and work with a helper. You could do the entire surround all three walls in one go but this is too much. To give yourself more working time consider scratch coating the walls first with a modifed thin set and let this dry overnight. The next day you will have a much longer working time.

JW

[jadnashua]

Getting the details right for a steam shower are CRITICAL for long-term life and reliability. Better to have asked before you started! There are lots of methods and materials, follow any one of them carefully and exactly and it should work. But, because it is much more critical than a typical shower, your method must be exact and workmanship (important anywhere, but more so on a steam shower) is critical.

The TCNA handbook lists and describes many 'approved' methods. Your local building department may have some restrictions you should find out about, too.

[johnfrwhipple]

Will you be adding any sound or lights? We just wrapped up this steam shower in Vancouver and it features a sound and light system from ThermaSol.

I love the music and the lights are Killer!







What type of steam generator are you using? Most steam showers require that the unit be flushed a couple times a year. This unit from ThermaSol auto flushes and the music from your BlackBerry or IPhone can play in the shower via Bluetooth. I still can't believe how good the sound is in a sealed steam shower.

I hope your planning a bench. You will want to spend some time in there.

JW

[johnfrwhipple]

Here is a look at another steam shower we did a few months back. You can see the corner details in the curb. The inside corners are orange and the outside corners are grey. The blue chaulking is the Noble Sealant 150 (pretty smelly stuff - open the windows and wear a mask). We used both inside and outside corners to achieve a waterproof and vapour proof shower.

I should point out that Noble Company prefers their membrane below the backer board in the ceiling. I use a premium rapid setting S2 setting material from Mapei called Grani Rapid and personally prefer keeping my vapour proofing on top. You need to clear this type of install with Noble Company first and this approach can not be used on every job and on jobs with short dead lines. A full cure and perfect application needs to be achieved to pull this off.

Eric from Noble Company is an excellent person to talk with about good work practices in building steam showers. He can be reached here. Eric Edelmayer eric@noblecompany.com

When you have decided on your tile choice for the steam shower plan out the job. Double check all instructions from the waterproofing manufacture and the setting material manufacture. Read those instructions and follow all water measurements to a Tee.



If you plan on using natural stone like this Italian Marble make sure you test it for Iron Content and even with this effort understand that any natural stone can change with the environment. Our showers and steam showers are some of the wettest place on Earth so double check your work. If the shower has not been flood test do it tomorrow.

"One test is worth a thousand expert opinions"

Good Luck.

JW