Need Corian Shower installer in NYC area

[John414]

Can anyone recommend an experienced Corian shower installer in the New York City area? I live in Westchester County, New York, north of the city.

The shower is slightly larger than 36"x36" and open on one side. The prior owners had a bathroom remodel but were cheated by the remodelers, who mounted ceramic tile directly onto greenboard after ripping out the old mudset base. When the first tile fell off, I removed the tiles and greenboard. I replaced the shower light fixture with a light/fan vented out the roof, but now am looking for a pro to complete the job. I haven't removed the old base, which is cement in a lead liner with cast iron drain. I can see some rotten wood beneath it.

[Gary Swart]

Before you worry about the Corian installation, you'd better see to repairing the structural damage you have seen and probably some you haven't exposed yet. Corian is going to cost you a fair amount, so you sure don't want to have to do it twice. I live in Washington State, so can't help you with a Corian installer.

[John414]

I was going to leave that to the shower installer, since I don't have a demolition hammer drill and hardly made a dent in the cement base with a hand chisel. However, you're undoubtedly right that it would make sense to remove the old base before bringing someone in. I'm sure the tool rental places have an appropriate hammer, and the lead liner presumably can be cut with tin snips.

[Gary Swart]

Yeah, a hammer and chisel aren't too effective for breaking concrete. I have found a 3 function hammer/drill to be useful for small concrete jobs. I got one from Grizzly Industrial for $100 and that included a couple of chisel bits and several drill bits. I don't use it everyday, but when I need to attach something to a concrete wall, it's very easy to drill a hole up to 1/2" and insert an anchor. Worst part about breaking concrete is the dust it makes.

[John414]

Thanks for the tip about the Grizzly demolition hammer drill. I have a Hilti TE-S hammer drill, but it's rated for hole drilling only and does not take their hammer bits.

After additional research, I have concluded that I really need an experienced Kerdi shower installer in the NYC area. Kerdi has come on the U.S. market since the last time I researched showers, and it appears to be the most waterproof solution.

[jadnashua]

I think that Schluter's Kerdi is a very nice system. I've also been reading about the Wedi system...it looks like it should work as well (maybe not as flexible, though) and probably faster to install, too. Check out www.wedi.de and it will lead you to their USA site. Neat stuff.

[John414]

Thanks for the tip. After watching the videos on Wedi's website, I changed my mind again. Wedi's materials probably cost more than Kerdi's, but there should be substantial savings of time and labor. With Wedi, there is no need to build a mud base, hang drywall or build a wooden curb. The base, walls, and curb are all prefab foam modules that are glued together with silicone. In addition, I suspect that Wedi does not require as much skill to install competently as Kerdi.

[jadnashua]

If you go with that system, let us know how it goes. I've been thinking about using that to build a new shower at my mother's house. The space she has might require a custom size...haven't checked how dear that might be.

[Awesome_Man]

You shouldn't need a liner with corian either. Do you already have the shower? If it's corian, it should've come with a honeycomb nidacore substrate, which eliminates the need for a mud base or liner. If you don't already have one, read about them here.