Shower curb height

Ok I am doing my curb with 3 2x4 already installed and with thinset and floor tile it will be about 1 3/4 high from drain.

-is that enough height or should i add another 2x4

Also when i do curb with the metal lath is 1/2 inch concrete on top ok or is it too much.

What are you using to waterproof the shower? Some places want a minimum 2" drop to the drain from the top of the curb, some don't. You need to know what your local inspector wants to avoid hassles. Smaller, even no-curb can work, if the rest of the room is designed properly, but you may have to educate the inspector and this can be risky. The actual total height is up to you and whatever you can get your inspector to approve.

The actual mortar mix you use on the curb is critical to have it be strong enough - it's not concrete.

How to Build a Better Shower Curb

Your going to need a least 1 1/4" (1.25") of mortar for the curb.

Make sure you test your lath - we are finding current stock rusting - this is a SCARY THOUGHT.

Check out this Idea Book of mine here on Shower Curbs.

How to Build a Better Shower Curb

Here is my last eWarning. eWarning: Hot Dipped Galvanized Wire Mesh

well don't know what to use to waterproof yet, so what type of mortar to use for the curb. can I do shower floor first and then do the curb another time?

Shower Curb Height: Bonded or Un-Bonded Shower Curbs

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What came first? The Chicken or the Egg?
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You need to first find out what mortar you have access too - then what type of waterproofing you are going to use - and then we can help you answer the first question.

Do you understand the difference between a bonded membrane and an un-bonded membrane? The low curb showers you might have seen here are all build with a bonded membrane approach.

Well I have access to Hd n Lowes for mortar and was looking intomRedguard for waterproofing shower.

Carlosa....head over to www.johnbridge.com for the best answers for your shower pan, curb and waterproofing questions. More pros to give you the correct answers. This is a great site for plumbing questions. Not so great for tile questions.

The TCNA doesn't say anything about the height of the curb, BUT local building codes generally cover it. For example, this one in California http://santaclaraca.gov/modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=2111 specifically calls out that it must be a MINIMUM or 2" and a MAXIMUM of 11" above the top of the drain.

While the preslope and setting bed of a conventional shower are usually done with what is called deck mud (a 4-5:1 ratio of sandortland cement), you need something stronger and stickier to make your curb - pick up a bag of brick mortar for your curb. That can be packed and shaped - remember to put a little slope towards the inside of your shower on the top of the curb.

11" shower Curb Height ???

Carlosa Aren't you asking how much mortar you need over the curb and liner. Not sue what Jim is answering here.

Maybe I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure the TCNA requires 1 1/4" of mortar over a slip joint. The showers linear considered a slip joint.

11" would be an insane curb height. No curb should eve be higher than the largest stair riser in a home. I prefer low curbs with bonded membranes. Did you read the idea book I wrote on Houzz,com?

How to Build a Better Shower Curb

Here is my last eWarning. eWarning: Hot Dipped Galvanized Wire Mesh


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Tnx guys, 1 1/4 inch it will be. Do I need to apply the Redgard on curb even when pan liner is going over the 3 2x4's before the mortar?

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Do you have dam corners installed?

These are about $6.00 each via Noble Company Online Store. If you don't I might hit that area with some of the REDGARD and some kind of reinforcing mesh. Once the mortar that is applied over the curb cures you can coat out the curb top as well.

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I will be installing the dam corners, already have them.

Per ANSI standards (A108.1A.5.1.4) a one-coat wall mud application should be between 3/8ths" and 3/4ths" in thickness. That is effectively the method you are using when covering the curb with mortar and lath. I wouldn't want to make it out of deckmud, but if you did, it would need to be thicker to hold together, and you'd want the lath in the middle, whereas typically, you put it on the bottom when doing a curb.

Per ANSI standards (A108.1A.5.1.4) a one-coat wall mud application should be between

There's a big difference in the workability and strength of brick mortar and deckmud, and you'll find that brick mortar over a curb can be installed much easier and does not need to be anywhere near as thick as deckmud. If you use deckmud, you'll end up with those huge curbs John hates. If you're going to use that technique, and you've got your studs laying horizontally, you'd have a curb (without tile) 6.5" wide if you use the thickness John states you need using deckmud. That's thicker than the Kerdi foam curb John has stated he hates (because of its size). Brick mortar would be unsuitable for the setting bed...it is a bit sticky and does not have the porosity required to allow moisture to migrate to the weep holes...that's not a big concern on your curb.

If you want professional, unbiased, help with your shower, I really suggest you try out www.johnbridge.com. They have hundreds of pros there they can tap into to answer questions like this, and they have a significant library (they call it a Liberry) of industry references, how-to's and guidance that will answer most of your questions.

Or, you can put up with the distractions John Whipple throws in to try to discredit anyone else's suggestions.

Food Testing A Shower - Wrong !!!

I have learned this weekend that the State of California requires Termite Inspections to include on many occasions the flood testing of a homes shower. This is required by local State Code to be within 1" of the top of the curb. As you can see from this photo (http://www.keytermite.com/images/shower2.gif) that this can cause a miss read of information. A shower's curb built this way would fail a post inspection down the road from a Termite Inspector.