Waterprooofing methods in small 36x36 shower

[Walter Cook]

Pretty confident DIYer but more research I do on this topic the more confused I get. I was convinced kerdi walls and pan were the way to go. I’m now getting more information on products like Redguard etc. I will likely use the Schluter pan but the walls are pretty expensive. I’m thinking maybe another material for the walls. Please share some opinions.

 

[Jadnashua]

To have a warranty, you should stick with one product line. Anything else, and you become the engineer with a sample of one...it might work, it might not.

KerdiBoard is light, easy to cut and install. You can use plain drywall, then cover that with Kerdi fabric membrane, but the combination of materials might come about to the same number and is more trouble to install.

There are liquid applied waterproofing materials. Keep in mind, they all require that you apply the two coats between the min/max listed. Too thick is as bad as too thin, and it's not as easy as you might think gettin it installed without runs or pinholes. Sheet membranes work as long as you get your seams done well. The key is wiping down the wall prior to spreading the thinset, and then mixing the thinset up properly. When you do that, it goes up quite easily, but there is a learning curve.