Do I Need to Waterproof Shower Walls Before Tiling?
Drywall showers aren’t uncommon sights in contemporary bathrooms. If you’re fully committed to keeping your drywall shower in tiptop condition, then you should waterproof it in a suitable manner. It’s also crucial to refrain from placing drywall right in back of your tiles in any damp spaces such as showers. If you make this mistake, then you run the risk of making it so that your surfaces never become dry.
The terrific news is that waterproofing drywall showers can be a pretty efficient and effective process for anyone. You can do so with the assistance of sheet or liquid membranes. Waterproofing shower walls is all about using the right materials and techniques.
How Can I Install a Liquid Waterproofing Membrane for Showers?
You can put liquid waterproofing membrane on top of any shower surfaces. If a part of your shower space ever encounters moisture or water, then you should put liquid waterproofing membrane on it. It isn’t unusual for people to cover shower tile surfaces without any exceptions. It can even help to zero in on shelves, benches and flooring. Shower shelves are horizontal and because of that call for subtle pitches. If you want to keep things in check for shelves, you should concentrate on waterproofing and pitch at the same time. Liquid waterproofing membrane can stop moisture from ever moving beyond grout or tile.
If you opt for liquid waterproofing membranes, then you don’t have to deal with putting any plastic sheets in the back of your substrate. Put mesh tape on any nooks and crannies in your shower. Once you’re through with that, put on a mortar coating. Opt for modified latex thinset. Mesh tape is vital because it makes the joints a lot more powerful. It attaches to the thinset as well. Give the thinset the opportunity to dry fully. Put the liquid waterproofing membrane on using a brush or a nap roller. Meticulously brush the edges to see to it that you conceal everything. Fully cover your walls [https://www.tile-magazine.com/articles/89472-wider-kerdi-membrane-provides-faster-shower-waterproofing] . After that, cover the floors. Your initial coat may require roughly 45 minutes of drying time. You can put the next coat on once the earlier one is 100 percent dry.
There are various liquid waterproofing products on the market. Many people gravitate to Hydro Ban. You can put this on with a brush or a paint roller. If you take the Hydro Ban route, then you can say goodbye to the need to rely on fabric inside of your shower. It can also come in handy for people who wish to steer clear of cracking, splitting and shrinking woes.
Putting Hydro Ban on neatly can be tough. If you do so in a slapdash manner, then it may interfere with any upcoming paint jobs you have in mind. It may make any quick painting work obvious to all.
How Can I Install a Waterproof Sheet Membrane?
Sheet waterproofing membranes consist of a combination of plastic components that are made to bond to the tops of backer boards for tiles. You can adhere them using a light tile mortar coat. You can also go for the use of sheet waterproofing membranes that are part of the self-adhering category. You can put primer on prior to using the self-adhering options. Do this prior to attaching them to shower pans or backer boards. You can close up shower edges using mortar. Once that step is through, you can bond your shower wall and flooring tile to your membrane using mortar that’s thinset. Approach this just like any other tile setting task.
The main concept behind sheet membrane waterproofing is a simple one. You can waterproof by putting sheets over other. As soon as you arrive on the sides, the sheet extensions may lead to protrusion. It’s vital to zero in on stopping crinkling from negatively interfering with the membrane. Suitable preparation and installation methods, though, can generally stop crinkling from ever becoming an issue.
Schluter Systems is the name of a brand that has a Kerdi waterproofing membrane. It’s a sheet-applied product that can stop substate motion from triggering tile splits. It’s not vulnerable to decaying with the passing of time, either. Although there are many advantages that are linked to Kerdi sheet membranes, there are certain factors to take into consideration as well. They have various thinset limitations that are absent in others. People who opt for Kerdi membranes often benefit from putting it on top of cement boards.
Sheet Membranes Versus Liquid Waterproofing
If you’re going to waterproof a drywall shower in the near future, then it can help you greatly to assess the positives and the negatives of sheet membranes and liquid waterproofing. Liquid membranes, first of all, tend to be more delicate than their sheet counterparts are. You have to be more prudent about precise application any time you take the liquid membrane approach. Take the time to concentrate on suitable thickness. Make sure your thickness is consistent and reliable, too.
Liquid waterproofing has the distinction of being a technique that’s extremely adaptable. People can turn to it for the vast majority of waterproofing uses that are out there.
Sheet membranes can be appropriate for people who want the promise of certain membrane thickness levels. People do not have to worry about their application talents any time they try to go forward with sheet membrane waterproofing. Although that aspect can be convenient, people should think at length about the possibility of joints that lap over the others. If you fail to apply things in the right way, then you may enable water to make its way through and trigger all kinds of issues.
Sheet membranes can also be helpful to people who want to be able to easily view the locations of their membranes. They do not have that same luxury with the liquid waterproofing pathway. If you’re in the middle of liquid membrane application, you may unintentionally establish openings that are part of the seal.
