The appeal of a marble shower is quite understandable. Marble is beautiful and timeless. So, why would anyone frown on putting natural stone in your home? As a contractor, I get asked about putting marble and other natural stones in bathrooms quite often. In fact, it's quite common for a … [Read more...] about How bad of an idea is a marble shower?
Waterproofing
Flood testing a shower pan: Why it’s done and how to do it
Flood testing a shower pan. I get several calls per year about showers that are leaking. Some of these showers are leaking after just a few years. Some, just a few weeks after they've been built. I estimate that those calls could probably be cut in half if this one simple step were done. … [Read more...] about Flood testing a shower pan: Why it’s done and how to do it
Why You Should NOT Buy a Newly Remodeled Home
I get it. Nobody gets excited about moving into an old, outdated house. Additionally, why would you want to go through the trouble of moving and then having to live through a renovation or even multiple renovations?! But, hear me out on this. There's a dark side to purchasing newly … [Read more...] about Why You Should NOT Buy a Newly Remodeled Home
Shower Waterproofing Crash Course
4 Shower Waterproofing systems for tile showers Waterproofing a shower. This seems like common sense, doesn’t it? Well, a lot of showers that are built these days still have no shower waterproofing whatsoever. Or they have poor or improper waterproofing. This post contains affiliate links. The … [Read more...] about Shower Waterproofing Crash Course
Sealing the tub flange for tile
That pesky tub flange. You have the tile backer board installed and everything is waterproofed. Everything except that gap between the backer board and the tub flange. How do you waterproof that? What to do with the tub flange? To begin with, you can try reading the instructions for the backer … [Read more...] about Sealing the tub flange for tile
Building a Custom Shower Niche from Scratch
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Custom Recessed Shower Niche Part 4: Building a Custom Shower Niche from Scratch This post covers: Cement board, foam board, and Hardibacker Cutting into wall framing Waterproofing LOTS of photos! Sometimes there's no good way around it. Building your … [Read more...] about Building a Custom Shower Niche from Scratch
Is Hardibacker and Durock cement board waterproof?
Reader question: Hi there. I recently finished grouting my tile surround in my shower. I posted photos on Facebook and somebody questioned whether I had waterproofed the Hardiebacker 500 board. Much to my dismay, I had never even heard of this... Anyway, I went to the James Hardie website and … [Read more...] about Is Hardibacker and Durock cement board waterproof?
How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Recessed Shower Niche Part 3: How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche In this post we cover: Situations where you would consider modifications A technique to check if your foam niche is still waterproof Method and tools to customize a foam … [Read more...] about How to Modify your Recessed Foam Shower Niche
How to Design a Preformed Foam Recessed Shower Niche
The Ultimate Guide to Building a Preformed Recessed Shower Niche Part 1: Planning and Layout In this post we discuss: What types of prefab recessed shower niches are out there Which preformed shampoo niches are best Shower niche design ideas Why you should plan for a shower insert before you … [Read more...] about How to Design a Preformed Foam Recessed Shower Niche
No Waterproofing: Will this cause shower leaks?
Shower leaks. The last thing anyone wants when they build a new shower. And yet I hear the following questions quite often: Is cement board waterproof? The tile and grout will keep the most of the water out, right? My contractor didn't put any waterproofing in our shower. Will this cause … [Read more...] about No Waterproofing: Will this cause shower leaks?
