Quick question (I searched, and I must be search-impared... and I apologize ahead of time for such an easy one...). What do I use for the wire screen under my mortar bed for my shower pan?

Will anything work?

Thanks!
Gale

Gale, please keep all related questions to one post topic so that everyone can follow along from the start of your original post.

If this is over a wood subfloor then you need galvanized wire lath and a minimum 4 mil poly or tar paper. If this is over concrete then you only need thinset as a bond coat then the mud pan.

Hi Randall,

Thanks for the reply. Sorry for the new post, but I thought since I was moving from "can I use a shower pan" as a base to "what is the mesh material made out of," it would be a new topic. I'll keep to this post from here.

It is over a wood subfloor. Thanks for the info on the galvanized wire lath. I'm having a difficult time here in the Seattle area finding it (which seems strange). The "normal" hardware stores around here (Lowes, Home Depot, Dunn) don't seem to have it. Also tried Tile for Less, but they don't have it either. Several have suggested another one, BMC, but they are not open today. So, I'll keep digging.

I had been asking generically for "the wire mesh material that goes under a mortar bed for a tiled shower pan," so now I'll be able to ask specifically for it.

Again, thank you for the reply!

Gale

Those stores won't have a clue what your talking about if you say its for a shower pan. They may recognize it if you ask for the lath used for a scratch coat tile underlayment.
If you can't find it in the tile or flooring department at the big box stores, then try a masonry supply retailer.
Also ask at the contractor desk of Home Depot or Lowes.

Gale-

You can try Master Wholesale in Georgetown South Seattle. They are a good resource. 206-767-6771

Thanks to you both! After I posted on Saturday, I tried McLendon Hardware. They are a ways out of my way, but they had it! So, I drove down there with my two kids in tow, and scored!

Hey All,

Another quick question: I'm assuming there is no harm in running the roofing felt up the walls just a touch so the base mortar bed does not seep into cracks between the stud walls and my backer board, correct? There are several places where the studs do not have a fully 'square' corner on them, and it has left an area that mortar would move into.

Here is the link to the roofing felt procedure: http://www.ontariotile.com/preslope.html

The mud should be dry enough that it doesn't go anywhere you don't put it. How out of square are the walls? Could this cause you a problem later on with the tile installation?

Is this a conventional shower with the PVC liner, and you're asking about the preslope at this point?

Thanks Kman for the reply.

The walls are not out of square. The 2 X 4 studs have some corners that are not square (the end of the 2 X 4 has some of it 'missing' or 'gone'). So, at the edge of the stud and the backer board, there is a "pocket" where the mud will go into.

Yes, conventional shower pan w/PVC liner, and yes, this is about the preslope.

Hi Gale
It doesn't matter if mortar goes into these pockets. The reason for the roofing felt or sheet of poly is to keep moisture contained in the fresh mortar bed alowing it to cure longer.
If you're running the felt up the wall the thickness of the mortar bed .... that's fine, but don't attach anything to the studs which may cause the backerboard to run slightly inward.