Hi WC,

I have no idea what you are doing there. If the plumber installed the drain... why didn't he do the liner? That is what a plumber is supposed to do. If you have the right drain, you loosen those 3 bolts and sandwich the liner in there. But there is more to it than that. Did you look at the steps here on how to build a shower? http://www.ontariotile.com/showerliner.html http://www.ontariotile.com/preslope.html Try those links, should help you understand how.

Finally, I don't think you should put that barker board stuff on the walls in a shower, especially with tile shower floor. The barker will either be buried into the mud floor, or if you install it after, it'll be at floor level, where it will absorb moisture and go bad sooner than you'd like, not to mention all that mold and mildew that will pop up.

Jaz

I've googled and found that the Barker Board I'm talking about is also called Ceramilite ... and the point of it is that it never molds or mildews as it is one solid piece ... but I think you mean where it joins the tile floor? and water getting in there?

In that case, I don't know what to do -- that's not a problem I thought of worrying about until you mentioned it! -- but I think there are options for sealing the edges, and that is what I must look for. Caulking? Metal edging?

Perhaps, as this is a tile setters forum, I'm not in the right place to ask. I apologize -- thanks for all the help on my other issues!

If there was a way to completely incapsualize the edge with silicone caulk, and keep water from entering from that spot or any other spot above, then it should work for many years. The metal or plastic trims for the product will only hide the edge, and if not sealed will make matters worse, because the metal will tend to hold moisture in the groove.

Jaz

Back again with another query ...

My brother insists that the preslope should be OVER the liner and has instructions that describe it being done that way.

Is this a debate in the industry? I'm following the directions from this site, but he is very unhappy that I intend to do the preslope over the roofing felt and mesh.

Could anyone tell me why it's better to preslope under the liner? or is it six of one, half dozen of another?

Hi
You slope the floor under the liner, so water will run towards the drain. Remember, this is a PRE-slope. Once the liner is installed over it, you put another sloped mortar bed on TOP of the liner and then your tile. If you don't slope the floor under the liner, water that gets past the tile and grout, and gets into the mortar bed(the one on top of the liner)will not run towards the drain and down the weep holes. If the water just sits on the liner and can't drain, it will begin to smell and mold because it will never dry out. This isn't debate in the industry, it's the correct way to do it, if you want the shower to last more than 5 years. Has you brother seen the picture links in the posts above?

I did not realize from the photographs that both mortar beds were sloped (in and of themselves), I only thought the first one was. (Naturally the second would have sloped based on it being over the first and following, but I thought it was an even layer of mortar.)

On the description it tells that the first slope -- the preslope goes from app. 2" to 3/8" ... is the slope on top of the liner the same so that you end with app. 4" of mortar along the outside and 3/4" around the drain, or is this top slope/final slope less severe?

Thanks, in advance.

You know, I never noticed that before in the discription. I'll have to ask Harry why he has so much slope on his preslope in the picture link. The preslope really doesn't require that much slope...it doesn't hurt of course.
You want a 1/4 inch per foot of slope towards the drain ...If the point farthest away from the drain is say 4 ft, then it's 4ft x 1/4" or at least 1 inch or more of mortar difference at the farthest point, then you have at the drain. You'll want at least an inch of material around the drain, so you'd need 2 inchs at the walls to create the 1/4 inch per foot you need. Oh boy, now I'm confused myself! :p The material around the walls should of course be level, so the shorter distances will have more slope than 1/4 inch. Maybe Harry can explain this better.

What if, as in my case, the drain is closer to some sides? I have a rectangular shower floor and the drain is in the middle of one half of it. The entire floor space is 53 x 30 -- so the outer rim of the drain is about 11 inches from three of the sides, but is 30+ inches from the fourth side.

What I'm intending to do now is have the mortar bed at a total height of four inches around the perimeter, sloping to a finished level around the drain (in prep for the thinset, tile, and grout) of 1 inch.

If it's going from 4 inches to 1 inch in a distance of 11 inches and then from 30+ inches, will that be wrong or odd?

No, it won't be odd....you'll just have more slope in the shorter distance. You want to keep the outside edges around the walls level..so it will run water in every direction towards the drain....this will also give you the same size wall tile all around the shower, since it's level at the walls.

This must be the longest project ever! I'm preparing to do the preslope even now, as I type ... put my roofing felt and mesh down and have my mix ...

I asked for the mortar at the supply place and just realized they gave me a bag of "Versabond Fortified Thin Set Mortar" ... is this the correct stuff to add acrylic add mix to?

I'll wait for a response or the morning, when I can go ask at ACE Hardware. (or I'll skulk around the Internet looking for an answer!)