One Room Challenge: Goodbye ugly brown shower, Hello Waterproofing
Good riddance to the old tile and shower and Schluter Kerdi-board install
Week 2 of the One Room Challenge meant tearing stuff up! I hired this part out because I didn’t want to spend weeks on this part like I did for the Kitchen in Spring 2021. Demo happened pretty quickly, the vanity, toiler, tiled wainscoting, part of the shower and some of the closet came out relatively quickly day one.
If you missed week 1, check out the moodboard and the plan!
Day two of demo resulted in the floor, the rest of the shower and a small dividing wall coming out. The floor came out pretty well, though the tool my handyman uses to get the thin-set off took out way more of the concrete floor than I like. He was unconcerned, said it is fine just being extra thick with the thin-set when applying tile.
I disagree. Honestly, this is one of the reasons homeowners don’t fully trust contractors/installers. As much as I’ve seen his final tile projects on his posts…it makes me wonder how well the core prep was done.
I am one of those homeowners who will check in regularly and make sure things are done properly. After the shower was removed it revealed the paper foil insulation had water damage and more, same with the furring strips. I pulled out the damage insulation and while my Handyman didn’t think it was necessary, I had him replace it. He also replaced damage furring strips and then installed the Schluter Shower system.
Where to get Schluter Products
The best place I found to buy the Schluter board was Amazon, they have better pricing and quicker shipping. The large box stores had the same thing $100-$200 more. It’s still good to comparison shop and see which retailers have the best price. Floor and decor has Schluter all set 1/2 the price of amazon, they sell the large Kerdi-board, kits and lots of Schluter products in store if you are not comfortable ordering online.
Schluter shower Shopping List
Why Use the Kerdi system? It is meant as a waterproofing method for showers, rather than a water displacement system. When done correctly your shower should be leak proof and the system is lightweight and easy to install.
- Kerdi shower Kit or Shower Surround
- Kerdi pan (there are many options, of center drain, offset drain etc)
- Kerdi Band
- Kerdi trowel (1/8 x 1/8 for applying thinset)
- Bucket 5 gallon
- Marker These are water resistant so they don’t smear off
- Thinset Schluter recommend their all set modified
- Kerdi drain
- Plug Kerdi drain takes a 2in plug
- timer (you can use your phone)
- Towels (in case water does seep out)
Final view
Nevertheless, the shower has is waterproof and looks pretty good! Next step is flood test the shower pan to check for leaks and patching my messed up concrete floor. Yay.
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