Shower Room Project

[shahsman]

Hi all. Newbie to the forum here.

I'm about to start a wee project converting what had been a storage cupboard into a shower room. I really don't want to make a hash of this so am always keen to get some input from the expert tradesmen. If anyone has some advice regarding products etc. then please let me know or if I plan to do anything seriously wrong...here's the plan;

Room dimensions are approx. L1550 x W1175mm. Live in a top floor Victorian flat with loft access.

1. Raising floor by 100mm for ease of waste plumbing. Plan to use 18mm marine ply on top of 4x2 frame.

2. Lowering ceiling height to 2.5m using MR plasterboard and installing extractor fan feeding into roof void. Can this be wired directly into the lighting ring for the room?

3. Installing small stud wall to reduce width to accommodate a 1000 x 700 shower tray with riser. Room then becomes L shaped if ya follow. Waterproof membrane (any particular one you may suggest?) then MR plasterboard on stud wall. This is where the water supply will feed the shower which will again be fixed to this wall.

4. Tiling. Mapei Shower Waterproofing Kit to ensure corners/tray edge sealed and walls suitably primed. Plan to tile shower walls and the exposed flooring with marble tiles (B&Q Crema White). Should I also prime the marine ply on the floor? any reommendations for the adhesive and grout? Never used a heavy tile like this before.

5. Install thermostatic shower and 1000mm sliding shower door to finish.

Cheers.

 

[Burnerman]

Do ascertain your hot and cold water supplies and pressure first!
The fan can be directly wired into the light for that room but of course the fan exhaust must vent to outside, not into the loft void.
Go for Aquapanel to tile on to, and support the shower base firmly on battens.
Use a powder mix adhesive ( chemically sets instead of air dries) and get the correct stuff from a knowledgeable supplier such as Ceramic Tile.....the same goes for the grout ......you don't want any leaks up there!
John

 

[shahsman]

Thanks for the response John.

Supply is combi/main so water pressures are fine.

Regarding Aquapanel, can't find a local stockist but can pick up HardieBacker fairly easily. Would I just use this for the stud wall and floor or should I clad the remaining shower walls in this? I'll probably need to clad the longer shower wall anyway so doing all 3 would allow the shower tray to be slightly recessed.

Also, I read the installation instructions for Hardie and these suggest leaving a 6mm gap above the shower tray to be filled with sealant. Would I simply put e.g. mapeband on top of the board & sealant?

For the flooring, using Hardie would negate the need for marine ply so could use 18mm treated chipboard?

Thanks very much for the steer towards chemical set adhesive, I wasn't aware that these even existed! BTW, any Glasgow tilers recommend a stockist for these products?

Cheers

Stevie

 

[Burnerman]

I use the cement board for all of the walls, then insert the shower tray and drop the tiles down to that......using some good silicone after the grouting to get the seal.
Aquapanel is available from Wickes.
Don't try to tile onto chipboard - the adhesive doesn't like it.......go for ply.
Good luck with the project!
John

 

[shahsman]

Thanks John, I'll cement board all of the shower walls as it seems to make all round sense. Wickes only have the 6mm Aquapanel flooring in stock so it'll be Hardie for me then. Hardie recommend 12mm board for the walls given the wieghtload.

Regarding the flooring, plan was to lay 6mm Hardie on top of the treated chipboard so wouldn't be tiling directly on to this.

Presumably it's OK to apply mapeband on top of the sealant at the shower tray?

Stevie

 

[Burnerman]

I'd put the tape over the joins of the cement board only, I think.....personally I like the special adhesive that's used to join the board edges - one of the strongest adhesives I have found!
John

 

[AdamCH]

Cement boards aren't waterproof and need to be tanked. They're also not very nice to work with.

In the shower I'd use Marmox 12.5mm - it's much nicer to work with and waterproof so you only need to seal the joints. You could also use Marmox on the floor or Hardie 6mm - what's best depends on whether you need to waterproof it & whether you'll have UFH.

If the tiles are stone they you'll need a decoupling membrane on the floor - Ditra/Durabase - this will also provide a waterproofing it it's sealed.