Hi,
I'm redoing my master bathroom to install the following:
- new toilet (using same plumbing location as existing toilet)
- new claw tub which is replacing a corner jacuzzi tub (I have to move the faucet location and drain slightly to fit the claw tub location)
- replacing 1 sink with 2 x 28" vanities (new plumbing required and will need recommendations on best approach)
- completely gutted the tiled shower (3' x 3')

The shower:
- 3' x 3'
- this was the main reason for the reno
- I noticed some rust marks on the tile floor so figured water was penetrating through the tiles/grout lines
- I don't know much about shower systems but once I ripped off all the floor tiles I noticed what I thought was a concrete slab that was wet in certain spots. the slab "appeared" to be slopped down to the drain properly. There was about a 1/2" space between the sides of the slab and the studs on the wall for the concrete boards to slid into (all of which has been recently removed from the shower)

QUESTIONS ON SHOWER:
- now that I have removed all the tile what do I do to remove all the left over mortar so I can re-tile? Do I have to sand the slab down to get it smooth and clean?
- do I have to re-surface the floor slop first. If so, what do I use to do this?
- have you heard of the wedi system for the shower walls? I was planning to use a wedi system (...Detecting Browser Version (http://www.wedi.co.uk)) for the walls and ceiling, and then kerdi membrane for the floor and extend it about 2' up on the base of the walls to provide additional water proofing.
- installing a new shower door. In the pictures, you notice 3 2x4's on the left and right hand side of where the old shower door used to be. Can I remove these 2x4's completely to make room for a larger shower door? We are planning to install a new glass shower door. Above the door entrance we are also planning to open up this space so it extend completely up to the ceiling. Is this a good idea, or should we keep the existing setup? Basically we want 3 full tiled shower walls and the side with the glass door we want as open as possible from the sides and top. Does the shower door need a lot of support?

Vanities:
- basically just need to replace a single with a double vanity. 2 x 28" vanities that will be spaced about 8" apart. The current plumbing does not have a shut off valve like the toilet, so what is my best options. From what I can tell it looks like I have to shut off the water to the whole house in order to remove the current vanity. Is there something I can use to temporary block the water flow so that I don't have to uninstall and reinstall the 2 new vanities all at the same time. I looked for shut off valves through the plumbing but couldn't find any except for the toilets and kitchen sink (I would have to shut off the main water supply)

Floor:
- the bathroom has linoleum floors (large floor piece, not the small 12"x12"). What is the best way to remove this? I have just tried pulling it off but there seems to be a glue like substance that sticks to the sub-floor underneath. Do I have to sand the sub-floor before I install the Shluter Ditra mat for the floor tiles? Do I have to replace the existing sub floor with a new clean sub floor? Are there any other recommendations you have?

I'm still new to this whole reno, and I know I started one large project, but any advice you have would be fantastic and much appreciated.

Thanks so much!

I'm going to suggest you tear everything out of the shower, including the mud base. Looking at your pictures, all I can say is that you are a very very lucky person. When you look at the liner in the corners, you can see how instead of folds like when tucking bed sheet corners, the liner was sliced to reduce the thickness. Also, in the picture where you can see just the little bit of the curb, you can also see how the liner stopped on the inside of the curb, and did not wrap it as it should have. I'd expect at least a tiny bit of water damage hidden by the liner and mud bed, probably just enough to ignore, but it's best to be certain.

For redoing your shower, use only kerdi or only wedi. Either one on it's own is a fully waterproofed system and trying to combine them only creates warranty issues should something come up. I do think Kerdi is the easiest and best system on the market. The black pipe in the vanity plumbing picture would indicate you would need to order the ABS drain with your kerdi kit. I"d also suggest you order the 48" shower kit and cut it down 6" on each side you give you a 3' tray. With Kerdi being 1 meter wide, you could go down the two inside corners with the kerdi band and then go verticle with the kerdi on the two side walls, giving you enough membrane to come out flush with the front of the curb and then two horizontal rows on the back wall.

You only need Kerdi as high as the shower head, but you could order another roll of 54 sf if you wanted to continue it up to and across the ceiling of the shower.

Your door framing for the shower does not look to be load bearing and removing the existing framing and placing additional studs in the shower's wet wall and the opposite wall will provide the support you need for the door


Your vinyl floor is probably glued to a smooth underlayment plywood and not to the actual subfloor. Pry up the underlayment with the vinyl still attached. Most underlayments used for vinyl installation are specifically excluded from being part of the floor assembly for a ceramic installation.

I'm not a plumber, so I really can't answer the other questions, however, since I often do the demo where plumbing will be involved, I keep an assortment of "sharkbite" pipe caps in my van. You turn off the water and open the faucets above and below to drain the water from the plumbing system, cut the pipe, remove any burrs and pop on a shark bite fitting, no solder, no wrenches, just push it on.

Thanks Bljack! That's awesome advice! Thank you very much. 2 more follow up questions.

If I go with the full kerdi system (which I'm leaning towards), what would you recommend I use for the backerboard?

For the floor, after I rip off the plywood underlayment, what would you recommend I use to replace it? Or can I just mortar from the subfloor up after I've removed the underlayment?

Thanks again!

Toilet valve replacement- when the valve is adjusted for the over-flow pipe the tank lid won't seat on the tank . The top of the valve is too high. Cut off part of the top of the over-flow pipe or get a different type of valve ?

The best way to remove the vinyl floor is with a heat gun or blow dryer and a large putty knife.

what would you recommend I use for the backerboard?

regular sheetrock. Forget cement board, you don't need it with Kerdi.



For the floor, after I rip off the plywood underlayment, what would you recommend I use to replace it? Or can I just mortar from the subfloor up after I've removed the underlayment?

All that depends upon what you have for a subfloor, joist size, span and spacing. Being that you want a clawfoot tub, I'd give some serious consideration to cutting out the area of subfloor where the tub will be located and installing a double 2x (whatever you've got) blocking with joist hangers so that you will have plenty of strength supporting the subfloor panels where the feet of the clawfoot rest. That in and of itself would mot require an additional layer of plywood so long as all cuts in the plywood subfloor have blocking supporting them from below, but if you do need to build up the thickness of your plywood, 3/8" because exterior sanded plywood is the minimum thickness of any plywod used as an underlayment layer on the plywood prior to installing your cement board or membrane.


Franken, I suggest you start your own thread in the plumbing sub forum. Not only will it get more attention there, if you don't repost it there, and I feel badly that you haven't received an answer, whatever I suggest will probably lead to leaky pipes. Plumbing is not one of my strengths.

If I plumb it, it leaks; if I wire it, it shorts; if I lay it :cool:

Thanks, Tom, for both moving this thread and for deleting my plumbing thread linking to this thread when it was in the interior home improvement forum. Let's get this guy the advice he needs and maybe I can finally learn a thing or two about plumbing. RIght now I;m limited to $#1t flows down hill and hot is on the left, cold on the right. :rolleyes:

RIght now I;m limited to $#1t flows down hill and hot is on the left, cold on the right.
Ya can't become a plumber until you learn the whole thing'

Cold water's on the right.
$hit won't run up hill
Parday's on Friday
the boss's a sonofafemaledog ,(Rick won't let me say "Bit-h")
Your $hit is my bread and butter
And never bite your fingernails after you snake a sewer.

Jack! Now you're a plumber!

Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven't responded in the past week. I decided to just take out the shower pan completely and start new with the Schluter system. I've uploaded 2 new pictures. The 2nd picture I took about a week ago. You can see some definite water marks. I wasn't sure if it was mold or mildew on the wood. I sprayed the wood with a bleach and water solution and let it sit for about a week. The 1st picture shows the change in the wood. Does the reduction in the black marks mean it was mold? The subfloor doesn't appear to be damaged (or so it appears). What would you recommend? Should I just cut out the entire 36"x36" piece of the shower pan and put a new subfloor in (and support it with perpendular joists undernearth, or should I just add another piece or plywood over top of the existing piece and glue/screw it down to provide support?

For the linoleum floors I have just decided to rip off the underlay plywood with the linolium and just put a new plywood layer on top. I think this is the easier solution and quicker. Would you agree? Any other thoughts?

Any additional thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks again!

I think you should mix up some thinset and get that Kerdi shower tray set. Com'on, time's wastin' Your floor looks fine from here. If you poke at it with a screw driver and you can tell that it is still stable and that the veneers have not delaminated, you are good to go. Otherwise, cut it out, install blocking to support the new piece of plywood and then install the pan and shower curb.

How long since you took a shower?? :eek: :D

I hope those plumbing questions get answered for you.

By the way, before you install the kerdi pan, install the sheetrock on your walls. If you need to trim the Kerdi tray after that, so be it, but you always need to trim it an even amount from all sides to maintain an even perimeter on the tray. You can stop the sheetrock on the wall at a height low enough to do any plumbing work for the shower if you are swapping out your diverter, etc. or do that before closing up your walls.