Kerdi shower Q. - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

mdshunk · 05-23-2009, 05:48 PM

If an existing drain rough opening in a shower is about 18" from one end of the shower (offset), can a person use the 32x60 offset shower kit and saw 8" of the base foam off one end and add it to the other to get the drain offset at about 18". Or, is there a better way to do this?

Splinter · 05-23-2009, 07:14 PM

MD-

the foam floors work fine when they match the existing shower size and drain location... They're level around the perimeter and pitch towards the drain hole, so sawing off a section a moving it elsewhere will throw off the slope of the floor.

Use mud.. Doing a small area like a shower floor is not difficult for an amateur mudman...

orson · 05-23-2009, 07:59 PM

The drain needs to be pretty much dead center to use the kerdi pan. If you cut one end off and add to the other you will not have a level line where the pan meets the wall.

It could be less work to move the drain to the center than to mud a pan.

Of course, mudding a pan is damn hard work and that always brings a certain satisfaction...

PrecisionFloors · 05-24-2009, 11:48 AM

Yep, mud the pan or move the drain. Which one is easier or more cost effective depends on the situation. Personally I like a centered drain if at all possible, gives you a lot more options when it's time to tile. As a side note, you can cut the Kerdi pans down, provided you take an even amount from both sides. That doesn't help in this situation, but just an fyi.

naptown CR · 05-24-2009, 12:05 PM

or you could cut the foam and continue the slope with mud where you have to extend.

WarriorWithWood · 05-24-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naptown CR

or you could cut the foam and continue the slope with mud where you have to extend.

This or a mud pan would get my vote.

Winchester · 05-24-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naptown CR

or you could cut the foam and continue the slope with mud where you have to extend.

This is what I do when I have to. (Depends on the job and what the customer wants to pay for)

Keep in mind if you do it this way, the lines where the 4 floor planes intersect will not run to the corners anymore, but once you tile it is not really noticeable.

72chevy4x4 · 05-24-2009, 03:38 PM

will the 72"x72" kit give you enough room?

If you put the 8" onto the other side, it will be at the same eight but sloping down. Would make sense to lay an 8" wide mud bed about 1/8-1/4" thick, let it set up and then come back and lay the 8" strip while using a level to keep the slope going. The downside is that end of the shower tray will be slope up to ~1/4" higher then the rest of the tray-using a 12" wall tile you could probably get away without noticing a small sliver taken off the wall.

jarvis design · 05-24-2009, 04:59 PM

I always use mud for pans and have a pretty easy way to maintain a level perimeter. I always carry 3/4" plywood strips - 1 1/2" wide by 48" long.

Make a form (a box) approx. 4-6" less than the width and depth.
(ie. if you have a 36x36 shower make your form 30x30 or 32x32)

Center the form in your base area, level it with shims, and pack with mud until level. Remove forms, fill in area between perimeter and flange, and use straight edge(s) to slope your base from your froms to the kerdi drain.

It normally takes about an hour to do a base.

orson · 05-25-2009, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jarvis design

It normally takes about an hour to do a base.

That's impressive.

I've only done a couple bases and the last one I did was a 3x5.5 that took me about 4 hours. Do you have someone mixing the mud for you or are you mixing yourself?

orson · 05-25-2009, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naptown CR

or you could cut the foam and continue the slope with mud where you have to extend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winchester

This is what I do when I have to. (Depends on the job and what the customer wants to pay for)

Keep in mind if you do it this way, the lines where the 4 floor planes intersect will not run to the corners anymore, but once you tile it is not really noticeable.

How are you guys dealing with the floor perimeter being out of level doing it this way? Is it not enough to be noticeable in the bottom course of tile?

R&D Tile · 05-25-2009, 08:21 AM

Quote:

How are you guys dealing with the floor perimeter being out of level doing it this way? Is it not enough to be noticeable in the bottom course of tile?

Doesn't matter where the drain is, the perimeter is always set level, the pitch will just be greater where the drain is closer to a wall.

Couple of hrs. to mix and place a mud pan.

Winchester · 05-25-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R&D Tile

Doesn't matter where the drain is, the perimeter is always set level, the pitch will just be greater where the drain is closer to a wall.

Couple of hrs. to mix and place a mud pan.

If you use the kerdi pan and cut off a side you wouldn't be consistent the whole way around. I've never used it on a drain that was far enough off center to make it not workable and not noticeable (I don't know about 8" off though).

It's easy to convince the HOs that smaller tiles are better for shower floors for safety reasons, (but they are also more forgiving when it comes to slope changes).

jarvis design · 05-25-2009, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orson

That's impressive.

I've only done a couple bases and the last one I did was a 3x5.5 that took me about 4 hours. Do you have someone mixing the mud for you or are you mixing yourself?

I normally do have a helper working with me who gets the fun job of lugging up the concrete, mixing, clean-up, etc.

I used to spend a lot more time making sure I had a level perimeter to start off with....not so anymore!!

coveinspiration · 07-06-2009, 12:28 AM

I wouldnt use the kerdi pan in this case. It won drain properly as the slope will be out.