Waterproofing a shower enclosure

kgormley

I have had a new free-standing shower enclosure installed in a corner of the bathroom against two newly plastered stud walls. The tray is secured to the floor but I cannot hang the enclosure doors until I do the tiling.

I am concerned about how to waterproof the area as it has the potential to cause a lot of damage should I mess it up. I have put silicon in the joints between the tray and the walls and have put one coat of Waterproof Evo Bond PVA on the walls.

Does anyone know if this is enough or whether I need more protection?

All assistance greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Karl.

TopTec

You should of tanked the walls before tiling unless the boarding was done with moisture resistant plasterboard and even then tanking is like a double protection.

Tanking kits come with a corner tape that trims along the shower tray and corners which are usually the weaker areas. Kits can be obtained from most tiling outlets. They are about 60 euro I think.

Pva is next to useless really and silicone can't protect long term... more of a small area trim and finish really.

TT

esox28

TopTec wrote: »

You should of tanked the walls before tiling unless the boarding was done with moisture resistant plasterboard and even then tanking is like a double protection.

Tanking kits come with a corner tape that trims along the shower tray and corners which are usually the weaker areas. Kits can be obtained from most tiling outlets. They are about 60 euro I think.

Pva is next to useless really and silicone can't protect long term... more of a small area trim and finish really.

TT

+ 1 for tanking kit, but where the real trouble occurs is at tray, wall and tiling junction the only solution is a rubber tiling upstand installed to the tray before fixing, especially where tray is installed on a wooden base.

http://aquastrap.com/

kgormley

Thanks for the help so far lads.

I've bought the tanking kit and have primed the walls, with the proper sealer this time, ready to start the tanking this evening. The shower enclosure is in the corner of a room and as such only has one "corner" in the walls. I'm going to tank the joint, then when it dries apply a bead of silicon to the joint, tile and then another silicon bead instead of grout, that's the way it seems to suggest in the youtube video. Is that right?

What do I do where the tray meets the tiles, do I put tanking membrane on that joint or is it sufficient to just leave a small grout line and use silicon before and after tiling? If not, is it necessary to use a rubber trim piece, can't seem to get an answer to this anywhere.

Any help appreciated, thanks.

TopTec

As far as the corner is concerned you use the tanking tape that should of come with the kit. This is an adhesive backed tape that sticks to the corner and the tanking paste is painted over this. There should be no need to use silicone.

As far as the tray is concerned, the proper method is as described in Eso's post. However, if like me you are strapped for cash or find access to this product difficult then utilise the rest of the tape to treat the tray edge where it meets the wall as a corner. Overlap the tanking tape up the wall and onto the tray edge and tank with the paste.

Apply the tiles and run a craft knife along the bottom edge of the tiles where they meet the tray and remove the excess tape. Then grout as normal.

This is not the proper method but so far, touch wood, has never let me down and is much better than nothing at all.

Forget the plastic trim strips you see in tiles shops - they are crap and useless.

Good Luck.

TT

dodzy

TopTec wrote: »

Forget the plastic trim strips you see in tiles shops - they are crap and useless.

I've always used these and never had any issues.

kgormley

Thanks TT,

Appreciate all the help.

Karl.

esox28

dodzy wrote: »

I've always used these and never had any issues.

Are you a plumber or tiler? I'm not attacking you but those tile trims are very unsightly, don't create a water tight seal and are used for a quick fix for tiler to hide the cut edge.

From a plumbing point of view, these nearly always leak when installed on first floor wooden joiced flooring, have to say mostly in shower baths also lots of shower trays as the user is creating a point load on one side of the bath, which drops the bath away from the seal. Also have to say some plumbers are notorious for not completely supporting the edge of bath.

Bof No1

Hi, could I just say that silicone is not the best to be using in the areas you wish to seal. As stated in an earlier post, I'd consider it only useful for a bit of decoration, or trimming. The only similar sure fire sealer is Tek 7, or other brands with the same formulation and should be available in your local builders providers. Yes, it is more expensive than silicone, but you can even apply this stuff underwater. Pay peanuts.............. Cheers Bof No1.

solargain

As long as a shower tray is sitting on timber floor with timber joists there will be movement and it will be virtually impossible to seal adequately long term. The timber is a breathing material that expands & contracts with humidity in the atmosphere.

dodzy

esox28 wrote: »

From a plumbing point of view, these nearly always leak when installed on first floor wooden joiced flooring, have to say mostly in shower baths also lots of shower trays as the user is creating a point load on one side of the bath, which drops the bath away from the seal. Also have to say some plumbers are notorious for not completely supporting the edge of bath.

and you are basing this on personal experience or hearsay? If it's the former, then you are doing in wrong. If the latter, well, ya know yourself.

Bof No1

As long as a shower tray is sitting on timber floor with timber joists there will be movement and it will be virtually impossible to seal adequately long term. The timber is a breathing material that expands & contracts with humidity in the atmosphere.

I agree completely with what your saying. This is why I was suggesting that modern building sealants are the way to go. The amount of movement they can accommodate without losing seal is far superior to silicone, as well as having a better bond to dissimilar materials and higher shear strength. Also, if the floor is being tiled, it will have been covered in WBP or marine grade plywood prior to tiling. This will have negated the majority of the movement from the floorboards, thereby reducing any movement of the shower tray/enclosure, allowing the sealant to perform better. Hope this helps, cheers, BofNo1.

GreeBo

Aquastrap or similar it's the property way to do it.
Yeah it's expensive, but so is repairing a leak in your kitchen ceiling.
Aquastrap can take way more movement than any sealant. It reaches about an inch in behind the tiles and forms a seal against the tray. Any water behind the tiles well run down the tanking, over the strap and into the tray.

Anything else is a bodge.
The plastic trim will eventually come away as the seal slowly moves from the tray.
there is also a gap that will fill with mold. Any repairs are impossible as the tile covers it, and the corner is a weakness.

esox28

dodzy wrote: »

and you are basing this on personal experience or hearsay? If it's the former, then you are doing in wrong. If the latter, well, ya know yourself.

Experience.

I've been fitting the sealing membrane for every bath and tray for seven years now and hand on heart iv never had one leak after them. Can't say that for pipes though

Op its not too late to install the sealing membrane unless you've tiled...a kit will set you back €70. Just something to bare in mind.