Love surprises in home remodeling. :(

[ronny]

Actually, the proper mastic shouldn't be a problem on walls and ceiling as long as it's properly sealed and grouted. However, I know a lot of people don't recommend it. That's why I suggest advice from an expert when you buy your product.

When I say mortar, I mean thinset. I'm not too good on terms.

 

[tRidiot]

I've been to johnbridge.com, great site. Spending time there now looking at things.

I did find some cement board in the walls, looks like they used it to go halfway up the walls, then switched to greenboard gypsum.

Talked to a good buddy of mine who's a plumber, but unfortunately he's 3 hours away and has more work than he knows what to do with. Have some good lines on tile guys in the area who are friends of friends.

Looks like I'm going to be waiting till after Thanksgiving to finish this out, mostly due to money issues. I was hoping it wouldn't be this involved, but apparently it is.

The thing that really gets my goat is the total lack of a shower pan. No liner, no nothing. It actually looks exactly like a closet with a drainhole. They just tiled the floor and ran tile up the walls without any kind of liner at all. Still not sure what's under the floor tile, but I've removed all the wall tile and 90-degree curved base tile and there's nothing there but wallboard and tile all the way to the floor.

This is the kind of stuff Mike Holmes is always complaining about on his show, and now I know why. I do see a small bit of mold on the 2x4 running horizontally at the base of the floor, which the studs attach to. Also a tiny bit of surface mold on a couple of the studs. This can be scrubbed off and Lysol'd to hell and gone, I think. My only other option is totally rebuilding a whole load bearing wall one stud at a time. Not something I want to get into...

Dangit... back to the forums to do some more reading.

 

[ronny]

That green board up high is not necessarily a bad thing. A good grout seal will keep it safe. However, if you're gonna pull off all the old tile, pulling off the green board wouldn't be that much more work.

Good luck.

 

[Shoot Summ]

I've been to johnbridge.com, great site. Spending time there now looking at things.

I did find some cement board in the walls, looks like they used it to go halfway up the walls, then switched to greenboard gypsum.

Talked to a good buddy of mine who's a plumber, but unfortunately he's 3 hours away and has more work than he knows what to do with. Have some good lines on tile guys in the area who are friends of friends.

Looks like I'm going to be waiting till after Thanksgiving to finish this out, mostly due to money issues. I was hoping it wouldn't be this involved, but apparently it is.

The thing that really gets my goat is the total lack of a shower pan. No liner, no nothing. It actually looks exactly like a closet with a drainhole. They just tiled the floor and ran tile up the walls without any kind of liner at all. Still not sure what's under the floor tile, but I've removed all the wall tile and 90-degree curved base tile and there's nothing there but wallboard and tile all the way to the floor.

This is the kind of stuff Mike Holmes is always complaining about on his show, and now I know why. I do see a small bit of mold on the 2x4 running horizontally at the base of the floor, which the studs attach to. Also a tiny bit of surface mold on a couple of the studs. This can be scrubbed off and Lysol'd to hell and gone, I think. My only other option is totally rebuilding a whole load bearing wall one stud at a time. Not something I want to get into...

Dangit... back to the forums to do some more reading.

I've seen some shoddy builder work but can't imagine that would pass with any of them. Sounds like it was done by a "remodeler", either a homeowner, or someone the homeowner paid.

Based on what you have found so far I would look at the plumbing very closely as well, I would bet it wasn't done properly either. Good news is you will be able to start fresh.

You've got a pretty big project on your hands, you can do it in small bits without a huge cash outlay all at once.

This is my last shower before the glass went in, a picture is worth a thousand words....

 

[JCW355]

You could just buy a shower kit that has the base and the side walls. If you do go back with tile make sure it is done right, do your homework and learn.

 

[tyromeo55]

Hey SS. If you dont mind me asking.. Ho much did the frame-less glass door cost?

 

[Neanderthal]

Holy crap, is it a Jim Walters home?

 

[nobuttbrian]

If your house is old enough you probably have a lead shower pan under the floor tile . It will be under the thick layer of thinset. If you go with the rubber. You will need to remove the Drain bell and use the sealer on drain pipe and rubber pan then reinstall drain

 

[tRidiot]

You could just buy a shower kit that has the base and the side walls. If you do go back with tile make sure it is done right, do your homework and learn.

$1600 to start from Lowe's and that's for standard sizes. I can't afford that right now. Did some research on the prefab shower pans (tile-over type), but those start from $400 to $600 online, waiting for a week or two, plus shipping. Plus, my plumber buddy didn't have great things to say about them... he said they're ok, but you have to work around them and make everything else line up with it, instead of the other way around.

That green board up high is not necessarily a bad thing. A good grout seal will keep it safe. However, if you're gonna pull off all the old tile, pulling off the green board wouldn't be that much more work.

Good luck.

Yup, it's all bare studs and cement floor now.

If your house is old enough you probably have a lead shower pan under the floor tile . It will be under the thick layer of thinset. If you go with the rubber. You will need to remove the Drain bell and use the sealer on drain pipe and rubber pan then reinstall drain

There may be a lead barrier under the floor cement, but I didn't dig down that far. Just got the tile off for now. Not sure how deep I wanna dig. I may just flatten it out and put my new showerpan over the top.


From everything I've seen, there wasn't a lick of lead, rubber, plastic or anything anywhere in that shower. Whoever the tool was who put it in that way didn't have a good showerpan, which is why the tile at the base cracked and leaked, which is why I am in this situation now.

If I find out who he is, he better or he'll get a swift kick in the nuts from me!

Or one to the hip!

 

[tRidiot]

I should also add, I want this rebuild to be solid, but it won't be fancy... I'm selling this place next year.


241 days to go!