DIY no grout solid surface shower suggestions?

[Rerod]

Just to give you a idea how I roll, I just bought a pair of speed queen's after my Maytag commercials failed after 18 years. So I'm the type who's not afraid to spend money for something that should last decades. I'm not wealthy, but I think it pays in the long run.

I bought my fixer-upper house with two of the three bathrooms needing immediate attention. Leaks, fiberglass shower pans stained.. I fell through the tiled wall of one of them when I leaned on it to wash my foot. lol I bought three kerdi shower kits and planned on installing tile showers / bases. But after reading the "tile your world" book, I now realize there are so many ways to install shower tile the wrong way and I'm reluctant to try because I have no experience. I found a great local tile setter, but he didn't want to use epoxy grout and stopped communicating with me.

So I'm considering a solid surface shower (yes it looks like a hotel and for good reason) as I like the fact stains can be sanded out and there are no grout lines to crack or stain. It sounds easier to install and more bullet proof than tile.

Does anyone have first hand experience or feed back concerning solid surface shower's like Swanstone, Tere-stone, corian, Kohler Choreograph, onyx solid surface and cultured marble or any others?

I want a shower that will out last me, and plan on renting my home out after I retire.

Thanks!

 

[CountryBumkin]

It's not hard to install a shower the correct way - if you follow the manufacturers directions.

I'm not a Plumber or Tile Pro, but I've done two Kerdi showers now and found it to be pretty easy. Of course you do need some hand skills (cutting tile, installing drain and fixtures, etc.) but its not that hard with the new/modern products.

The drawback to using a solid surface shower floor is still going to be tying in the waterproofing on the walls to the floor system.
I can't think of an easy way to do it - unless you did a standard Kerdi style shower and then just laid the solid surface over the Kerdi like you would with tile (but its going to be heavy and the drain cutout needs to be exact). Also a solid surface shower floor is going to be very slippery.

I would recommend the Kerdi membrane (or similar USG Durock Shower System product) with traditional tile floor and epoxy or acrylic grout (stay away from cement-based grout). You may have better response to you questions at the John Bridge Tile forum http://www.johnbridge.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1

Good luck

 

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[Terry]

I have installed cultured marble before. For those installs I used greenboard and adhesive to stick the panels on. The panels are ordered a little large, and then trimmed no site. The corners are caulked with Silicone. It's pretty much a bullet proof installation.

 

[Jadnashua]

Schluter has a bunch of videos showing how to put together one of their showers. The details are important, but it works. If you prefer real tile, it is a very good way to go. If you plan to use their foam pan, it works well, but your floor must be level first. The Kerdi system works just fine if you make your pan out of deckmud. Using deckmud is like packing wet beach sand, not dealing with wet concrete. It's cheap, and you can afford to do a trial run if you want. There's lots of info over at www.johnbridge.com in the 'liberry' and people there have helped numerous DIY'ers on how to build their shower successfully.

A solid surface pan will work, but style wise, I think a tiled surface is much nicer and customizable. There are a few different epoxy grouts out there, but there are also some good one-part, premixed ones that work well, too. Those are a bit easier to use, and you can start and stop as you wish while trying to finish things up and just put the lid back on the stuff. Most of them are acrylic based...about the same material you might have in a pocket comb - impervious.

 

[Rerod]

I have installed cultured marble before. For those installs I used greenboard and adhesive to stick the panels on. The panels are ordered a little large, and then trimmed no site. The corners are caulked with Silicone. It's pretty much a bullet proof installation.

Thanks Terry. Doesn't cultured marble have a clear coat on it? Id like to have something that is sand-able/buff-able for when someone who's renting my home leaves a stain.

Jim and Mike.. Im not throwing the my tile consideration out the window yet.. But asking about solid surface over on Johns forum isn't the most appropriate. Those guys make there living from installing tile and would be reluctant to praise SS even if they felt is was better. Yes, I considered putting my kerdi under the SS of the walls. But don't think I could direct any water that might get behind the SS back down the drain.

One of the reasons I wanted tile was because of my odd ball bathroom size of 57" wide. Does anyone know a system other than Onyx's 54" which would come closer to my 57", short of ordering a custom pan? On the other hand. If stains on the Onyx system cant be sanded/buffed out or if another system is vastly superior, I wouldn't have a problem using a 48" width.

Thanks!

 

[CountryBumkin]

When I was replying I was thinking that you wanted to install a "single sheet" of material (which would be hard to handle and would require that you to slope it toward a trench style drain). If that was the case you would create a preslope with deck mud then bond the Kerdi over that and to the drain. The sheet material just installs over the Kerdi fabric like tile would. Any water that gets below the sheet memberane (or tile) is then trapped by the Kerdi and runs into drain.

But now I think you are referring to a "pre-formed" shower tray made of a "solid surface" type material.

Picture of Kerdi membrane installed over a Kerdi drain the (thinset used between Kerdi and the drain flange, and the Kerdi and tile is not shown).

 

[Rerod]

Thanks

When I was replying I was thinking that you wanted to install a "single sheet" of material (which would be hard to handle and would require that you to slope it toward a trench style drain). If that was the case you would create a preslope with deck mud then bond the Kerdi over that and to the drain. The sheet material just installs over the Kerdi fabric like tile would. Any water that gets below the sheet memberane (or tile) is then trapped by the Kerdi and runs into drain.

But now I think you are referring to a "pre-formed" shower tray made of a "solid surface" type material.

Picture of Kerdi membrane installed over a Kerdi drain the (thinset used between Kerdi and the drain flange, and the Kerdi and tile is not shown).
View attachment 36766

Thanks Mike.

No, I'm not reinventing the wheel and considering a complete SS kit. The Onyx 54" shower tray/pan is the closest I can find to my 57" space. So I was leaning that direction since they offer a complete kit. But I'm disappointed that the Onyx collection has a sealer and doesn't mention that its refinish able on the website.

Does anyone know which solid surface's dont have a sealer and are refinish able? Sand-able and polish-able?

Thanks