Finishing up a Kerdi shower questions

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Eurob

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Can't figure it out why to use a different mfg , if color for the grout and silicone are available from the same mfg -- Mapei , Laticrete , etc. -- .

Using them will increase the chance of long lasting manufacturing .......... and easy ordering while looking for the grout color will be done ........in the same time , same place .
 

Dhagin

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Can't figure it out why to use a different mfg , if color for the grout and silicone are available from the same mfg -- Mapei , Laticrete , etc. -- . .

That's the big IF my friend. This job had a deadline and ColorRite was quickest... We've had manufactures caulks that didn't match either, so there are no guarantees.

My solution: Test before committing. :)
 

JohnfrWhipple

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Just got the final receipt from Color Rite. They add the shipping after you give them payment info. The shipping was another $19.91. Grand total for 6 tubes is $91.61. Yeah, it better match.


You just paid a hundred bucks for Caulk ! LOL You must really like Chaulk Vegas.....
 

MikeQ

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Bad boy just needs the bi-fold glass door installed - almost ready to christen!

I want to thank you guys for the help with caulk selection and technique. I ended up using Color Rite sanded silicon between the tiles and Latisil around the glass and also around the top of the bathroom floor baseboards and between the floor and baseboards. I bit the bullet and taped everything off (very time consuming) but it was worth it as it looks great except in a couple of small spots where I tried to tool it after it had just begun to skin.

If I did it again I would likely skip the sanded caulk and just use Latisil everywhere. The Color Rite was supposed to be a direct match with the Custom Building Products Bright White grout but it's far brighter. I can't imagine a cement based grout achieving a much brighter white so I'm assuming the caulk is simply too white. The little plastic caulk tool Color Rite offers is the best tooling tool I've ever used. It makes nice tight caulk joints and is good at leaving a clean edge so the masking tape pulls up cleanly, even when wiping against ground joints.

I've sealed all the grout and just need to install the two panes of tempered glass in the bi-fold hardware and screw the hinges into the tiled door frame.

I hope I don't cause exploding glass before I'm done!
 

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Eurob

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:)Congrats Mike:)

Tight area , but looks great . I like the addition of the heated towel rack .

Could you show us the niche -- front view -- ?
 

ShowerDude

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MikeQ, you sir win a few awards here
1.Most compact wall
2.Maximum use of space
3.Maximum use of color pallette

And IMO an awesome unique and well thought out shower,

Good clean job sir
 

MikeQ

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:)Congrats Mike:)

Tight area , but looks great . I like the addition of the heated towel rack .

Thanks! The heated towel rack is 370 Watts and, in conjunction with the 360 Watt Warm Wire in the floor (including the shower floor) replaces a baseboard heater. As it turns out, the 360 Watt floor heat alone makes this bath the warmest room in the house but the towel heater is really nice for drying towels and heats the room up faster than the floor.

Yes, it is small, only 59 1/2" between the walls, but it doesn't feel tight moving around in there, using the toilet, entering the shower, etc. I replaced an old round bowl toilet with a Toto Aquia II from Terry. This is more compact both in width and extension and feels larger when using it. There's also a pull-out shelf between the W/D to set a laundry basket which assists retrieving clean laundry without dropping it on the floor.

Could you show us the niche -- front view -- ?
 

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MikeQ

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And IMO an awesome unique and well thought out shower,

Thank-you, that means a lot to me. I knew I liked it but I know it's fairly far outside the norm and I just hoped I wasn't the only one who thought the colors and style worked. I'm sure it's not everyone's cup of tea but your comments are reassuring.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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Mike that is one slick tile install. Well done.

What thin-set and grout did you use for the shower floor? Those charcoal coloured grout choices are hard to keep looking that way. I've found to many turn white or light Gray with use.
 

MikeQ

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Mike that is one slick tile install. Well done.

What thin-set and grout did you use for the shower floor? Those charcoal coloured grout choices are hard to keep looking that way. I've found to many turn white or light Gray with use.

Thanks John. I set the 7/16" thick floor mosaic tiles in D-D-Di-Di-Di-Di-Ditra-set. There, I said it! I hope you don't hate me now.

The true color of the floor grout is silver and shows up best in this photo:
https://1vhqqa.dm2301.livefilestore...dFtk6jfKrHnx7nwC3HKi-fhr0/IMG_0582.JPG?psid=1

It's somewhat translucent (has a translucent binder and tiny glass beads in place of sand). I think what you are seeing is that it is picking up some of the charcoal color from the adjacent stone mosaic. It's Bostik Dimensions. I know you had a bad experience with a similar urethane formulation but I'm super pleased with it and, after examining it with a 50 power microscope and doing some destructive testing on a sample, I have confidence in it's long-term performance. The manufacturer warns strongly against over watering during wipe down which can dilute the top layer and cause performance issues and I was overly cautious about this. So much so that I had a devil of a time getting most of the remaining haze off the polished surface of the mosaics after it had cured for two days. Even using Bostik Blaze haze remover. But it looks like this caution paid off with a dense and durable grout finish.

And thank-you again for your generous comments.
 

MikeQ

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Your welcome.

Is there room in there for you and the Misses?

;)

The shower is not really finished until it's Christened


Well, a couple of weeks ago it was her idea that we would need to have a "shower party" when it was ready so we will have to let you know.

Hmmm.... Shower party. Isn't that a little like saying "hot water heater"?

Maybe not.
 

JohnfrWhipple

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Mike I have learned many things over the years building showers. In my books a "Shower Party" finishes with a happy ending. My fingers are crossed for you.
 

MikeQ

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Finished installing shower door

The shower is finally ready to christen.

The bi-fold glass door was a bitch to install without a helper available but I managed without any disasters. This took some planning and creativity to make happen without breaking the glass!

Here's a few more photos:

IMG_0648.jpg

I used strips of counter-top laminate taped to both sides to stop the bi-fold hinges from flopping around during fitting.
Then I had to figure out how to get inside the shower to mark and drill the holes. Very nerve-wracking working alone!

IMG_0653.jpg

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Looks like I still need to paint a bit of ceiling and touch up the walls.
 

MikeQ

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(continued)

IMG_0679.jpg

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This is a better photo of the floor. You can see the grout filled the pits in the stone mosaic.
At first I thought this was a disaster but it looks ok because the colors work together.

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The border on the niche came out a little funky, scrunched up in the corner. More careful planning during framing could have improved this but I didn't want to make the niche narrower than it already was and I was reluctant to move the left stud further left because I was concerned about damaging the stone tile in the kitchen on the other side of the wall (and a bit of laziness). Maybe, in hindsight, I should have trimmed the niche with a much narrower border. But this was my first tile job and I'm satisfied with the over all appearance and really confident that it is a solid build that will last and be easy to maintain.

Thanks for all the help guys!
 

ShowerDude

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Mike that looks great ! Good work. Now please jump to the pricing thread and share some total numbers with us....? Ballpark it for curious homeowners......
 

ShowerDude

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On your next project use a material specifiic pre seal on your porous or pitted tile before grouting being extra careful not to drip it all over the sides of each tile, sealing only on top! Not so easy with those mini mosaics!

But had you been doing this for a homeowner??? And they didnt like it! You be learning the hard way!!!!!

Sometimes a little pre -emptive client discussion is in order when these issues may be a concern after the grout!!!!
 

Eurob

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View attachment 24813

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View attachment 24815

This is a better photo of the floor. You can see the grout filled the pits in the stone mosaic.
At first I thought this was a disaster but it looks ok because the colors work together.

View attachment 24816

View attachment 24817

The border on the niche came out a little funky, scrunched up in the corner. More careful planning during framing could have improved this but I didn't want to make the niche narrower than it already was and I was reluctant to move the left stud further left because I was concerned about damaging the stone tile in the kitchen on the other side of the wall (and a bit of laziness). Maybe, in hindsight, I should have trimmed the niche with a much narrower border. But this was my first tile job and I'm satisfied with the over all appearance and really confident that it is a solid build that will last and be easy to maintain.

Thanks for all the help guys!


Mike......OUTSTANDING .

ONE OF THE MOST CUSTOMIZED SHOWERS -- COMPLETELY CUSTOMIZED -- I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME .

Talking about what can you do with a limited space -- did you see the shower door(s) -- Great Thinking .:)
 

JohnfrWhipple

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...Talking about what can you do with a limited space -- did you see the shower door(s) -- Great Thinking .:)

I',m with you there Roberto.

I have never seen a bi-fold door look so good. Nice to know there is a stylish option for these. My glass guy in 12 plus years has never mentioned one to me. The only one I saw was a cheese ball framed version.

I like this shower.

My fingers are crossed because of the thin-set and grout choice on this project. I hope Mike's grout holds up better than my kitchen grout.

Mike will you send us a few follow up pictures down the road. Like 3 months. 12 months. 24 months......
 
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