What is your preferred adhesive for gluing up shower Walls to backer board

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RMNewbie

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I am in the process of gathering product for a shower wall project. Basically a Swanstone shower wall kit to a Backer Board probably Wedi or Wonderboard. There seems to be a lot of choices for adhesives. Silicone seems to be one of the primary choices. In the Swanstone documentation they stated that GE 100% Silicone was not supported. I contacted them and they said that was outdated Documentation and now it is supported. I know that some important things to consider is working and setup time on the adhesive. My fear is that working by myself, by the time I get the whole sheet covered and attached to the wall the adhesive will start setting up and cause issues. Also there seems to be two types of Silicone , Acetoxy versus Neutral Cure.
So basically what do you use in this type of an install and what are the things to watch out for. I am open for any brands or choices that are recommended.

Also Swan recommends 6 inch circles of adhesive 6 inches apart on the whole sheet but some on the forums say they use a notched trowel and cover the whole thing.

Thanks
Ray

 
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LLigetfa

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How thin and flexible is it? If it is, uneven beads of adhesive can telegraph through and become visible on the surface. A notched trowel minimizes telegraphing. Some adhesives will "skin over" and reduce the adhesive properties but as per the next paragraph, they need time to start the curing process before it is trapped in between the two surfaces.

When adhesive is placed in between two air/waterproof materials, it has very little opportunity to "cure". Some shower wall kits advise not to seal the edges right away to give the adhesive time to off-gas and cure.
 

RMNewbie

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How thin and flexible is it? If it is, uneven beads of adhesive can telegraph through and become visible on the surface. A notched trowel minimizes telegraphing. Some adhesives will "skin over" and reduce the adhesive properties but as per the next paragraph, they need time to start the curing process before it is trapped in between the two surfaces.

When adhesive is placed in between two air/waterproof materials, it has very little opportunity to "cure". Some shower wall kits advise not to seal the edges right away to give the adhesive time to off-gas and cure.
The Swanstone is a 1/4 inch solid material that according to the documentation is waterproof itself. The full sheet itself is flexible but heavy. It is one of those products that the whole material is solid color through out. They seem to recommend 100% Silicone but the more I read , the more choices pop up. I worry about the time it will take me to cover that large of a surface and get it into place and brace it. They show setting up a bracing system out of wood up and down the side wall to make sure the panel is tight against the backing board.
 

John Gayewski

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The Swanstone is a 1/4 inch solid material that according to the documentation is waterproof itself. The full sheet itself is flexible but heavy. It is one of those products that the whole material is solid color through out. They seem to recommend 100% Silicone but the more I read , the more choices pop up. I worry about the time it will take me to cover that large of a surface and get it into place and brace it. They show setting up a bracing system out of wood up and down the side wall to make sure the panel is tight against the backing board.
Cut and fit your supports prior to gluing. The circles act as suction cups. Do the long wall first. Then support the two smaller side walls against each other.
 

LLigetfa

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OK, then telegraphing won't be a problem so no need to use a notched trowel which would consume a lot more adhesive. In fact, the stiffness probably needs a thicker bead to fill possible gaps. The only concern then is to use an adhesive that does not need long air exposure to cure.
 

RMNewbie

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Cut and fit your supports prior to gluing. The circles act as suction cups. Do the long wall first. Then support the two smaller side walls against each other.
Thanks John

Back wall first then ( 48 inches) then side walls ( 34 inches) I see the advantage of having the braces ready to go, Once the adhesive is applied it's go time.

And the circles make sense now

Thanks
Ray
 
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RMNewbie

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OK, then telegraphing won't be a problem so no need to use a notched trowel which would consume a lot more adhesive. In fact, the stiffness probably needs a thicker bead to fill possible gaps. The only concern then is to use an adhesive that does not need long air exposure to cure.
Thanks LLigetfa

I'll start looking for something that gives me some working time and has does not need long air exposure. That gives me some spec's to narrow down.

Thanks
Ray
 
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