Tiling a new shower

I want to rip out the existing shower unit and tile a new one. How hard is this? It's one of those Plexiglas like units with a door frame. The bottom seal is shot and it has never closed easily. I want to rip the sob out and put tile all around I guess with a shower curtain as the entrance. How hard will it be to tile it. I've done floors several times but never vertical surfaces much less a shower

 

I did this once and it was a disaster. Make sure you don't tile over the drain.

 

i had my shower and bathroom retiled recently. watching the workers, it didn't look that hard, it's just a matter of knowing what you should be doing. for that, you can probably find a lot of resources online.

so if i'm understanding correctly, you've got a fiberglass (or something) shower unit that you're taking out? do you know what's behind it in terms of the walls? that's a big issue. and installing your floor liner is major too. yeah, don't tile over the drain but also, make sure the weep holes in the side of the dain are clear to let the moisture in the mortar drain away (the mortar will absorb water when you shower). basically, it's all the leak protection stuff.

i'd do some googling and read a few in depth articles about the subject and see if it all makes sense and seems like something you could do.

 

That's pretty much what I did. Then I called in a professional. Didn't want to deal with any future leak problems.

 

good suggestions in the above posts.

you'll need a bottom "tub" for the shower floor and maybe some kind of membrane too. concrete backer board for the walls will be adequate, probably the quarter inch thick stuff. you'll need backer board screws, thinset, notched trowel, joint tape and something to cut your backer board with. once you get it roughed in then you can go to town on the tile part. i like the pre-mixed thinset because you can simply put the lid on when you're done for the day and open it back up when you're ready to start again. all thats left after that is grout, sealer and caulk.

 

Werd. At least, that's what I've seen on DIY. Imma remodel my master bath soon, probably over the summer. Hopefully we both have good luck.

 

I wouldn't suggest even trying this without a roto-tiller.

 

I read really bad things about pre-mixed thinset when I was doing research before tiling my bathroom. It's the debil, and not even thinset but more of a glue.


This is the place to go to learn and ask questions:
http://johnbridge.com/vbulletin/index.php

 

thanks for the link chipshot. looks like a great source of info for the do-it-yourselfer. wish i'd known about it sooner, just my luck.

i mixed my own thinset for both bathroom floors in our house....the big tile. but i did use the pre-mixed for the 3"x6" subway tile in the main bath surround as well as a backsplash around the jetted tub in the master bath. it held like a champ. i used a bunch of it too and, so far, it has held up very well. i still have a half a bucket left over and plan on doing a stone subway tile layout for our kitchen backsplash. i did pay close attention to detail with the grout, bought a high grade sealer, and made damn sure the application was sufficient. we shall see.

 

I've done stuff like this when I was a little younger on some flips but it was a real pain in the ass and if you are working with expensive tile, like natural stones, you may want to hire someone. The first couple I did was with real cheap ceramic so it wasn't a big deal to experiment.

I am getting ready to put have a custom travertine shower built and there is no way I'm doing it myself. It's kind of a nightmare, especially if it is your first one.