How to Use a Membrane System to Prep a Shower for Tiling | This Old House

This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows a foolproof way to build a leak-free shower. (See below for a shopping list and tools.) SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse Tom helps a pair of homeowners prepare and waterproof a shower enclosure to accept new tile. Rather than use a traditional copper shower pan and cement board for the walls, Tom suggests using a new product that can be applied directly to many different types of substrate, making it totally waterproof and ready for tile. The product is a flexible membrane that is applied to the walls and floor using mortar applied with a notched trowel. Tom applies mortar to the walls and then presses the membrane onto the walls, taking care to flatten out any bubbles; he also cuts for the shower valve and fixtures using a utility knife. For each corner, he applies mortar and a narrow strip of membrane. For the floor, Tom uses a pre-sloped foam tray. With the tray in place, Tom marks for the floor drain and cuts a hole in the subfloor using a hole saw. Next, Tom applies mortar to the floor and sets the foam tray in place. Tom then seals the joint between the floor and walls using more mortar and small pieces of the membrane. Tom then sets the specially-designed floor drain into the tray with more mortar and trowels it smooth. Finally, Tom sets a piece of membrane onto the floor and installs a foam curb, making the enclosure totally waterproof and ready for tile. Tools for How to Use a Membrane System to Prep a Shower for Tiling: sponge and bucket 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch notched trowels 10-inch-wide drywall knife utility knife drill/driver fitted with 4-inch hole saw mixing paddle Shopping List for How to Use a Membrane System to Prep a Shower for Tiling: waterproof membrane kit dry-set mortar preformed shower pan and curb Tom used a type of waterproofing system for shower enclosures manufactured by Schluter-Systems, L.P. [https://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/...] About Ask This Old House TV: Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook. Looking for more step by step guidance on how to complete projects around the house? Join This Old House INSIDER to stream over 1,000 episodes commercial-free: https://bit.ly/2GPiYbH Plus, download our FREE app for full-episode streaming to your connected TV, phone or tablet: https://bit.ly/34RYEP5 Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House: Facebook: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseTwitter http://bit.ly/AskTOHTwitter Pinterest: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHousePinterest Instagram: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseIG http://bit.ly/AskTOHIG For more on This Old House and Ask This Old House, visit us at: http://bit.ly/ThisOldHouseWebsite How to Use a Membrane System to Prep a Shower for Tiling | This Old House    / thisoldhouse