Someone posted about this subject a few weeks back and I have some more
questions. I am getting ready to replace the "shower board" material
(material is a composite board material with a waterproof shiny front
that looks like tile) in a shower in my family's vacation place. The
existing board was put in about 25 years ago and it has worked very well
but needs replacing. I bought the new board at Home Depot and the
adhesive they recommend using. I have a few questions on installing this
stuff though, as follows:

1) The product comes with plastic border strips both for seams and
corners. Do I also need to use bathroom sylicone sealent along all edges
for water-tightness?

2) Someone here noted to be sure the board does not touch the tub, but
that I leave a slight gap to avoid the water "wicking" up into the
board. How big a gap do I leave?

Any other suggestions would also be welcome!

Rob
NE PA

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 16:27:54 GMT, Rob Gray wrote:

Someone posted about this subject a few weeks back and I have some more
questions. I am getting ready to replace the "shower board" material
(material is a composite board material with a waterproof shiny front
that looks like tile) in a shower in my family's vacation place. The
existing board was put in about 25 years ago and it has worked very well
but needs replacing. I bought the new board at Home Depot and the
adhesive they recommend using. I have a few questions on installing this
stuff though, as follows:

1) The product comes with plastic border strips both for seams and
corners. Do I also need to use bathroom sylicone sealent along all edges
for water-tightness?


I would use something but not silicone based, or at least not "pure"
silicone types. I just did a bathroom and the silicone sealant would
not stick to some of the plastics and just made a mess of things.


2) Someone here noted to be sure the board does not touch the tub, but
that I leave a slight gap to avoid the water "wicking" up into the
board. How big a gap do I leave?


I've never heard that before but I can see the reasoning behind the
suggestion. Even so, I would not leave a gap if I was doing it. Do
you really want to leave a gap where bugs and dirt/dust can get into
your living space from behind what will inevitably be a somewhat moist
inside the wall area? How's the wife going to react when spiders start
coming out during her shower? And if you leave a gap you will be
insuring that moisture can get up into the wall even if only from the
"Fog" when using the bathroom/tub/shower. I'd make it tight and seal
it. Even if you leave a gap I would suspect that over the long term
you'd wind up having to run sealant in there anyway.


Any other suggestions would also be welcome!

Rob
NE PA

--
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the
establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . .
Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of
the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order
to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House
of Representatives, August 17, 1789

"AZGuy" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 16:27:54 GMT, Rob Gray wrote:

Someone posted about this subject a few weeks back and I have some more
questions. I am getting ready to replace the "shower board" material
(material is a composite board material with a waterproof shiny front
that looks like tile) in a shower in my family's vacation place. The
existing board was put in about 25 years ago and it has worked very well
but needs replacing. I bought the new board at Home Depot and the
adhesive they recommend using. I have a few questions on installing this
stuff though, as follows:



The tile board is fine as ling as there are no scratches in the shiny
finish. If there is the slightest scratch, the moisture will get into the
masionite below and the shiny stuff will peel off leaving an ugly brown
spot. Might I recomend using FRP's? These are fiberglass reinforced
panels. They will cost about $5 to $10 a sheet more than the tile board,
but stay shiny even if they get a little scratch.



1) The product comes with plastic border strips both for seams and
corners. Do I also need to use bathroom sylicone sealent along all edges
for water-tightness?


I would use something but not silicone based, or at least not "pure"
silicone types. I just did a bathroom and the silicone sealant would
not stick to some of the plastics and just made a mess of things.




Depends what your shower pan or bathtub is made from. Pure silicone is good
if you are not trying to seal it to a polyethylne or polypropeline surface
or you intend to paint the caulk. If you have a fiberglass or procelin base
or tub and are not going to paint the pure stuff works well.


2) Someone here noted to be sure the board does not touch the tub, but
that I leave a slight gap to avoid the water "wicking" up into the
board. How big a gap do I leave?


About 1/4 of an inch. If you usw tile board besure to have a continuios
bead sealing the edge of the masonite.

I've never heard that before but I can see the reasoning behind the
suggestion. Even so, I would not leave a gap if I was doing it. Do
you really want to leave a gap where bugs and dirt/dust can get into
your living space from behind what will inevitably be a somewhat moist
inside the wall area? How's the wife going to react when spiders start
coming out during her shower? And if you leave a gap you will be
insuring that moisture can get up into the wall even if only from the
"Fog" when using the bathroom/tub/shower. I'd make it tight and seal
it. Even if you leave a gap I would suspect that over the long term
you'd wind up having to run sealant in there anyway.

I didn't leave a gap, and I wish I did. A little bit of moisture seeps in
and poof you have a big ugly. The gap prevents wicking.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 14:58:05 -0800, "Roger Shoaf"
wrote:


"AZGuy" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 16:27:54 GMT, Rob Gray wrote:

Someone posted about this subject a few weeks back and I have some more
questions. I am getting ready to replace the "shower board" material
(material is a composite board material with a waterproof shiny front
that looks like tile) in a shower in my family's vacation place. The
existing board was put in about 25 years ago and it has worked very well
but needs replacing. I bought the new board at Home Depot and the
adhesive they recommend using. I have a few questions on installing this
stuff though, as follows:



The tile board is fine as ling as there are no scratches in the shiny
finish. If there is the slightest scratch, the moisture will get into the
masionite below and the shiny stuff will peel off leaving an ugly brown
spot. Might I recomend using FRP's? These are fiberglass reinforced
panels. They will cost about $5 to $10 a sheet more than the tile board,
but stay shiny even if they get a little scratch.



1) The product comes with plastic border strips both for seams and
corners. Do I also need to use bathroom sylicone sealent along all edges
for water-tightness?


I would use something but not silicone based, or at least not "pure"
silicone types. I just did a bathroom and the silicone sealant would
not stick to some of the plastics and just made a mess of things.




Depends what your shower pan or bathtub is made from. Pure silicone is good
if you are not trying to seal it to a polyethylne or polypropeline surface
or you intend to paint the caulk. If you have a fiberglass or procelin base
or tub and are not going to paint the pure stuff works well.


2) Someone here noted to be sure the board does not touch the tub, but
that I leave a slight gap to avoid the water "wicking" up into the
board. How big a gap do I leave?


About 1/4 of an inch. If you usw tile board besure to have a continuios
bead sealing the edge of the masonite.

I've never heard that before but I can see the reasoning behind the
suggestion. Even so, I would not leave a gap if I was doing it. Do
you really want to leave a gap where bugs and dirt/dust can get into
your living space from behind what will inevitably be a somewhat moist
inside the wall area? How's the wife going to react when spiders start
coming out during her shower? And if you leave a gap you will be
insuring that moisture can get up into the wall even if only from the
"Fog" when using the bathroom/tub/shower. I'd make it tight and seal
it. Even if you leave a gap I would suspect that over the long term
you'd wind up having to run sealant in there anyway.

I didn't leave a gap, and I wish I did. A little bit of moisture seeps in
and poof you have a big ugly. The gap prevents wicking.

Maybe I mis-understood what was proposed. From this latest post it
sounds like you are still sealing the "Gap" with sealant. So to me
that's not a gap the way I was thinking of it. The sealed gap would
seem like an ok way.
--
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the
establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . .
Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of
the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order
to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House
of Representatives, August 17, 1789