Hi guys, new here to posting, but lurk a lot.

I'm in the process of tearing out my solid surface shower. I want to
put in tile walls with a prefab shower pan. It's just a basic tract
house, so I don't want anything fancy or $$$.

I just want to go with the basic eggshell white tiles with a basic
accent.

Questions:

1- Home Depot is very close by and therefore very convenient to
purchase hardware, etc. Is it a good idea to get the tile there? I will
be doing the countertop too. They have the color that matches the other
countertops in the house.

2- I see there are two ways to prep the walls. One is to remove the
greenboard, apply felt, then backerboard and tile over that. Another
way is to apply felt and backboard over the existing greenboard, and
then use bullnose on the edges. Which way do you think looks better?

3- What do you use to seal the overlap seams on the felt? caulking?

4- Is there a specific height the faucet handles and shower head have
to be? I'm fairly tall.

Last- What do you think of a recessed shampoo box?

Thanks!

No replies?

wrote:
Hi guys, new here to posting, but lurk a lot.

I'm in the process of tearing out my solid surface shower. I want to
put in tile walls with a prefab shower pan. It's just a basic tract
house, so I don't want anything fancy or $$$.

I just want to go with the basic eggshell white tiles with a basic
accent.

Questions:

1- Home Depot is very close by and therefore very convenient to
purchase hardware, etc. Is it a good idea to get the tile there? I will
be doing the countertop too. They have the color that matches the other
countertops in the house.

They used to carry DalTile as their basic vanilla tile. Don't know
anymore. And I don't where you are and if there are tile supply
companies in your area. HD will probably suffice for your job.


2- I see there are two ways to prep the walls. One is to remove the
greenboard, apply felt, then backerboard and tile over that. Another
way is to apply felt and backboard over the existing greenboard, and
then use bullnose on the edges. Which way do you think looks better?

There's 2 kinds of bullnose. One with a radius and one without called
surface bullnose. Your choice. Personally I prefer mortar for all
substrates but in your (diy) case I would apply the backer over the
green. Makes for a stiffer wall and allows for the radius bullnose in
lieu of the less distinct surface bullnose. Forget the felt. It's not
needed.


3- What do you use to seal the overlap seams on the felt? caulking?

Forget the felt. It's not needed.


4- Is there a specific height the faucet handles and shower head have
to be? I'm fairly tall.

Install them to fit your comfort zone. The shower head being the
critical one.


Last- What do you think of a recessed shampoo box?

They're fine but as you know, more work for the tiler. Personally I
prefer ceramic corner shelves same color as the tile. If it's a 3 wall
shower and of decent size I like one for a bottle or two and the other
for the soap. Soap dish as well if it's a tub/shower.

First off with the shower i'd recommend taking down the shower walls
if they are greenboard. Wonderboard (cement board) or hardiboard will
make a wonderful backer for the tiles. As for the showerpan, Home
Depot
really has crap. Plastic showerbases that are plain scary looking.
Home Expo (high end home depot) has fiberglass/acrylic shower
bases. They are MUCH better. Many local plumbing and bathroom stores
carry them too.

(Use the greenboard for the rest of the walls in the bathroom. Shower
walls
need something a bit better. I'd recommend using felt paper between
the shower
walls and the wood studs. Makes a nice water barrier)

As for tiles from Home Depot, that should be just fine. I purchased
mine
from them. Pretty good quality (I custom ordered a fish / sea shell
design)

As for the height of stuff, no real specifics. But i'd accomidate the
shower high
levels to all, not just you because you are tall.

Humm, for the nook for the shampoo its an either or kind of thing.
Its more work to do right and can be a source for leaks if not done
well.
But it can look nice if you take your time.

One thing i'd HIGHLY recommend is when at home depot, pick up
a cheap wet tile saw. This will make those cuts a breeze.
When you make the holes for the plumbing in the tiles, id recommend
using a rotozip (or equiv. device) to make the cuts. You can make
real simple professional looking holes very easily.

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Humm, for the nook for the shampoo its an either or kind of thing.
Its more work to do right and can be a source for leaks if not done
well.
But it can look nice if you take your time.

They have, probably even at home despot, premade shampoo nook rough-in
liners that you nail off to studs so they are solid, and lay the backerboard
right over them, with some sort of sealing arrangement. Dimesions are so no
tile cutting needed- multiples of 4". Saw them on one of the DIY shows-
looked like a neat way to do it, and unlikely to ever leak. I need to get
one of those corner shelves or surface-mount soap dishes for the house I
just bought with 1960 pink tile bath (no black border, thank heavens). For
those of us that only shower, the low soap dish right in shower stream Just
Doesn't Work. I want to get more than a week out of a fresh bar of Ivory.

aem sends...