I'm digging into an old shower in our rental house and planning to replace the
classy vinyl walls (which were mortared directly onto plywood) with tile.
Here's what I'm imagining my process to be...please tell me what you think,
I'd love any advice! There are more questions within each step, too.

1) Rip out old caulk and vinyl. Keep plywood. (Ok to keep plywood?)

2) Cover ply with plastic vapor barrier. Is using Tyvek ok? I have lots
leftover from a home addition and would love to use it up. Should I attach
with staples? Is folding over the corners ok?

3) Deal with a flat "shelf" space that is about 4.5 ft up, across from shower
nozzle. The water doesn't spray directly onto it, but it will have water vapor
build up. Should I work to make it a slant?

3) Attach cement board. Cover gaps and seams with fiber mesh tape, using
thinset mortar.

4) Caulk cement board outer seams.

5) Tile using thinset mortar. Caulk outer seams. Grout. Seal.

Anything else?

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...h-1143524-.htm

On 09/07/2017 07:14 AM, Colleen C wrote:
I'm digging into an old shower in our rental house and planning to
replace the
classy vinyl walls (which were mortared directly onto plywood) with
tile. Here's what I'm imagining my process to be...please tell me what
you think,
I'd love any advice! There are more questions within each step, too.

1) Rip out old caulk and vinyl. Keep plywood. (Ok to keep plywood?)

2) Cover ply with plastic vapor barrier. Is using Tyvek ok? I have lots
leftover from a home addition and would love to use it up. Should I attach
with staples? Is folding over the corners ok?

3) Deal with a flat "shelf" space that is about 4.5 ft up, across from
shower
nozzle. The water doesn't spray directly onto it, but it will have water
vapor
build up. Should I work to make it a slant?
3) Attach cement board. Cover gaps and seams with fiber mesh tape, using
thinset mortar.

4) Caulk cement board outer seams.

5) Tile using thinset mortar. Caulk outer seams. Grout. Seal.

Anything else?



Not only would it be a PITA to remove the vinyl tiles, it would be even
more difficult to removed the adhesive to give your a smooth surface.


That's a moot point as I would not recommend plywood anyway


https://www.familyhandyman.com/tilin...oard/view-all/

On 9/7/2017 8:14 AM, Colleen C wrote:
I'm digging into an old shower in our rental house

I assume this is one you are renting out, not living in.



1) Rip out old caulk and vinyl. Keep plywood. (Ok to keep plywood?)


It may be OK to keep, but check for water damage, of course.


2) Cover ply with plastic vapor barrier. Is using Tyvek ok? I have lots
leftover from a home addition and would love to use it up. Should I attach
with staples? Is folding over the corners ok?

Tyvek is not made for that. Poly sheeting is cheap enough,


3) Deal with a flat "shelf" space that is about 4.5 ft up, across from
shower
nozzle. The water doesn't spray directly onto it, but it will have water
vapor
build up. Should I work to make it a slant?

Is this like the foundation in a raised ranch? I'd build up the wall to
be flush. That is what my house is like and the shower is a straight
wall It would be nice to have a shelf in the shower but if not done
right, it is a source of leaks. If you can put a single piece of tile
rather than small tiles it may not be so bad. If you pitch it to drain
it would be useless as a shelf.

3) Attach cement board. Cover gaps and seams with fiber mesh tape, using
thinset mortar.

4) Caulk cement board outer seams.

5) Tile using thinset mortar. Caulk outer seams. Grout. Seal.



Epoxy grout. Cost more but eliminates a lot of potential problems. In
a rental the tenant may not be so good at cleaning and you can end up
with moldy grout when they move out and have a major repair. No sealing
needed. What outer seams are you caulking? I have no caulk in either
bathrooms.

On Thu, 7 Sep 2017 09:19:32 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On 9/7/2017 8:14 AM, Colleen C wrote:
I'm digging into an old shower in our rental house

I assume this is one you are renting out, not living in.



1) Rip out old caulk and vinyl. Keep plywood. (Ok to keep plywood?)


It may be OK to keep, but check for water damage, of course.


2) Cover ply with plastic vapor barrier. Is using Tyvek ok? I have lots
leftover from a home addition and would love to use it up. Should I attach
with staples? Is folding over the corners ok?

Tyvek is not made for that. Poly sheeting is cheap enough,


3) Deal with a flat "shelf" space that is about 4.5 ft up, across from
shower
nozzle. The water doesn't spray directly onto it, but it will have water
vapor
build up. Should I work to make it a slant?

Is this like the foundation in a raised ranch? I'd build up the wall to
be flush. That is what my house is like and the shower is a straight
wall It would be nice to have a shelf in the shower but if not done
right, it is a source of leaks. If you can put a single piece of tile
rather than small tiles it may not be so bad. If you pitch it to drain
it would be useless as a shelf.

3) Attach cement board. Cover gaps and seams with fiber mesh tape, using
thinset mortar.

4) Caulk cement board outer seams.

5) Tile using thinset mortar. Caulk outer seams. Grout. Seal.



Epoxy grout. Cost more but eliminates a lot of potential problems. In
a rental the tenant may not be so good at cleaning and you can end up
with moldy grout when they move out and have a major repair. No sealing
needed. What outer seams are you caulking? I have no caulk in either
bathrooms.

We have 2 horizontal surfaces in out shower, a low one used as a seat
and a wide window sill for a bay window. Both are pitched to drain but
they are still useful. You only need 1/4" per foot or so. We are
closer to 1/2". Just be sure the substrate is sealed well. Using
"flex" mortar works better than regular thinset. It has a high plastic
content and will not crack. I agree using heavy (6 mil) visqueen is
better than the Tyvek but you could use both since you already have
the Tyvek. Get some red tuck tape to seal the joints and cover the
staples. It is made for sealing visqueen.