Traditional tile shower pan has multiple layers:
tiles (top most layer) mud job, also sloped waterproof membrane connected to subdrain a presloped floor (bottom most layer)
I read that a new technique is
tiles (top most layer) bondable waterproof membrane mud job, sloped (bottom most layer)
The purported advantage of the new method is less work, and the mortar bed do not get soaked in water constantly.
Setting tiles on a membrane sounds kind of scary. Is it proven to work well?
I used this "new" technique in our own shower (a large 6'x6' double shower area). I used a membrane called "Schluter Kerdi" and their proprietary drain system. I found it to be easy to work with, and really liked the idea of keeping water out of the mortar bed. It conforms to odd shaped showers easily, and is easy to repair if you accidently puncture it. It's a bit more expensive, but you can save a lot of labor with it (one mud bed instead of two).
It's actually a fairly rugged membrane, so floating thinset over the top to install the tile was no problem.
I was rather skeptical when I decided to try it, but am now a firm believer in the system and can highly recommend it.
You can find a lot more information about the system on the John Bridge Tile Forum. Lot's of great guys/gals and helpful advice there...
Take care,
Anthony
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