NO CURB dot com ( Linear Shower Drains and Barrier Free Bathrooms )

Installing an led light into a shower niche

2013-05-18T08:22:00.002-07:00

Lighting is best layered in my opinion and one of the best new layers to our bathroom lighting designs has been the incorporation of LED lighting. I have been using lights and lighting for over a decade here in Vancouver in all types of installs and set ups. I have learned many wonderful tips on installing LED lighting from some of Vancouver's top builders and designers.

What I took from these prior experience is the magical effect light has on a space and how much you enjoy that space when you use it.

I'm not an electrician nor do I claim to be. What I know well is how to build showers and what I have found is that with a little effort and smart design you can incorporate lighting into these shower builds with little effort and really little added material costs.

My three secrets to a successful install is

1). Have enough light and have lots of it

2). Diffuse the light so you do not see dots of light but rather an even glow

3). Have the ability to dim the light

You do not want your bathroom to look like a disco so these lights should be on their own circuit. This way you can enjoy the colour or added light when you want it and switch it off when you don't.

One of my most popular "Private Photo Albums" is the LED lighting one I have here. You will need to sign up to view the pictures and get the password. Currently there is over 400 pictures showing various construction photo's on my building process.

LED lighting is normally a 12 volt DC power supply. That said it's not a good idea to have any power in your shower so when we design our systems they are designed to be top lit or side lit.

Here is a look at various ways of using LED lighting in your home;

Bathroom Lighting Ideas - Designing with LED's

Our most recent projects are heavily lit with LED lighting. A great designer here in Vancouver is a man named Holger Hoo's - much of what we have learned was with the help of this design forward thinker. Check out his bathrooms here.

This is a great shot of a side lit shower niche. You might notice as well that we side lit the shower glass. All the play by play pictures are include in my "Private Ideabook". You can gain access to these pictures by following the links in the top right corner of this page.

JW

ANSI Shear Testing Procedures for thin-sets: Which is the best thin-set for your curbless shower?

2013-05-01T08:51:00.001-07:00

There are many tests quoted and sited online that reference ANSI this and ANSI that. What is the best for your next barrier free shower when planning a curbless shower build? This is a great question and one that is near impossible to have answered by anybody.

The problem as I see it is that the manufactures develop products and do their own testing. Then the ANSI needs to check that they fit the parameters of the different specifications. So you can pass or fail and of course we do not see the products that fail the tests.

So how can you test your own products? I'm developing a simple test that can be rigged up anywhere. All you need is scrap building materials, a C-Clamp, some rope and time. Is that old bag of thin-set gone bad? maybe - maybe not. This test should help answer a lot of questions I have on the pros and cons of many products designed to help us build our barrier free no curb showers.

I started this concept after promising my Ardex rep that I would test out his new Ditra Adhesive AF 207. I need to know how strong my installs are before testing the AF 207 or else I have no reference to compare the data.

I prepare my floors outside the showers one of two ways.

1). I used 1/2" concrete board over the plywood
2). I use Ditra to cover the plywood subfloor

Both systems have served me well over these past twelve years building bathrooms here in Vancouver.

So I decide to use one of my favourite thin-sets as the bench mark. I used Latcicrete's 254 Platinum thin-set to start of my testing. Here is a look at the data so far.

So far we have weighted the single common brick with over 750 pounds of water. Each can weighing in at over 150 pounds. Five cans all day.

One rope failed and we left the test yesterday with 600 pounds and in the morning it is still sitting pretty.

I will expand on the method and post my findings soon. For more info on this test check out Terry Love's plumbing forum.

http://www.terrylove.com/forums/showthread.php?51383-SpiderWeb-II-Review-of-Custom-Building-Products-new-Uncoupling-Mat

Laticrete's PermaColor Grout - Getting the water ratio just right with a digital scale and measuring cup

2013-04-20T06:52:00.001-07:00

After a long search we finally found the perfect colour for our latest shower project. The wall tiles are a large ceramic tile from Porceleonsa called Blanco Ono. The tile has an off white colour and is not yellow like almond but more an earthy tan colour. Finding the right grout colour was a chore.

Typically I have been using either Laticrete's Epoxy Grout (Shower floors Only for me) or Mapei's Ultra Colour Plus. I had not used Permacolor yet from Laticrete but when shopping at my supplier notice that the "Bright White" grout sample from Laticrete is more of an "Off White". We decided to try it out.

The colour match is outstanding. The grout looks so good with the tile.

You can see in this picture the grout getting installed. This grout will lighten and be almost a perfect colour match. We did find that the water portion labelled on the bag to be a little odd. When we mixed a small portion of grout we followed this process.

The bag said to use approximatetly 2 quarts or 1.9 Liters of water for the entire 25 pound bag. We find it easier to measure small lots in mL so we used 1.9L as 1900 mL and then took 10% of this and measured out 190mL to 2.5 pounds of powder. A 10% mix.

It is so important to test out these products before jumping in on a job. We found that this mix was far to loose and looser than any grout we have mixed to date. I got scared and called off the batch. We decided to go with a stiffer mix and used this formula instead.

We used 380 mL of water (20% of full bag mix) but raised the powder measurement up 20%. So instead of using 5pounds of powder for 20% we used 6 pounds of powder. I doubled the batch to make measuring more accurate. This way we could aim for a line on the measuring cup (380 mark) vs a half way distance between two marks.

380 mL of water we used to 6 pounds of powder

Notice we use de-mineralized water and my wife's kitchen scale for this process
Kelly loves this! Me using her scale....lol

These food scales are priceless and allow exact measuring.
Once the scale is calibrated it only measures the product and not the container.

Once we mixed this up we allowed it to slake for 5 minutes and then we re-spun the grout. Even with this altered formula the grout was a little to wet (loose) for my likening so we let is sit for another 10 minutes before applying. This was the winning mix for us. I found the grout excellent to spread and the consistency was great. This is a rapid setting grout so I worked quickly and continued to mix the remaining grout in the bucket. I could feel the mix getting stiffer and would recommend calculating enough grout for each wall. I did the three shower walls in two passes but next time would do it in three.

We managed to get two of the three shower walls grouted with this batch and then mixed a 10% batch for the final wall. To keep things the same we used 190 mL of water to 3 pounds of powder. Let it slake for 5 minutes then respun the grout. Then we let it stand for ten minutes before using. This happened while I was cleaning off the first two walls. Knowing it would take me a little time I had my apprentice jump on the second batch before I needed it.

Testing. Trying out. Mocking up. Three things that always come back to improve the end result of a project. Mapei's white grout is to white for this tile and not a good match. The Laticrete grout almost made just for this tile. Thanks to our due diligence we avoided a disaster on the job site. Always test your products before using them in your home!

If you would like more information on PermaColor Grout from Laticrete it can be found here.

http://www.laticrete.com/portals/0/datasheets/ds2500.pdf

This is a rapid setting grout and is a type of product we have a lot of experience with. Using rapid setting grouts can be tricky and I would not suggest them for a first time user. Grout is cheap. If you want to use a premium grout like this prepare a large sample board and do a small lot batch.

Here is a little peak at the first 10% batch we made up. You can see in the video how loose the mix is. Clearly here in Vancouver at this time of the year the water ratio was to high for this grout.

Getting the water ratio just right for

PermaColor Grout

The bucket is moving so you can get a feel

for the consistency in the original mix.

Test. Test. Test. It is the only way to be safe and ensure you do the best possible job. A grout sample board is one of the simplest safe guards for your new shower renovation. Skipping a sample board and skipping safe guards like these can only save your time and money. Get these steps wrong and you need to live with it forever. Or spend hundreds if not thousands more in repairs and "Do-Overs".

This was our first experience with Latecrete's PermaColor grout. We are huge fans of Latecrete and their products and I'm sure with a few more installations only improve on the grouting process. I did not wait as long as I should I think on the last wall.

Look closely at this photo and you can see how a hair of the grout got raked away in the cleaning process.

I went back yesterday and worked a little off the clock to fix this. As far as colour matching the "Bright White" is not white. It's off white and a perfect match for this tile.

Here are a few close ups of the miter and the grout colour alongside the tile choice;

Outside corner - mitered edge

Here you can see the glass coming right out of the tile
We used Ardex 8+9 to darken the edges of the tile prior to silicone

What a killer colour match!

If your looking for more grouting tips on Laticrete's products you can sign up for my private photo albums.

JW

Using A Kerdi Board Niche in your new barrier free shower - Good Idea? or Not?

2013-04-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

Building a barrier free shower is a very detailed procedure. If you have decided to use Schluter System's waterproofing products you may be enticed into purchasing one of their ready made or pre-fabricated Kerdi Board Shower Niches.

I viewed them yesterday for the first time and like my review of Kerdi Board think they suffer from poor design and are far to over priced for what you get.

I went out to Ames Bros in Burnaby to purchase a small lot of uncoupling membrane for a new series of test yesterday and stumbled upon Schluter System's new shower niche's on display. The shower niches are made from Kerdi Board and what looks like a type of silicone. I was surprised to see that Schluter did not think to design a slope into the niche. I think this is a huge oversight but something that can easily be fixed.

Just in case I was mistaken I used my wife's Air Miles Card to check to see if the niche had a slope.

Here is a recent Idea Book of mine on Houzz that offers up a few more pictures;

This is a view looking into the Kerdi Board Niche
Notice the Air Miles card makes contact fully on the side and bottom

One of the other draw backs for this new prefabricated shower niche is the use of some kind of silicone product (looks like) to build them. The face edge is a mitered corner and the install sheets do not show wrapping this with Kerdi. Again I think this is a mistake and I would strongly recommend anyone using this niche to add in a sloped bottom and wrap Kerdi from the face of the shower into the niche to seal this corner.

This is another type of ready made niche. A much better design.
Notice the bottom is sloped.

No slope on the Kerdi Board Niche.

This is a custom niche I made. I used Kerdi Fix and Kerdi Corners for the waterproofing
with some Ardex 8+9 as well. This niche is custom sized and has a slope below
the bottom tile. Not to much effort in making them from scratch.

Click the left and right arrows in the lower left corner of this picture to see more shots on my Houzz Idea Book

To Uncouple or not to uncouple? - A closer look at using an uncoupling membrane on your next no curb shower

2013-04-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

I have never liked the term uncoupling membrane and think the concept is a little bit of a stretch. What I can tell you is that over the past 12 years of installing Ditra we have never once had a failure and this is why we started using it in the first place.

I remember reading an article in Fine Home Building about 12 years ago and a builder back East in New York referenced the drop in call backs he has realized since switching to Ditra for his tile underlayment preparation. That struck a cord with me and I have been using Ditra on many of my installations (nearly all) ever since.

I have a bitter sweet thing going on with Schluter and for years blasted this company over silly standards and many times crappy advice (my opinion). Just of late I have switched to using tile setting products from Ardex and since then been able to go back to using more of Schluter's products with my shower builds.

The key to me is in the bonding of the tile to the floor or to the waterproofing. I'm a huge fan of working with modified thinsets and sadly Ditra (by Schluter) does not endorse this practice. Here in lies my beef with the company. That's a long story and I'll save it for another day. What I do find interesting is that Ardex has come up with a better warranty and includes the use of Ditra and Kerdi in their installations. This I find fantastic.

So as I see it there is two ways of installing Ditra and you need to pick one. Ditra has a new competitor out and the product is called SpiderWeb II.

SpiderWeb II Video Slideshow

I loved SpiderWeb and am not sure why they changed it. Take a look at this ideabook of mine on Houzz and you can get a better idea of what SpiderWeb I & II look like.

SpiderWeb II - Uncoupling Mat

Houzz- Kitchen, Bathroom and More »

Find Home Improvement Professionals- For Example:

Manchester Nh Contractor · Calgary Contractor · St Louis Contractor · Brisbane Contractor · Dublin Contractor · Las Vegas Contractor · Seattle Contractor · San Francisco Contractor ·

Tomorrow I'll do a new Ideabook for Ditra. Then we can discuss the Pros and Cons of each.

Update April 24, 2013

So yesterday we started the testing of Spider Web 2 vs Ditra and Noble Seal TS

I have uploaded a ton of pictures over on Terry Love's plumbing forum.

You can see them here.

Homeowner's Workbook: Planning Your Shower Renovation

2013-04-06T12:51:00.002-07:00

Planning a shower renovation is a detailed job and there is lots to learn first. Do you understand how to properly build a shower? Are you aware of the local building codes in your city? If the answers to these questions are no and no then this is your first step. You must understand local building codes and how to properly build a shower before you can can start ripping things out.

Here is a Work Sheet to follow.

Step One:

Contact city hall and find out what permits will be needed and what is required for inspections.

Step Two:

Visit your public library, take a look at the building code references. Arm yourself with the basic information you need to build a code approved shower.

Step Three:

Read through these five steps I have outlined on Houzz.com

Convert Your Tub Space to a Shower — the Planning Phase

Houzz- Kitchen Ideas, Bathroom Ideas and More »

Find Home Improvement Professionals- For Example:

San Francisco Interior Designer · Manchester Nh Interior Designer · Perth Interior Designer · Tampa Interior Designer · Amsterdam Interior Designer · Boston Interior Designer · Bristol Interior Designer · Melbourne Interior Designer ·

Convert Your Tub Space to a Shower — the Fixtures-Shopping Phase

Houzz- Kitchen Ideas, Bathroom Ideas and More »

Browse Bath Products on Houzz- For Example:

Bath Mats · Bathroom Countertops · Bathroom Mirrors · Bathroom Sinks · Bathroom Tile · Bathroom Vanities And Sink Consoles · Bathtubs · Shower Caddies ·

Convert Your Tub Space Into a Shower — the Tiling and Grouting Phase

Houzz- Kitchen, Bathroom and More »

Interior Design and Decor- For Example:

Landscaping Designs · Home Office Designs · Basement Designs · Storage & Closets Designs · Patio Designs · Dining Room Designs · Living Room Designs · Laundry Room Designs ·

Convert Your Tub Space Into a Shower — Waterproofing and Drainage

Houzz- Kitchen, Bathroom and More »

Interiors and Decorating ideas- For Example:

Laundry Room Pictures · Garage & Shed Pictures · Kids Pictures · Staircase Pictures · Patio Pictures · Basement Pictures · Kitchen Pictures · Gym Pictures ·

Convert Your Tub Space Into a Shower — Choosing Accessories

Houzz- Kitchen Designs, Bathroom Designs and More »

Interior Design and Decor- For Example:

Patio Design Ideas · Kitchen Design Ideas · Dining Room Design Ideas · Kids Design Ideas · Staircase Design Ideas · Storage & Closets Design Ideas · Basement Design Ideas · Wine Cellar Design Ideas ·

Where to purchase Ardex 8+9 in Canada - Pricing and Shipping Rates

2013-04-04T07:27:00.001-07:00

This past month two of my clients in Canada have fell victim to paying full retail pricing for their Ardex 8+9 waterproofing. The first in Ontario and the second in Quebec. I am going to try and set up an account in each Province and major city I think to help reduce the price gouging that is going on. Here in Vancouver I pay $70.00 for a unit of Ardex 8+9.

My client in Ontario was charged over $100.00 for the same thing and my client in Quebec was quoted $125.00. I'm thinking I can ship these items from Vancouver cheaper than that. Lets see.

I'm going to pick up a unit of 8+9 and get it checked into Canada Post and find out what the delivery rates will be. My gut guess is that shipping from Vancouver will be about $25.00. If I charge a $18.00 handling fee (15 minutes on the clock) I could have this product in my clients hands in less than a week for less than he was quoted in his own Province.

Lets see. Off to the store as we speak!

JW

So I picked up a new unit of Ardex 8+9 yesterday and paid a total of $85.00. Seams pricing went up. To ship this unit to my client in Quebec will cost roughly $30.00. I think I'll bundle up the box with some Ardex SK25 Mesh and a little Mapeband and add some value to the purchase.

I reached out to the Brass at Ardex and got a new lead on a supplier and perhaps they will be easier on the pricing. Will see which option is best for my client. If you have purchased Ardex 8+9 I would love to know what store you buy it at. Would be good to start a retail location list here.

JW

So my client got back to me and the new location that was recommend to us from Ardex is much fairer with their pricing. Looks like my client will pay what I pay out here in B.C. Lets see if it is indeeed true before sharing their contact details.

JW

Choosing the best grout for your no curb, barrier free shower

2013-04-01T08:24:00.002-07:00

I'm a firm believer in never grouting a tile project without first testing the grout and showing the client.

No-curb shower with Laticrete Spectra-Lock Pro Grout

Epoxy Grout.
Trench Drain (Katwyk Style)

This is such an important step it should in fact be done well before the installation of the backer board and if you're really picky before even the plumber shows up. There are many reasons for this and I'll cover some of the thought process we use to design and build our custom showers.

All tile is different. Different textures, different edge details, different thickness and on and on. Grout can act differently with these various tile choices. Until you see a grout sample board you are hoping the colour on the bag or the colour on the grout wheel is in fact the colour it should be, or will be once grouted. So many times it's not.

Your installer might like using more water at clean up time - this can lighten a grout colour.
Your tile might have an eased edge - this can make the grout joint look twice the size once grouted.
You might like a rough looking grout joint - your installer might take great care making it smooth.
Your grout might scratch the tile

Here is a look at three grout sample boards we recently prepared for our clients to sign off on. As it turns out I didn't like any of them, but more importantly neither did my clients! Back to the drawing board, or should I say back to the grout board....

You can see here these sample boards do not need to be very fancy.

Two prepared on a scrap of backer board and one on plywood. The trick is to keep the factory edges in the center and to use the desired grout spacing.

This "Raven" grout from Laticrete is one of my favourites.

I told my client it would be perfect - I was wrong. It's to dark. I picked up the lighter grey colour and will make a new test board. If this colour is to light I might blend the two powders and make a custom colour.

A little to dark I think.

The lady of the house wants more of a colour match. Light grey is my favourite colour and if this my shower I would use this grout. But it's not and she does not like it. I'm going to try Laticrete's white grout since it is a little off white it might be a better match.

To yellow. I hate it.

I have not kept track of the rejection rate of my grout boards with clients but would have to say it is easily 1-5 people hate the mock up or grout test board. That is a pretty high number to leave it to chance. If your looking for perfection make sure you always prepare a grout sample board.

When choosing a grout colour remember that grout comes in many different grades of quality and different kinds of material. There is Epoxy grout (like the "Raven" above), Cementious grout (like the other three pictures show) and Urethane Grout (hate the stuff and will never use it again).

The best grout is hard to find. Todate I have two favourites for my projects. The first is the Spectralock Pro Grout from Laticrete and the second Ultra Colour Plus from Mapei. Both of these grouts can be tricky to work with and I'll be posting a few installation pointers once we grout this current project.

When preparing a grout sample board with epoxy grout the measuring process needs to be spot on. The best way to do this is to use a digital scale to get measurements exactly right. Just eyeballing it is not enough, you risk making an improper mix and then once actually grouting having a different result.

Here in the picture below you can see us using a food scale (digital) to measure a small batch up.

Mixing small batches of epoxy grout - measure with a scale!

Before any grout is installed in your new barrier free shower a proper grout prep needs to be done. This can take minutes of hours depending on the level of detail you want to achieve. An epoxy grout is almost waterproof. To utilize it's maximum potential it needs to make contact with the edges of the tile - 100%. Removing thin-set residue from the sides of the tile critical to a good job.

Not ready for grouting

Above you can see the floor tile. This floor is not ready for grouting since we have yet to do the grout prep. A few hours later and you could have licked the edges of these tiles. We carefully used a razor blade to remove most of the residue from the edges and then we used a scrub pad to finish up.

Cleaning tile for grout prep

Look at the difference in the two pictures. You should have at the very least the same depth as the width of the grout joint prepped and clean. If the tile has dust, debris and thin-set on the sides you will not get a good bond and risk effloresence leaking out through this area.

This was a large bathroom and me and my apprentice took a good 3 hours just prepping for grout. Because the tile has a lot of texture we needed to do a mild acid wash as well to remove the thin-set haze from the tile. This we did a day before the grout prep and two days before grouting. Lots can go wrong with this step and I'll cover acid washing in a later story.

No Curb Shower with Epoxy Grout

We used a colour matched silicone at the transition and not grout here.

Almost a perfect colour match with this tile

Once you have grouted a shower with Epoxy grout you need to do a very good clean. Laticrete includes two cleaning packages with their epoxy grout and the chemical included is wonderful for removing the shinny film epoxy grout can leave behind. Once we grout a shower floor we ask our clients to stay off them for two days. If a little residue is left behind we find that it can be removed by soaking the area with the final wash. To keep the cleaner put we dip paper towels in the cleaning solution and place it over the area.

Removing shinny residue from Epoxy grout from tile

Here you can see my paper towel (blue paper towel - shop rag). I missed the final wash around the tub filler and caught it on the final check. I left this paper towel in position for about ten minutes and then buffed it with my white scrub pad. I needed to repeat this four times and in the end removed the shinny spot. If your installer is not used to using an epoxy grout you can really screw up an install. Always ask for referrals and check them out. Always get a sample board.

One test or sample board is worth a thousand expert opinions. The proof is in the pudding - ask for a mock up. If you skip this step and are not pleased with the look you may never fully enjoy your new space. Don't risk that!

If anyone has a specific question on grouting or choosing a grout please email me at sales@no-curb.com and I'll do my best to answer your question when I post the installation pictures.

JW

UPDATE April 13, 2013

We didn't like any of the last test boards so we set up another series. Four new samples. When the clients got home for work they where leaning to the "Dusty Gray" for the floor grout and the "Bright White" for the wall tile.

On the top and left we tried some "Dusty Gray"
Lower and right is a blend of 50% Dusty Gray and 50% Raven
This picture taken after only one hour of drying.

Laticrete PermaColour "Bright White"

This grout is not really bright white and is looking like the winner.

This is a blend of 50% Almond and 50% Gray
Mapei Ultra Colour Plus

Update:

We found finally the perfect grout colours. For the wall tile the Laticrete "Bright White" was almost bang on.

For the floors a custom mix of 1 part Raven to to 9 parts Dusty Gray was fantastic.

9 parts Dusty Gray
1 Part Raven

This is a custom blend and a great Gray Coloured Grout

Mitered Corner with Epoxy Grout

Fast Curbless Shower - How fast is fast?

2013-03-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

How fast can you install a linear shower drain? How fast can you build a curbless shower? Two great questions.

Linear Drain Curbless - Fast Track Program

Most likely if your searching for speed - you are in a pickle or can not stand the renovation process. Many people only have one shower so shutting things down can be hard.

I learned a new trick the other day on Terry Love's Plumbing Forum that I think is brilliant. The builder is installing a temporary tub and shower in the clients basement. Built simply on blocks this temporary shower or tub can allow the builder the time needed to build the job upstairs right.

Genius Idea! I wish I though of it.... JW

And to answer the question of how fast can you install a curbless shower I think the answer is one day. This of course assumes you do not plan to follow any recommendation guidelines or have any kind of flood testing. Can be done easily. Good idea? Not.

This is a curbless shower we worked hard on.
Hard to build something like this on a tight timeline.

Converting central drain to linear drain in shower

2013-02-28T17:08:00.000-08:00

Often converting a central drain to a linear drain is simpilar than you think.

The linear shower drain from ACO can be installed over any traditional three piece clamping drain or cUPC approved drain and waterproofing system. The Plain Edge drain from ACO fits like an oversized strainer and allows the tile setter to prepare a one way slope.

Sized to fit popular tile sizes the ACO drain is a perfect fit for your old fashioned drain.

Take away your drains responsibility as being in fact the primary shower drain frees you up for some creativity. We salvaged this drain from the garbage pile and gave it a Chromotherapy Make Over. What do you think? I love it.

Linear Drain with colour changing lights.

John Whipple's - Photo Bucket Albums (Index)

2013-02-25T13:21:00.001-08:00

A "Password" is required to view these Albums. If you have any questions on the pictures inside these albums please ask.

LED Lighting Installations

LED Lighting

From side lights, down lights and up-lights we have tried so many combo's over

the years. Here is a look at how I light up these spaces with LED lighting.

Light up mirrors, niches and linear drains...

LED Lighting Installations

There are over 350 pictures in this one photo album. We just started a new light up mirror for my daughters bathroom and all the play by play pictures are up right now.

Epoxy Grout - Installing SpectraLock Pro Grout from Laticrete

Our latest album covers some of my recommendations for Epoxy Grout installations

Installing a tub with a mortar bed

Installing a Quick Drain USA

linear shower drain

I've installed dozens of Proline Drains. Here is a look at all of them.

Subfloor upgrades and deflection issues are the biggest concerns with this type of drain.

Installing a Quick Drain USA linear drain (Proline)

Noble Seal TS

The King of all waterproofing membranes

Noble Seal TS - Photo Album

"Sign up for the photo albums here"

how to build a shower with no dam

2013-02-24T09:09:00.000-08:00

Index List of John Whipple's "Idea Books" on Houzz.com

2013-02-24T07:41:00.004-08:00

These links will not work unless you have signed up for my Private Access. I'm going to try and organize the Idea Books to cover a specific subject in more detail.

Some random links. If you can not view the links please forward me your Houzz Account info or the email address you use for Houzz. If your Pay Pal email address and your Houzz email address are different I might have the wrong email address loaded for you.

INDEX LIST

Installing Glowing Glass Shelves - Private Ideabook

How I frame for a no curb shower - Private Ideabook

"The Idiot Test" Checking and testing your tile setting materials- Private Ideabook

Hiring a Bathroom Renovator - top questions to ask before hiring one! - Open Ideabook

My Design considerations for Tiling a "No Curb Shower " - Private Idea book

How I clean my Quick Drain USA linear shower drains - Private Ideabook

Electric Floor Heat Installation Pictures - Private Ideabook

What to learn how I built this Chromotherapy Mirror?

It will be one of the Idea Books coming up next week. I documented the process and built this mirror with no special order items. A french cleat to install. Easy as pie.

Can't view the Idea Books? Do you want to? Sign up now!

Red Shower Lighting

2013-02-23T19:43:00.002-08:00

Red is a hard colour to get right with LED lighting. I think this install has our best colour to date.

What do you think of the red shower lighting?

This ain't your Grandma's barrier free shower! But it could be.

An ACO Lighting kit is an easy way to change the look of your linear shower drain.

An install in Italy.

no curb shower drain

2013-02-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

waterproofing laundry room floor

2013-02-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

International Plumbing Council ( IPC ) Shower drain seepage entrance

2013-02-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

The ICC has some international plumbing code listed on shower construction here on their website

Section

417.5.2 Shower lining.

417.5.2.1 PVC sheets

417.5.2.5 Sheet-applied, load-bearing, bonded, waterproof membranes

312.9 Shower liner test.

I believe these requirements are a little on the easy side. As for barrier free showers we like to bring the waterproofing membrane topically up the walls 6". I have measured water wicking 3+ inches and I feel a 6" height is much better.

I agree with the liner thickness requirement of 40mil. Do not cheap out here and go with a thin 30mil option. Noble Company is making the best products here.

A flood test should be preformed for a period of time for 24-72 hours. Not 15 minutes.

Code for showers without curb

2013-02-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

Who here is looking for the "Code on building Shower's with no curbs?"

It is a subject that discussed a load of times from people online with no experience in building them. I struggled trying to learn the codes years back. I wasted many hours looking for code references which where no where to be found.

In the US there is the IRC and in it there is a mention of curb heights. The IRC is not followed by many states and does not regulate most of Canada or the U.S.

In fact there is very little code on shower construction. Many times inspectors just want to see it holds water and does not leak. Make sure you flood test your showers!

If your building a shower with no curb the chance are you have modified your home's framing or structure. No here you have codes to follow and if your smart these changes are outlined by a structural engineer.

If your shower has no curb then you may also need to get your electrical inspector involved in the planning so no mistakes are built there.

But don't take some ya-who's posting no matter how many times it is repeated as gosbel. Go ask your local city inspector. The fact that so many people are afraid to do this boggles my mind. The inspectors are so easy to work with, so easy to talk with and such a wealth of information.

JW

How I waterproof sheet rock. Ardex 8+9 waterproofing or Kerdi

2013-02-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

There are many crazy recommendations manufactures make. The two most foolish are made by Schluter and Ardex. Both company's recommend that their products can be used over Dry Wall. Schluter by far the worse and actually recommending it verbally over the phone when you contact their technical support lines.

Can it be used? Sadly yes. Why? Because they say so! This is world we live in. Our city inspectors are just a basic safety net for us and our building projects. The inspection process not much more than a "Did you follow the manufactures recommendations?"

So lets say you want to use drywall and you don't care what I think. What the TTMAC thinks. What the dry wall industry thinks. Or what the TCNA thinks. Cause you know better and you trust the people selling you the material to have your best interest at heart.

While watching this video remember that if you simply switch out cement board for drywall then me, the TTMAC, the dry wall industry and the TCNA will all be happy.

ARDEX 8+9 Over Dry Wall

Kerdi over Dry Wall

If I had to choose between one of these two systems I would use the Ardex 8+9 simply for the fact that it is quicker and easier to use. Both systems are comical in their approach and a cement board is by far the better option.

Tiling a shower with a linear drain.

2013-02-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

There is more to tiling a shower than just sticking tiles on the floor and wall with thin-set. There are many factors that need to be considered.

We always like to define the wet space and the dry space. Many times this is easy when there is a shower curb but in a wet room it is harder to work out.

When you factor in a linear shower drain you need to be even more careful with the planning stages.

Some of the linear shower drains are primary shower drains which means they need to be installed early and then flood tested before proceeding. Other drains work with a clamping drain and can be installed much later in the renovation.

Even the weather can play a roll in selecting your linear drain.

Lets assume you have your drain installed and it is flood tested. Lets assume the weather is perfect for tiling.

Going forward you will want ensure your tile shower floor has a slope of at least 2% and no more than 4%. That equates to a 1/4" per foot (2%) - 1/2" per foot (4%).

Your tile needs to be approved by the manufacturer for showers and should not be attached to any mesh sheet. You will need 95% coverage from the thin-set to the tile and to your substrate and waterproofing with 100% in the corners and edges. This means if you can see the waterproofing material or backer board your tile installation is most likely wrong.

Thin-set is just that. Thin setting material. If you have tile 3/4" of the floor and you are using a 3/8" tile then your install is wrong. Standard tile should never be set with thin-set more than 5/8" off of the substrate. (3/8" tile + 1/4" thin-set = 5/8" build up).

I'll dig up some more pictures on this subject and post a few graphics to help.

JW

How I convert a floor drain into a shower drain.

2013-02-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

Chances are if your planning to covert your floor drain into a shower drain your doing a little renovating. This can be easy or this can be a Jerry Rig. Most floor drains do not have a clamping collar to allow switching the drain from an emergency floor drain into a shower floor drain that will see constant use.

It most likely will be easier to cut out the old drain and install a new shower drain onto the vertical section of drain pipe above the P-Trap. I would be inspecting and cleaning the old drain line (floor drain line) before I start building a new shower for a client. I get my plumbers to snake these lines and do a flow test to ensure the lines are draining properly. Many times we just pull up and redo all the work if we do not know for sure the lines are perfect.

I like using a pipe shooter or my Dremal for lowering these pipe elevations. I take care to ensure I do not damage to old drain lines. Some relief holes drilled near the work can help break away a little mortar with out stressing the pipes. I never strike or blow my demo work towards the pipes. Always away.

How not to build a trench drain - A messed up Kerdi Trench Drain installation

2013-02-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

Once again I received a call from someone in need of a drain specialist. I was brought out to look at an install which sadly was a repair to the original failure. I believe the grill or strainer is from an Infinity Drain but I'm not positive. The original shower was a dream and sold the couple on the Vancouver Condo.

Once the new couple moved in it was not long before they could see water damage in the ceiling below the shower. A contractor was brought in to fix it and a couple thousand dollars later this is what they have. A total Shit Show.

This is how not to install a linear drain or build a trench drain.

I believe this is an Infinity Grill but I'm not sure 100%

You can see a Kerdi Drain in the trench. Covered with some kind of resin sand mix.

This grill looks so bad. I'd never install this in my home.

The client wanted full slab and not this custom mess!

We are going to rip it out and install a new ACO linear drain in it's place.

And get the floor done in slab material, some slate or a composite slab.

What where they thinking?

The sad part of this whole job is now the client is "Jaded" she got burned, not once but twice. All in less than a year. I could sense this and even went so far as to mention it. I'm one of the good guys I told her. I promised her it would work perfect and that she would not be screwed again for the third time. It's sad when a couple bad trades can make all of us look like crooks.....

Not only am I going to fix this shower I'm going to try and get her the slab for free. I'm sure one of my suppliers would like to step up to the plate and gain some great online exposure. I have a couple in mind. Hopefully if I can pull this off we will come in under budget and she will get the bathroom of her dreams back - but better.

What can we learn from this? What can you learn from this? As a homeowner, builder, client, designer you need to start specify jobs properly. Included lines like this in your contracts and emails.

"All work to meet or exceed current TTMAC specification guidelines."

"All work to meet or exceed current TCNA specification guidelines."

And don't stop there. Quote the page number and specify that you want the waterproofing membranes used - often they are listed as optional.

Do your homework.

Your installer should have 5 years experience in this kind of installation. I've installed dozens of lienar shower drains. I bet this fellow had never held one before who built the shower above.

JW

Lighting your shower glass with LED lights

2013-02-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

I've been studying Chromotheraphy ever since I viewed my first ACO shower drain with built in lighting. After a couple years of study I have come to the conclusion that everyone loves a little colour in their life.

We are building a special bathroom out in Coquitlam that will showcase a lot of options you have when designing a shower.

Here is a teaser.

This is a direct view look at a 1/2" (12mm) frameless glass panel. The glass measures 48" wide and is lit against the side.

It's a pretty cool affect. Cooler still that the tub, shower niche, toilet paper niche and electric mirror all cycle together as a team.

Here is what it looks like looking out from the back 40 back in.

This has been a really special project and I can not wait to see the look on the owner's wife's face when she sees it for the first time. The lady of the house has not seen the lights on and has no idea they are there! LOL

Love it.

JW

What are the pros & cons of linear drains?

2013-02-09T15:16:00.003-08:00

Ever wonder what the Pros and Cons of a linear shower drain are? Are you undecided about these new linear style drains? Personally, I love the linear drain and think they take an everyday shower and turn it into something special. But there are many draw backs to this new style drain. Here is my take on the Pros vs Cons regarding linear shower drains

Pros:

Easy installation of large format tile
Many different finishes and grill designs
Safer floors for wheel chair users
Less grout to clean
Lighting options for added sparkle
Higher flow rates many times
Harder to block the drain opening if you fall or the kids stand on your current drain

Cons:

More expensive
Slip hazards - less traction in shower
Harder to install
Larger learning curve for both tile installer and plumber
More surface area to clean
Shows more soap scum and shower filth
Chance that they will be installed wrong

Trying to install large format tile tile with a regular shower is a challenge. Not impossible but not easy. The linear drain makes this much easier because the drain is longer and can go many times from wall to wall or wall to curb. This is a huge advantage when planning a shower with large format tile. That said - larger tile can be much more dangerous since there is often far less traction underfoot. Finding the right tile is essential before purchasing a linear shower drain. Bring a sample home and test it. Find out if it's rated for shower use. Stay safe and pick a good tile with great traction under foot.

Most times people where never even asked about the drain. Often a $80,000 bathroom equipped with a $20.00 drain. Most plumbers include this $20.00 drain in their quote. Nicer drains are availbel and the design possibilities endless.

A barrier free shower with a one way slope is very safe for a wheel chair user or someone using a walker, Stools and benches do not rock on a one way slope floor - they can and can badly in a traditional shower build. If your shower has multiple spray heads many of these linear drains out perform a standard 2" drain. Some can come with multiple outlets for even more flow and safer showers.

My kids loved to block the shower drain in our last home. This was a nightly game where my little one would sit on it to make a "Pool" for her pony's and barbies. Your kids will not be able to do this with a larger drain. This can be a Pro or a Con - I guess depending on your age.

The linear drains from ACO have a LED light kit which can assist those with vision issues keep their bearings in a steamy shower. And they just look great!

That said the drains do have many cons. They are harder to clean because they are larger, with a larger surface area. Look for a drain that is easy to clean. Quartz by ACO the best in class here.

Make sure your tile crew and plumber are expierence in these types of linear drains. I'm seeing a large spike in failed installations and looked at a few last year. I notice people searching these terms on my blog site and I think we are at the beginning of a spike in awareness. There is a larger learning curve in installing these drains and if you want perfection your plumber might need to use fractions on his tape measure.... Sometimes this does go over well! LOL

With careful planning you can get a brilliant install and a designer look. Hire a pro. Do your homework and flood test every shower before letting your tile crew lay a single tile.

One test is worth a thousand expert opinions!!!

Schluter Systems Kerdi Drain and Kerdi Line Drain

2013-02-09T11:56:00.002-08:00

If you live in Canada and in particular here in Vancouver, B.C. you might be searching for a good deal on a Schluter Kerdi Drain. I can sell you one and offer you up a selection of similar products. I still have a few Kerdi Drains in stock.

I'm very fond of the new Kerdi DS (European Kerdi) that is now for sale in Canada. If you would like a product sample please send me an email to sales@no-curb.com. The Kerdi DS would be a great option for your Kerdi Line drain install or your ACO flanged drain installation - espicially if it was a steam shower renovation.

I'm selling my remaining stock of Kerdi Drains for $115.00 each + taxes and shipping. Most locations in Vancouver, Burnaby, West Vancouver, New West, Surrey and Burnaby sell this drain for $130.00. If you live close to one of my job sites I can drop it off no charge or you can swing by and get it from me.

My price includes a 2" test plug for flood testing. Make sure you test these showers!!!

I have built many wonderful showers with this Kerdi Drain here in Vancouver. The drain can be used to build a steam shower or regular shower. I have used the flange portion to prepare showers for linear shower drains (Quartz by ACO) and even used a Kerdi drain for ventilation!

I'll post a few more shots here for you in the coming weeks. Currently the box stores sell these drains for around $130.00 and that does not include a test plug, taxes or shipping.

If you require shipping please email or call and I'll work out a price.

Discounts are available for purchases of ten or more.

For more information on the New Kerdi Line drain follow this link. If you want a Kerdi Line drain I suggest you contact Ames Bros or Fontile here in Vancouver. I have made the switch to Quartz by ACO after a few years of installations. Kerdi DS and the original Kerdi Drain are still products I like and use and just might be the perfect fit for your renovation.

For more information on the ACO drains please follow this link. The ACO drain is easily installed with a Kerdi water and vapour proofing system and a much easier drain to clean in my opinion.

Quartz by ACO

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