Tub surround Waterproofing, I'm so confused

13 years ago

DH is tiling new tub surround. Tub has been in place since 1952 and walls are not all open and not all going to be opened up, so sheet poly behind board does not reach to floor, only to tub. He can't get behind and beside the tub with it to do a proper vapor barrier. It is stapled over most of the studs but open at top and bottom.

Board is Aqua Tough 1/2" fiber rock tile backer board.

We keep seeing Kerdi on TV watching Holmes on Homes but I keep reading that Kerdi would be more expensive than using Redgard or Hydroban especially for a tub surround not steam shower.

There are two niches. Kerdi seems like it would be a PITA.

Home Depot doesn't carry Redgard, Kerdi or Hydroban. No idea where to buy or which one to use and how much to buy. Price is a consideration for sure. DH is very handy, is a HVAC installer for a living. Has done tile but not a shower.

He is planning on using Ditra on the floor. They do carry Ditra.

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Comments (2)

MongoCT
13 years ago
The Aqua-Tough board is a tile-on board that supposedly has a waterproof facing. So the board face itself will be your water barrier. I'm not terribly familiar as I've never used it.

With the AquaTough being your membrane, the poly behind the board being in lousy shape actually works to your favor, as you only want one barrier in the wall system.

You'll probably need to detail/seal the panel seams and screw heads.

You could build the niche, detail the seams, then use a topical membrane like RedGard or Hydroban to waterproof the seams.

Covering the AquaTough with Kerdi would be a waste. It's a membrane over a membrane. Same with completely covering the AquaTough with a trowel-on membrane like RedGard or Hydroban. You could use RedGard of Hydroban to spot treat the AquaTough; at the screwheads, the panel seams, the niche seams.

But again, I'll defer to whatever the Aquatough installation literature says in terms of how the seams need to be treated.

RedGard is the least expensive of the three that you listed, and it's made by Custom. Home Depot carries Custom, so if they don't stock it they should be able to order it for you, or you could maybe order it online for an in-store pickup. I'm not sure how Home Depot works in that regard.

If I confused more than clarified, my apologies.
johnfrwhipple
13 years ago
Email

Michael Getzlaf canadian.mosaic@shaw.ca he will be able to tell you where to purchase Laticrete's Hydro Ban.

I love the convenience of the Box Outlets - but when it comes down to the best products and the right choice for my home and clients renovations I look at what the best people are using and follow suit. Red Guard is a great product with a great warranty - Hydro Ban in my opinion just goes on a little more smoothly. The olive colour is great for doing light layout work and the job site stay that much brighter. I need light and space to work. Often the job site is tight and as silly as this sounds I just like the colour better.

Michael can point you in the direction of their product and regardless of the route you take. Practice. Do a test box.
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