ATLANTA TILE INSTALLERS

Read our reviews on Atlanta tile installers

Common tile applications and problems — bathroom

Shower pans. The first step in a shower pan installation is to slope the floor toward the drain.  With a concrete subfloor, cement is used to build up the floor and create the slope.  Next, after the cement has set, a waterproof liner is installed.  Historically, the waterproof liner was constructed of lead.  Lead is very durable but may deteriorate and leak over time.  Today, a thick sheet of vinyl plastic serves as the waterproof liner.  Next, a cement, or "mud," bed is installed over the waterproof liner.  The mud bed is further sloped toward the drain.  Finally, tile is set on the surface of the mud bed, and the gaps between tiles are filled with grout.

Leaks are a common shower pan problem.  Vinyl is relatively easy to puncture before the mud bed is set, and holes in the vinyl lead to future leaks.  Unfortunately, it is relatively difficult to spot a hole in the vinyl liner.  Some workers do not exercise the care required to prevent such punctures.  Additionally, once the mud bed is in place, punctures in the vinyl are impossible to repair.

Since water seeps through cement, water actually enters the drain at two points.  Most of the water flows over the tiles and directly into the drain.  However, some water penetrates the grout and cement to the waterproof liner and follows the liner to specially designed weep holes in the drainpipe.

Next page >>>

 

Back to Atlanta tile installation main