Your shower is the wettest place in your house. It is constantly exposed to moisture, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Roughly, the average amount of moisture a shower is exposed to annually translates to 2500 inches of rainfall. Therefore, to keep all that moisture from damaging your shower, ideally you need to waterproof it.
Why Waterproof My Shower Floor?
Waterproofing of tile shower floors is not optional if protecting the integrity of your house’s structure is a priority. Too much water exposure can lead to pooling of water inside the walls’ cavities. When that happens, molds sprout out making the indoor environment unhealthy and unsafe for occupancy. Besides, such a degree of structural damage can be extremely expensive to repair.
How do you install a waterproof membrane on your tile floor?
First off, there are two kinds of membranes, sheets and liquid. While you are free to use the membrane types, liquid membrane offers the best protection and longevity.
Installing a waterproofing membrane like the Laticrete 9235 waterproofing membrane is mostly free of hassles. With these polymers, you need no primer to prepare the ground for installation. These polymers also do not require users to pre-treat the seams with transitions along the walls and at the corners.
You can apply a liquid membrane at minimum hassles by slapping it on the floor. Alternately, you can brush, trowel, roll or spray it on the surface. Use professional tile installation tools to apply the Laticrete waterproof membrane.
When applying a waterproof membrane on a tile shower floor, you want to make sure that a continuous coat of polymer is applied. There should be no voids or gaps on the floor. So, for good measure, reapply the polymer once the first coat has dried out. The second coat is supposed to seal the floor completely.
Some users like to introduce ultra-thin strips of fiberglass mesh over the membrane to make the plane even and that there are no gaps. This ensures maximum performance for life.
Where Does the Membrane Go on the Tile Floor?
9235 consists both of liquids and fabric that are installed together to form the waterproofing barrier. Hydro Ban Liquid Waterproofing Membrane consists only of liquids that form the waterproofing barrier. The liquid membrane forms an impermeable layer between the outside and inside. The waterproofing barrier works through effective and irreversible adhesion. As long as the grout remains perfect, no amount of moisture can enter the floor cavity.
Another outstanding product from Laticrete, the Hydro Ban Liquid waterproofing membrane is used in steam rooms in gyms and spas to vapor-proof the floors. It is also effective in water-proofing community showers that are fully wet all day.
In addition to bathrooms, this product can also be used in swimming pools, laundries and such places which remain moist for most part of the day.
Looking for Laticrete waterproofing membranes near you? Visit Tile Pro Depot to check out the largest collection of tiling and stone installation products from Laticrete and other well-reviewed brands. The store offers guaranteed 2 days shipping to all locations in the Northeast.
