DIY Network

Blog Cabin: Power Shower and Bathroom Vanity A log cabin with a luxury bath? You bet. DIY's Blog Cabin gets a high-end shower and vanity. From "Blog Cabin" episode DBLG-110

The "power shower" with rain shower head

In this installment of DIY's Blog Cabin, the cabin bathrooms get their finishing touches. The master bath gets the highly anticipated "power shower" with a natural tile surface.

Finishing up the bathroom phase on the cabin construction, the upstairs bathrooms are completed with the installation of the shower door and vanity.

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Power-shower nozzle, installed

Tiling the Shower

Materials:

tiles
mortar
grout
cement backing board (if tiling existing construction)
cardboard or other material to use for spacers

Tools:

wet saw (optional)
tile nippers
tile cutter
notch trowel
grout float
carpenter's levels
tape measure
rubber mallet
large sponge
marking pencil

For safety:

dust mask
safety glasses
rubber gloves

Figure A

Steps:

1. Prepare your surface for tiling. Our project is new construction, but if you are retiling a shower or tiling an existing shower for the first time you will need to gut the shower stall down to the studs. You may need to remove the shower pan and ceiling as well.

• Note: Make sure the surface onto which you plan to affix the tiles is strong because tile is heavy. Our shower has a cement backer (figure A)onto which we'll be laying the tiles.

Figure B
Figure C

2. Measure all surfaces of the shower that will be tiled for length and width (figures B and C). You'll need these measurements in order to determine how much tile, cement, and grout that you'll need. A paper drawing of the area to be tiled will help to determine the proper number of tiles and other materials needed. You will need graph paper and a pencil for that.

• Note: If you're tiling on existing construction, you'd need to put up a sturdy cement board backer over the studs.

3. Choose your tile. Tiles come in a wide variety of materials so decide which material will work best for your space, especially in terms of design and maintenance. Make sure you use tiles made for walls.

4. Decide on design and layout, and choose starting point. Measure up from the bottom of the backer board the height of a tile minus 1/2". This will give you a 1/2" overlap over the tile lip on your shower pan. Mark this with a sharpie and using a level, transfer the mark across the shower stall. This will be a guide for the top of the first row so that all tiles will be level.

5. Choose your setting material and prepare it. Mix enough thinset for the bottom row.

• Note: Follow the directions on the bag of thinset as to what type of trowel you will need.

	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

6. At your designated starting point, trowel on some thinset and spread it with a notched trowel (figure D). With the notched edge of the trowel, comb the material into ridges. Then set the tile into it by twisting slightly while pushing into the thinset. Remove the tile to make sure you have good coverage on the back. Reinstall and keep setting tiles (figure E) using spacers in between. Let the bottom row set for up to 24 hours.

• Pick out the right trowel for your thinset and tile size, also pay attention to spacing recommendations and use the right spacers.

• To achieve an even tiling job, use consistent measurements for the space between your tiles where the grout will go. This measurement may vary depending on what you prefer, but 1/8 inch is a good standard.

• Shim in some spacers between your tile rows (figure F). How many and where will vary depending on what kind of tile you're using, so find out what your tile manufacturer suggests.

• Since most adhesives set in 20 to 30 minutes, quickly wipe away any excess. With thinset mortar, use a sponge and water.

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