If you were Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
|
Posted by red on November 5, 2009, 5:50 pm
I'm re-doing a shower using an acrylic/fiberglass base. The
instructions say to put "mortar cement" under the base. Makes sense,
there were lumps of grey rock-like substance under the one I pulled
out. Problem is, I can't translate "mortar cement" into anything I
can buy at HD, etc.
My searches tell me to use the same mortar as laying bricks, or to NOT
use the same stuff, use regular concrete mix, use regular mix with
sand added, don't use regular mix as it will wreck the plastic, etc
etc etc.
I think I know less now than when I started.
Can somebody tell me what it should say on the bag at the building
center? Brand names are fine, if it isn't available around here at
least I can ask for equivalent product.
Thanks,
Red
|
|
Posted by EXT on November 5, 2009, 6:38 pm
> I'm re-doing a shower using an acrylic/fiberglass base. The
> instructions say to put "mortar cement" under the base. Makes sense,
> there were lumps of grey rock-like substance under the one I pulled
> out. Problem is, I can't translate "mortar cement" into anything I
> can buy at HD, etc.
> My searches tell me to use the same mortar as laying bricks, or to NOT
> use the same stuff, use regular concrete mix, use regular mix with
> sand added, don't use regular mix as it will wreck the plastic, etc
> etc etc.
> I think I know less now than when I started.
> Can somebody tell me what it should say on the bag at the building
> center? Brand names are fine, if it isn't available around here at
> least I can ask for equivalent product.
> Thanks,
> Red
You are looking for "Thin-set Mortar" and you will find it in the tile
section, as it is used to set tiles.
|
|
Posted by aemeijers on November 5, 2009, 7:17 pm
EXT wrote:
>> I'm re-doing a shower using an acrylic/fiberglass base. The
>> instructions say to put "mortar cement" under the base. Makes sense,
>> there were lumps of grey rock-like substance under the one I pulled
>> out. Problem is, I can't translate "mortar cement" into anything I
>> can buy at HD, etc.
>> My searches tell me to use the same mortar as laying bricks, or to NOT
>> use the same stuff, use regular concrete mix, use regular mix with
>> sand added, don't use regular mix as it will wreck the plastic, etc
>> etc etc.
>> I think I know less now than when I started.
>> Can somebody tell me what it should say on the bag at the building
>> center? Brand names are fine, if it isn't available around here at
>> least I can ask for equivalent product.
>> Thanks,
>> Red
>
> You are looking for "Thin-set Mortar" and you will find it in the tile
> section, as it is used to set tiles.
>
>
I'm no expert, but I think not. Thin-set is pretty runny. All the
mortar-bedded shower bases and plastic tubs I ever saw go in were bedded
in plain old mortar mix. You definitely don't want concrete, lest a
stone poking up worry its way through the shower base.
ISTR on TOH a year or two back, they showed people using gypcrete, and
even a plastic foam that set up rock hard, instead. It doesn't need that
much strength like a sidewalk would, it is just to keep the shower base
from flexing as people stand and move in it.
--
aem sends...
|
|
Posted by EXT on November 5, 2009, 9:39 pm
> EXT wrote:
> > > I'm re-doing a shower using an acrylic/fiberglass base. The
> > > instructions say to put "mortar cement" under the base. Makes
> > > sense, there were lumps of grey rock-like substance under the one
> > > I pulled out. Problem is, I can't translate "mortar cement" into
> > > anything I can buy at HD, etc.
> > > My searches tell me to use the same mortar as laying bricks, or
> > > to NOT use the same stuff, use regular concrete mix, use regular
> > > mix with sand added, don't use regular mix as it will wreck the
> > > plastic, etc etc etc.
> > > I think I know less now than when I started.
> > > Can somebody tell me what it should say on the bag at the building
> > > center? Brand names are fine, if it isn't available around here
> > > at least I can ask for equivalent product.
> > > Thanks,
> > > Red
> > You are looking for "Thin-set Mortar" and you will find it in the
> > tile section, as it is used to set tiles.
> I'm no expert, but I think not. Thin-set is pretty runny. All the
> mortar-bedded shower bases and plastic tubs I ever saw go in were
> bedded in plain old mortar mix. You definitely don't want concrete,
> lest a stone poking up worry its way through the shower base.
> ISTR on TOH a year or two back, they showed people using gypcrete, and
> even a plastic foam that set up rock hard, instead. It doesn't need
> that much strength like a sidewalk would, it is just to keep the
> shower base from flexing as people stand and move in it.
Thin-set is only as runny as you make it by adding too much water. To bed a
shower base, you need something that is soft enough to conform to the bottom
shape so that it supports the base completely when it hardens. There will
not be much room under the base, so this is where thinset comes in, as it
will harden and maintain its strength even in very thin layers. If a thick
bedding is needed, then masonry mortar "may" work
|
|
Posted by on November 5, 2009, 10:06 pm
wrote:
>EXT wrote:
>>> I'm re-doing a shower using an acrylic/fiberglass base. The
>>> instructions say to put "mortar cement" under the base. Makes sense,
>>> there were lumps of grey rock-like substance under the one I pulled
>>> out. Problem is, I can't translate "mortar cement" into anything I
>>> can buy at HD, etc.
>>> My searches tell me to use the same mortar as laying bricks, or to NOT
>>> use the same stuff, use regular concrete mix, use regular mix with
>>> sand added, don't use regular mix as it will wreck the plastic, etc
>>> etc etc.
>>> I think I know less now than when I started.
>>> Can somebody tell me what it should say on the bag at the building
>>> center? Brand names are fine, if it isn't available around here at
>>> least I can ask for equivalent product.
>>> Thanks,
>>> Red
>>
>> You are looking for "Thin-set Mortar" and you will find it in the tile
>> section, as it is used to set tiles.
>>
>>
>I'm no expert, but I think not. Thin-set is pretty runny. All the
>mortar-bedded shower bases and plastic tubs I ever saw go in were bedded
>in plain old mortar mix. You definitely don't want concrete, lest a
>stone poking up worry its way through the shower base.
I used thinset, mixed to a "low slump" consistancy and just "worked"
the base in.
>ISTR on TOH a year or two back, they showed people using gypcrete, and
>even a plastic foam that set up rock hard, instead. It doesn't need that
>much strength like a sidewalk would, it is just to keep the shower base
>from flexing as people stand and move in it.
|
| Similar Threads | Posted | | Can I tile over an acrylic shower pan? | February 16, 2007, 5:10 pm |
| Installing an acrylic shower in as new build | April 6, 2007, 12:10 pm |
| Installing grab bars in an acrylic shower | June 12, 2007, 8:41 am |
| Shower Base | November 1, 2009, 12:30 pm |
| Shower base support?? | October 5, 2005, 6:50 am |
| painting shower base? | January 22, 2006, 2:42 pm |
| Help with installing shower base | February 7, 2008, 8:49 pm |
| mosaic shower base in mosaic tiles | January 2, 2008, 9:05 pm |
| Oil base vs water base | June 24, 2006, 3:49 pm |
| Re: What is "Acrylic" Paint?` | June 12, 2005, 11:42 pm |
|
|
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap
> instructions say to put "mortar cement" under the base. Makes sense,
> there were lumps of grey rock-like substance under the one I pulled
> out. Problem is, I can't translate "mortar cement" into anything I
> can buy at HD, etc.
> My searches tell me to use the same mortar as laying bricks, or to NOT
> use the same stuff, use regular concrete mix, use regular mix with
> sand added, don't use regular mix as it will wreck the plastic, etc
> etc etc.
> I think I know less now than when I started.
> Can somebody tell me what it should say on the bag at the building
> center? Brand names are fine, if it isn't available around here at
> least I can ask for equivalent product.
> Thanks,
> Red