Just wondering if its ok to put Durock directly over drywall? It would make the job a lot faster and less messy, but just not sure if its ok to do that or not? Anyone have any thoughts or? I always appreciate any advice I get here, so thank you in advance. I plan to just trim out the edge where it will project from the wall, about a half inch also, and yes this is a bathroom, a second one in basement. I also plan to put porcelain tile over the durock.
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go to the 'advice' forum. This is 'the' forum for tile questions. It sounds like you have a handle on this but that forum has more than a few pros hanging around to help and can get you the details you seem to be wondering about. I know they recommend different products for different size/makes of tiles as well as the situation. They will also be able to explain why the others cracked so you can avoid that happening.
Yah, they cracked. Started with a little crack around the tub surround, and then just went nuts, I am thinking its because water was then able to get in, and there ya go. A big A reno, lol. Then the floor went, but its level, so I was told it was because they didnt use proper thinset, I think they just GLUED them on. They needed to sell the house and just did a LOT of things quickly ( and wrong as I have discovered over the years) Anyway, I have the perfect solution now, thank Goodness. Am going to remove the damaged bit of wall, put a patch of durock flush to old drywall, and then cover whole damn thing with Schluter Kerdi membrane. Its not too expensive and is guaranteed to not allow mold, moisture, etc to penetrate and cause problems, The drywall was good, but not good enough to just slap tiles over, so this works well, with minimal fuss and mess.This stuff is an industry standard now, and good ol Mikey Holmes loves it, so I trust its good, and I trust German technology. You just put up thinset, put this stuff over like wallpaper, and then another layer of thinset (unmodified whatever the heck that is, I have no clue, but am gonna use it) then put the tiles over that. Wish I could attach pics, before and after, but oh well, maybe I will figure it out eventually. Just too busy, trying to work, run to all these stores, etc. And yah, its a drop in tub, no flanges. Just want to thank you for all your input too, really appreciate you taking your time to answer me and give me some ideas.
Well it sounds like you may have a drop in tub (vs flanged) but hard to say without seeing. meanwhile, if the orginal tiles cracked that is something you have to address. From what I have been learning that cracking would be because the base was flexing too much and if you are using tiles of any size (little tiles like mosaics aren't as touchy), you have to have a solid base.
Do check with the tile stores because you don't want to go to a lot of work and then have cracking again.
Also if you are looking for a standard hieght shower without all the hassle, you might check out the ones they make for clawfoot tubs and see if that would work for you.
Ty, Diva for your input. This is a jacuzzi style tub that the previous owners installed with a tiled apron in front , with about three inches on the side (front) and three inches on the back that was tiled, and then two rows of tile up the wall. All the tiles on the front part and apron started to crack, and then the floor went cause they didnt install right, so I am determined to get this right, lol. Anyway, there was never a shower, just a hand held where the tub filler is, and I want to install a proper shower head so it can be used to shower without getting so much water all over like the hand held did. I really didnt want this to be a major headache, but it sure is now. I have to rent this out and people really like to have a stand up shower, so that is why i want to install this and tile all the way up to the ceiling. I have the orange plastic stuff on the floor and didnt think about using it on the walls as I didnt know if that would be enough waterproofing. The Polystick sounds interesting, and I will have to call about that (and this whole thing ) tomorrow, I already bought the Durock, but no problem cause I need to do upstairs too, sigh, but not till spring now. I am going to try to attach a picture of what it looked like before all the old tile was taken down,and thanks a bunch, its a great help. Dont know if pic will work, never done it before, but here goes.Hmm ok tried to attach file but it tells me that its too big, so hope you can visualize what I mean, I think the wall where the shower is to be, the right hand side, might be too thick with the durock then the tile, so the other option is the orange stuff. Guess I will find out tomorrow, cant think anymore, brain has frozen.
Is this going to be around a shower or bathtub? I really don't think it would make diddly difference if no plumbing was involved, but you may have to check to see how much room your faucet, shower, and hot/cold knobs have to maneuver. If they are set for say 5/8" and you already have that in drywall and you add durock (which I think comes in 1/4" and 1/2") you might find your plumbing doesn't work if you pipes aren't long enough.
The other consideration is if you have a flanged tub (vs a drop in). The flanges are calibrated to take a standard wall thickness on the top part of the flange and have the tile go just past that over the lower flange (essentially covering the flange completely). If the wall is too thick you might have to adjust again as the very bottom of the first row of tile might end up with air behind it rather than bathtub and that could cause them to break.
I'd ask at a really good tile shop or plumbing store. It would be a lot easier and less messy if you could. The other option (but more pricey) is that orange moisture barrier that can go right over a wall (Mike Holmes often puts it over durock but it's considered overkill by a few people). With that stuff you just lay on some mastic (I think), roll out the barrier, and then you can tile.
Now when I got my floor tiles, the guy sold me something called Polystick. It's the same principal as the orange stuff and they use it all the time. I'm using it because I am laying tile right over the subfloor but thought I might do it over the vinyl and needed something to get more grip. Anyway, it's plastic with a self stick peel back action that reveals a tar layer which you stick to whatever and then heat with a heat gun and that makes it really stick to the floor (or wall in your case). then you use roofing nails to secure it every 8" or so. The top layer is sort of a fibre layer that the mastic adheres too (same as the orange stuff) and so you can just attach the tile without a lot of hassle. Also, I bet it only adds 1/8" to the thickness of the wall. You might see if any tile companies you are dealing with know about it and see what they say for your walls. It would prevent the moisture and give you a surface for the tile and it costs way less than the orange stuff.
So far, with the amount I have done, it's been really easy to use. It comes in a roll about 1M wide, cuts with scissors, and is basically no muss or fuss.
Thanks for replying, Jenjen, but any particular reason that I would need to remove existing drywall? Its in good shape, so it would sure be better (time and mess wise that is) to not have to remove it. Just wondering...
it's probably better to remove the drywall...