I recently had the pleasure of helping a client with a complete home renovation.  He was adding a second story to the home that would include a spacious master suite.  I got the job of installing all the tile in the house, starting with the master bath and a very large tile shower that would feature large showerheads on either side and large 12″ x 24″ tiles.

I’ve always liked tile set in a subway tile pattern and I was excited to see the effect using the large 12″ x 24″ tiles.  This home is being renovated to sell so the master bathroom was designed to impress.  I also included a couple niches (recessed shelves) in the shower which added space to store soap and lotion bottles.

Under the tile I used the Kerdi waterproofing system over drywall (pictured left).  The waterproofing membrane is water and vapor-tight so the manufacturer, Schluter Systems, recommends drywall as a suitable substrate.  The orange-colored membrane comes on a roll and is mortared to the wall using unmodified thinset mortar and 2″ overlaps at all joints.  This creates a mechanical bond so that there is basically a sealed envelope under the tile to collect any moisture that seeps through the grout and funnels it down the drain where it belongs.

The Kerdi shower kits come with a foam pre-sloped shower floor that saves a lot of labor in sloping the floor and gives a perfect uniform shape.  This particular shower was larger than even their largest kit, so I had to extend either side using sand topping mix.  This is a simple pre-mixed product made with just sand and portland cement.

I also installed a small corner bench (above).  This is a device called Better Bench that is available online or at many tile stores.  This is the 17″ model which doesn’t really provide room to sit on, but it gives you room to rest your feet while you scrub your ankles…    It’s basically a metal frame that is screwed to the wall and it is also filled with sand topping mix cement.  Once the cement dries it is ready to tile.  It is installed over the Kerdi system so there’s no reason to wrap the bench in waterproofing.  Better Bench makes larger benches as well.  These also make a great shelf for bottles, etc. if you install it a little higher.

The frameless glass shower enclosure was installed later by another contractor and really completes the luxurious appeal of this shower.

The scale of this shower made it a challenge and therefore, lots of fun!  My goal for any project is not only make sure it looks fabulous, but that it is built solidly and will be long-lasting (with no leaks!).