Charlie:
Robert in Friendswood had written to us a while back, and we actually answered this in one of our videos, about what he should do about his leaking grout. And you had said, “You’re going to have to redo it.” You got it? In his shower.
Tom:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Charlie:
He said once it gets behind there you’ve got to go in and do it. Based on the advice it sounds like a shower makeover, he writes. With that being said, he’s coming to you now for more detail. He wants make sure it’s done right, and waterproofing-wise and all that. It seems to him, he says, it sounds like the layers are a cement backer board, waterproofing, tile and grout. Is that right?
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Tom:
Yeah, the one thing he didn’t put in there was the mastic, or adhesive, behind the tile, but yes, that’s right.
Charlie:
Okay. Now, would that be the waterproofing?
Tom:
No, but he said waterproof already.
Charlie:
The mastic is not waterproofing
Tom:
No, it makes the tile stick to the backboard.
Charlie:
I know that, but I’m saying that it doesn’t have waterproofing qualities to it.
Tom:
A little bit, but no. The reason I jokingly say that, if he didn’t have that the tile would just fall on your foot.
Charlie:
That would be bad. The you’d be riding to the … hospital.
Tom:
He’s doing the right thing, yes.
Charlie:
What about he says there’s an Ultraflex thinset with polymers, or water barrier?
Tom:
Yeah, but you don’t need it if you’re going to do those other steps in the shower.
Charlie:
Okay, so don’t do that, all right.
Tom:
That’s like for floors, and stuff, outside and things. It’s got different applications.
Charlie:
Because he had a contractor come in. He said that the newer thinsets and tile adhesives with the backer board give you all the water protection you need.
Tom:
Well, you can’t have too much, but usually the waterproofer you put on top of it, we call these a red-goo or green-goo, there’s two different ones….
Charlie:
Red and green-goo’s, yes.
Tom:
Keep it simple.
Charlie:
Does the red-goo make you smaller, and the green-goo makes you bigger? Is it like … That’s an old song?
Tom:
Anyway, that has gone beyond my expertise. Anyway, it works.