Build a perfect curb for that unmatched shower area

April 27th, 2010 by flooringsupply | Edit this entry Leave a reply »

While building a shower area, a number of individuals give the least priority to a shower curb. The results of this negligence are frequent leaks and unnecessary expenses in repairs and maintenance of the shower area. The curb of your shower area acts as a dam and prevents water from spilling out to the floor. It is for this reason that the process of building a shower curb should be given high priority and should be completed with extreme care.
If a shower curb is not built with utmost care, the nails can puncture through the pan liner and can cause it to leak. It is to remove this problem that Kirb-Perfect can be an ideal solution. Kirb-Perfect is an easy to install structure that can be used to build a shower curb that is perfectly pitched and that maintains the integrity of the pan liner. Kirb-Perfect is made up of high quality non rotting plastic to ensure long durability of the curb structure.
Kirb-Perfect can be used both with a 2×4 membrane wrapped wooden curb as well as non-wooden curb. In both the cases, the nails are to be used on the outside of the curb structure, thereby ensuring that the integrity of the pan liner is not affected. The use of Kirb-Perfect also makes it easier to use light weight mud to cover the curb structure.

The biggest advantage of Kirb-Perfect is that is allows construction of a curb even without the use of 2×4 wooden blocks. This can be done by inserting the pan liner between the interior and exterior portions of Kirb-Perfect while screwing them together. Since nails will not be used in the inside of the pan liner, there is no scope for any leakage to the sub floor.
The ease of installation associated with Kirb-Perfect makes it a perfect choice for ‘Do-It-Yourself’ enthusiasts. All that is required to use Kirb-Perfect in building a perfect shower curb is attaching its 3 sides and trimming it on the inside to accommodate pre-pitch. The next step is to place this structure over the 2×4 wooden blocks or over the pan liner and fill it with mud. The ease of installation and the high utility offered by Kirb-Perfect makes it an ideal choice for any shower area building project.

A shower area is incomplete without a proper curb to keep the water in the shower area and to prevent it from splashing outside. Since your tile flooring is porous, there is a possibility that water might seep down to the pan liner. Although a pan liner is there to ensure that the water which seeps down is directed into the drain, in case your pan liner leaks, you could face serious problems of water accumulation. By using Kirb-Perfect, you can ensure that there is no damage to the pan liner and that in case any water seeps down to the sub floor, it is effectively directed into the drain. This would enable you to build a perfect curb for an unmatched shower area.
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Custom designed shower area made easy

While building a custom designed shower area, most do-it-yourself’ enthusiasts will face the problem of designing an appropriate floor pitch. An appropriate floor pitch ensures that water flows directly into the shower drain and does not accumulate on the shower floor. You might use complicated and sophisticated measurement tools to create the perfect floor slope, but there is still no guarantee of achieving the desired results.

However, technological advancement in the form of Quick Pitch has emerged as an ideal solution to the problem of an irregular shower floor pitch. The simplicity of this product makes it ideal for people who are looking to build a custom designed shower area with the minimum of fuss. Quick Pitch consists of float sticks and a center ring, which are used to create a standard slope of 1/4" per 12" on the shower floor.

The problem of irregular floor pitch is not a minor one, and should not be taken lightly while designing a shower floor. Water that accumulates on the shower floor can easily seep into the mud bed, thereby resulting in various ‘water ponding’ issues.

Another advantage of a proper shower pitch is that since water would not accumulate on the shower floor, the tile floor will last for a longer duration of time. Water seeping through the tiles can weaken the bond, thereby forcing you to redo your tile flooring after regular intervals of time. In order to create a long-lasting tiling on your shower floor, you should avail of the Quick Pitch system.

For maximum utility, you should use Quick Pitch along with Pre Pitch and Kirb Perfect systems. Not only is it necessary to have a proper slope on the shower floor, but it is equally important to have a proper slope on the sub floor as well. Pre Pitch is an easy to install system that facilitates an apt sloping sub floor beneath the pan liner. This slope will ensure that any moisture that seeps through the mud bed does not remain accumulated above the pan liner and is effectively directed towards the weep holes.

Using the Kirb Perfect system will allow you to easily and conveniently build a curb for your shower floor. Although the frame of a shower curb is traditionally built out of wood, there is a serious chance of damaging the pan liner while building such a curb around the shower area. While nailing the curb frame to the floor, you can easily damage the pan liner, thereby increasing the chances of a water leak. Since installing Kirb Perfect does not require you to nail the frame to the shower floor, there is no possibility of damaging your pan liner.

Since Quick Pitch has been specially designed for the convenience of ‘do-it-yourself’ enthusiasts, you will find that its use will significantly streamline your process of designing a shower area. So you can go ahead and install the Quick Pitch system and enjoy the benefits of a properly sloped and a well drained shower area.

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Prevent mold in your shower area

Mold and mildew are two of the most common problems faced by homeowners in their shower area. Since mold and mildew require a moist and humid environment to grow, any water accumulation over, or under your shower floor can become a breeding ground for them. Therefore, it is important that you have a perfectly pitched pan liner as well as tiled floor to ensure that water is effectively directed towards the drain weep holes, and does not accumulate over the pan liner or the tiles.

A typical shower consists of a layer of mortar in between the pan liner and the tiled floor. Since water can easily seep through the tiles and grout on your shower floor, the mortar layer gets wet easily. Unless a proper environment is available, the mortar layer tends to remain moist for a long duration of time. Further, water can also accumulate over the pan liner in case there is not adequate pan liner slope to direct the accumulated water to the drain weep holes. This problem can be solved by having your pan liner sloped towards the drain weep holes. This slope will ensure that water does not accumulate over the pan liner and does not act as a breeding ground for mold and mildew.

The standard slope, which is accepted for a pan liner to ensure effective drainage of water to the drain weep holes, is 1/4” per foot. It is crucial to build the right slope since an inadequately sloped shower will result in puddling and accumulation of water, and over sloped floor will not feel right. In order to achieve this perfect slope of 1/4” per foot, you can use Pre Pitch, which is a unique screeding tool. Pre Pitch can be effectively used on plywood sub floors as well as concrete sub floors, and is ideal for shower areas of all sizes. Pre Pitch will further ensure that water does not leak through the pan liner and damage the sub floor.

In order to prevent mold, you also need to ensure that the water from your shower area does not spread to the surrounding areas. This can be effectively achieved by building a curb around your shower area. A curb will act as a dam and will prevent splashing of water to the surrounding walls. Since the walls and floor around the shower area are susceptible to getting wet and mold growth, you can prevent it from occurring by building an effective curb around your shower area.

Thus, we can see that two of the most important tools to prevent mold growth are a properly sloped pan liner and an effective curb. Pan liner slope will prevent accumulation of water, and a curb will ensure that water does not splash around to the surrounding walls and floor. So while designing and building a shower area in your house, it is essential to consider these factors in order to ensure that you do not face the problems of mold and mildew in the future.

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Constituents of a perfect shower

For most individuals, a perfect shower would be leak proof, would have perfect drainage and would have the appropriate pan liner and tiled floor slope. As attractive as it may sound, building a technically perfect shower area can be a difficult and time consuming task. Further, any miscalculation while building any constituent could result in significant maintenance and repairs expenses for you in the future. Let us take a look in detail at some of the parts of a perfect shower:

Your tiled shower floor area is essential since it is your first line of defense against leakage to the sub floor. Your tiled shower floor should have an adequate pitch to effectively direct water towards the drain. In case the slope is inadequate water would accumulate and would leak through the tiles and the grout. In order to slope your shower floor adequately you can use Quick Pitch, which is an effective and easy to install tool. Quick Pitch can be used in showers of different areas, thereby allowing you to build a shower floor that is perfectly pitched and leakage free.

Even after tiling and grouting your shower floor there is bound to be leakage to the mortar layer beds. The key to this problem is to place an effective and waterproof liner over the sub floor. Not only is placing a pan liner important, but sloping it appropriately is important as well. This slope will ensure that the water seeping through the tiles and grout does not accumulate over the pan liner and is effectively drained into the weep holes. In order to achieve a perfect slope you can either avail the services of an expert, or you can use tools such as Pre Pitch. Pre Pitch is easy to install floor drainage system that ensures a standard pan liner slope of 1/4” per foot. Tools such as Pre Pitch can enable you to construct a perfectly sloped pan liner, thereby ensuring no accumulation of water below the mortar bed.

The curb of your shower area will make sure that water does not splash out, and does not damage the surrounding areas. Although a curb is an essential constituent of a shower, there are chances of damage to the pan liner while installing the curb in your shower area. In order to eliminate this problem, Kirp Perfect offers the ideal solution. Kirb Perfect can be installed even without the use of wooden blocks, thereby eliminating the need to nail it to the floor. This in turn eliminates any chances of damage to the pan liner.

Thus, we can see that although creating a perfect shower area is a complex task, it can be made easy and effective through the use of tools such as Quick Pitch, Pre Pitch and Kirb Perfect. A perfectly sloped shower area will ensure that there is no leakage and damage to the sub floor. Further, a perfectly sloped floor will also eliminate the growth of mold on your shower floor, thereby ensuring that you are able to enjoy a refreshing and rejuvenating experience.

Order of installtion

1st. Kirb Perfect

2nd. Pre Pitch

3rd. Quick Pitch

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