| Author | Message | ||
| john degemis (Degemis)
Registered Member Username: Degemis Post Number: 35 Registered: 3-2008 Posted From: 71.92.155.232  Rating: N/A |
I am ready to start the shower stall. Bought a corner shower pan to start.Tring to decide if I want to tile or use tile board the 4x8 sheet type from Home Depot. I know if I tile to use 3,4 ply than wounder board glued and screewed to that for my walls. I also have some adhesive to mix with the morter. I have seen coaches that had problems with the grout after time from vibration. The tile board is lighter by far. Can bend to the curve of the side wall and does not need the extra support. that would save about over a inch of width on the walls. Tile sure would be a nice touch but is it worth it? | ||
| Paul Lawry (Dreamscape)
Registered Member Username: Dreamscape Post Number: 424 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 209.183.55.46  Rating: N/A |
I used tile board in mine and was able to conform it to the roof curve. I used lots of mastic and built some supports to hold it in place for 24 hours. I have not traveled or used it that much since installing it but I think it will work just fine. You can go here a search for my pics. www.uniquebusconversion.com Anything like tile adds weight, but it sure does look nice. I know some have used a different kind of mortar and cement backer board so it flexs a bit and to help hold down the weight. Don't have the information, but you can do a search. I know it has been descussed a lot on the MAK Board. (Message edited by dreamscape on January 22, 2009) | ||
| Ralph Peters (Ralph_peters)
Registered Member Username: Ralph_peters Post Number: 13 Registered: 12-2008 Posted From: 206.251.9.233 Rating: N/A |
I used 3/4 plywood for sides an the side wall of the coach and a 36X36 shower base. Glued FRP to walls, but did not make hollow wall for plumbing so you see the the plumbing from inside powder room. To keep the FRP in place while drying used 2X4's an wedges for pressure and some clamps. | ||
| Pat Racine (Centrix)
Registered Member Username: Centrix Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 209.217.79.83 Rating: N/A |
I used a 4 part shower stall from the hardware store and stuck it to the wall with zizagging adhesive. Our cold canadian winters split the walls between the adhesive lines. I replaced the whole thing with floor linoleum that looks like tile. I used PVC mouldings in the corner with caulking. Looks great and worked well. Good luck! | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 772 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 68.18.13.21  Rating: N/A |
You may be better off using the new FRP panels, rather than tile board. The FRP panels won't absorb moisture, regardless of scratches, etc, since it's Fiberglas reinforced plastic, not composition material. It cuts and bends easily, and is equally easy to glue into place. Oh... did I say: "easy to clean"? Happy showering! | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 652 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 64.241.37.140 Rating: N/A |
Check the archives , if you prefer dual use of space. FF | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 1482 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 76.71.102.246  Rating: N/A |
What I think FF means is go to the Articles of Interest and read about this: http://www.busnut.com/bbs/messages/12262/16201.html?1167071157 A primarily space reserved for a few minutes of showering is expensive space. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 656 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 64.241.37.140 Rating: N/A |
What gets really expensive is when folks choose a 40 ft shell, so that 5 min a day bathroom visit is "luxury". And then they accept 5mpg as a goal on the highway! Talk about expensive space!! FF | ||
| john degemis (Degemis)
Registered Member Username: Degemis Post Number: 36 Registered: 3-2008 Posted From: 71.92.155.232 Rating: N/A |
5 minutes a day? When I think about how much time the bathroom gets use we use it a lot. We walk through it to get to the bedroom. We will have the washer/dryer in there. Brushing teeth, showering, shaving, combing hair… Then there is my wife and all that times two plus much more. Speaking of the wife I know she will enjoy life in the bus if it has a nice bathroom… The things that comes up a lot for me during the conversion is what works, what will stand up over time and what my wife be happy with it. If it were not for her a cot and porta potty would work fine. It is to small a space to share with an unhappy wife. | ||
| Josh McElhiney (Zcommanager)
Registered Member Username: Zcommanager Post Number: 9 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 166.217.219.163 Rating: N/A |
I'll second that John D.!! If momma's happy, everyone is happy. If momma's not happy...well you get the idea, right? | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 1485 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 76.66.19.131 Rating: N/A |
john, the emphasis here is on the floor space and interior volume that many set aside for the shower. Useless space except when in it sprinkling water on oneself. FF has a neat trick to use the shower space as the surround to a big roll out cupboard. Think of the space inside your dresser, when you pull the drawers out to the stops... FF pulls the cupboard out into the hallway, and goes into the revealed shower enclosure in through the side from the next room. You don't need the hallway while in the shower, you don't need the shower when not showering. Go try the link! The design principal used here is that every space must try to have more than one use. happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| FAST FRED (Fast_fred)
Registered Member Username: Fast_fred Post Number: 664 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 69.19.14.28 Rating: N/A |
"The design principal used here is that every space must try to have more than one use." A great (tho difficult) concept for most of the conversion. FF | ||
| john degemis (Degemis)
Registered Member Username: Degemis Post Number: 38 Registered: 3-2008 Posted From: 71.92.155.232 Rating: N/A |
On a 40 foot Prevost should I have any flex? I am thinking tile would be worth the extra. A friend just asked if I was Worried about the tiles cracking from the coach flexing. | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 788 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 68.18.13.46 Rating: N/A |
I wouldn't worry about the "flex", as much as I would about the road vibration, moisture and climate changes. I did the floor of the bathroom in our commercial motorhome with tile. Never had a problem with it.. But we "retired" from traveling right after that, so I don't know about it's longevity. With tile on the walls, it might be pushing the envelope. It may feel like the smoothest ride in the world, but there's enough vibration to have the engineers considering the pitch of the screw threads, etc. during the design development. If the rig's going to sit in the hot southern sun, unoccupied for lengths of time, or in deep winter freezes, expansion and contraction of the tile joints should be considered. And moisture in a sealed vehicle is different than the moisture in a vented house. Mold in the grout can be a problem! Personally, I would opt for that FRP material, instead of tile. (Message edited by john_mc9 on January 27, 2009) | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 933 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.54.29.215 Rating: N/A |
Our shower (floor & walls), bathroom floor, bathroom vanity & back-splash,kitchen counter & back-splash, and entrance steps are all ceramic tile. Only problem is 1 crack in a floor tile on bottom step. Electric step bolts to bottom of this step and I think that is what caused the crack. 40,000 miles and still going. Jack | ||
| Josh McElhiney (Zcommanager)
Registered Member Username: Zcommanager Post Number: 15 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 166.217.211.2 Rating: N/A |
Jack, I've been considering using tile in a similar manner as you have. I feel a little more comfortable in doing so knowing that someone else has logged some serious mileage with good results. Does the size of the tile make much difference in the durability and longevity? Josh | ||
| john degemis (Degemis)
Registered Member Username: Degemis Post Number: 39 Registered: 3-2008 Posted From: 71.92.155.232 Rating: N/A |
Thinking about using caulk instead of grout? it would be water proff and flexable. Should not be effected by vibration. Anyone have any thoughts? | ||
| John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member Username: John_mc9 Post Number: 789 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 68.18.13.50 Rating: N/A |
I only tiled the floor of our RV bathroom, and used poly glue for the adhesive (instead of the cement), and standard grout, but I polyurethane over everything, to seal it. I was afraid to trust tiles on the walls, and also felt that FRP walls would be easier to clean (thinking: mold). But Jack's BTDT (and damned well, too), so you really oughta' get the info from him directly! All opinions are free, but hands-on experience counts 1,000xs more! | ||
| Josh McElhiney (Zcommanager)
Registered Member Username: Zcommanager Post Number: 19 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 166.217.8.221 Rating: N/A |
Would using smaller, say 1 in. square, tiles be more durable than using bigger ones such as 4 in. squares or even larger ? It seems to me that if there is less surface area adhering to the backer board per tile, that there may be less trouble down the road with grout cracking or even tiles cracking or worse yet falling off the board. Any thoughts or experience on this line of reasoning? Josh | ||
| David Dulmage (Daved)
Registered Member Username: Daved Post Number: 230 Registered: 12-2003 Posted From: 142.46.199.30  Rating: N/A |
I don't have flex problems, but in the bath area which has a solid bath enclosure material, I have had a problem with the shower material cracking over the winter when the coach is in storage (temperatures can be to -30C (-22F) or lower). It a molded plastic material. It doesn't appear to be FRP. DaveD | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 937 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 72.57.236.196 Rating: N/A |
We used 1" square tile on shower floor (smaller tile means more grout lines=better traction). Our shower wall tile are 4"X6". Our vanity, kitchen counter and backsplash tile are 4"x4". Our floor tile are 13"X13". Jack | ||
| Josh McElhiney (Zcommanager)
Registered Member Username: Zcommanager Post Number: 20 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 166.217.154.146 Rating: N/A |
Jack, how have the larger tiles held up for you? Have you had any problems with them virbrating loose or cracking? Thanks, Josh | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 939 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 174.144.53.245 Rating: N/A |
Only problem was one tile on the bottom step that cracked. Our electric step is bolted to the bottom of this step and I think a very heavy person stepping on the electric step caused the bottom step to flex causing the crack. That has been our only problem. Jack | ||
| john degemis (Degemis)
Registered Member Username: Degemis Post Number: 40 Registered: 3-2008 Posted From: 71.92.155.232 Rating: N/A |
Decided to go with tile. 12x12 with 6x6 accents. The FRP is a good choice, but all that is available in my area is plane white and it just would not give me the look I am hoping for. I bought a mortar that was 5 times the cost of the normal stuff. They claim it allows for some flex and has extra adhesive strength. | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Registered Member Username: Sffess Post Number: 751 Registered: 1-2002 Posted From: 66.38.120.219 Rating: N/A |
Porcelin tile will resist cracking better than ceramic tile. I can put 250 lbs on one foot in the center of a 12" tile supported only at two edges and not break it. Porcelin tile also has color going through so chips will show less when you drop a wrench on it. Cookeville tile and Crossville Tile in Tennessee make excellent porcelin tile. Crossville tile has an outlet on I-40 where you can get seconds for $1.25 to $3.00 per square ft that you would love. Mapai Ultraflex 3 and Ultraflex RS (Rapid set) are so flexible that it is very hard to break a thin coating out of a 5 gallon buckect used for thinset mixing. It flexes with the bucket sides and stays put. I have been doing my floors at home with a professional tilesetters help. Mastic and liquid nails are a thing of the past. Ultraflexible thinset is the best way to go. If you put down a layer of 1/4" Hardibacker board, screwed down about every 6", according to the instructions, you will have a solid wall and floor. There is also a system called Tavi, that glues down a special paper resin type underlayment like a paper almost. Then the tile is set on top with thinset. That might provide a little more give also. | ||
| Stephen Fessenden (Sffess)
Registered Member Username: Sffess Post Number: 752 Registered: 1-2002 Posted From: 66.38.120.219 Rating: N/A |
The white porcelin tile we are putting in will not absorb a stain from dirty diesel motor oil. It just wipes off. It has too much antislip for most people and failed the quality test because of too much antislip. You can tell how much antislip is in a tile by placing a piece of printer paper on it and trying to move it. On mine you have to lift it off the tile to move it. We have laid about 2400 sq ft of it so far. It is easy to walk on, no slip, but harder to clean because you cannot mop it. It would make a great shower floor. | ||
| frankdegroot (Coach)
Registered Member Username: Coach Post Number: 2 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 76.70.121.78 Rating: N/A |
Hey John, I used tile in my shower.The floor is 2.5" of cement sloped to a drain with 2" tile glued with morter glue.The walls 8" by 10" installed also with morter glue.We took it to Florida and it worked great.No cracks.Sitting here up north -20 1 week after we got back the wall cracked in one spot.I matched silicone with grout and glued crack.I should of double plywood the walls.Not perfect but very nice. I agree with having a nice bathroom.In my eyes one needs to sleep well,have a nice spot for the mrs to do her thing and a spot to sit and relax when its raining outside.Good luck! |