Installing a Duravit Shower Tray - but it has no lip???
Hey All, As part of a master bath remodel we chose a Duravit shower tray; Duravit - Bathroom design series: Starck bathtubs - bath tubs from Duravit. The tray will be installed in a corner of the bathroom. 2 sides of the shower stall will be glass tile, 2 sides will be glass (including the shower door). 2 questions; 1. would you install the backerboard over the shower tray? or, is it better to install the backer first and then install the tray to but up against the backer (duravit has a rubber gasket that we purchased and plan to use) and having just the glass tile overlap? 2. We bought the support legs with this unit as well (as we wanted to ensure a real solid feel) would you pour a cement base under the tray just to be safe? My installer is really nervous about the fact that the shower tray does not have a lip. I don't want to dismiss the concerns of someone who has been in the business for 20+ years and knows do it right. However, I am sure others have installed this shower tray succesfully and we really like the look. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Gianni My installer is really nervous as he says the Duravit tray does not have a lip. It I too would be nervous. I'm thinking that the CBU should be installed after the base with the gasket provided as the seal. What do the installation instructions say about the wall/tray joint? Hey Wayne, Thanks for the reply. The instructions show the shower base attaching to the wall/backer with brackets. The gasket sits between the wall and the base in the picture. The tile is then illustrated as overlapping the shower base. lastly, the picture shows a bead of clear silicone being applied along the entire tile/base joint. My installer is here now and feels a bit more confident today. I contacted Duravit as well. Hopefully they can put us all at ease. It's a very nice look, but a leak coming through my ground floor ceiling would certainly be ugly!!! Thanks again. I've never heard of that manufacturer, so I took a look at the link you provided. Looks like they do things a little different in Germany. 1. would you install the backerboard over the shower tray? or, is it better to install the backer first and then install the tray to but up against the backer (duravit has a rubber gasket that we purchased and plan to use) and having just the glass tile overlap? The pictures in their installation instructions show the cement board up first with the tray butting to it. I don't know how you can possibly waterproof the joint if thats the case. I also don't understand how that gasket will waterproof anything. It would seem to me that the cement board will not provide adequate support between the joists and will give way as the gasket has to compress. Perhaps you can install full blocking between the joists along the section where the tray and gasket will meet the wall to fully support the cement board, I dunno. Generally, you either need a vapor barrier behind the cement board, or you need a surface applied membrane over the cement board, one or the other, not both. Tile and grout are not waterproof, and water/vapor will pentrate the grout lines. My opinion, a surface applied membrane would be a better choice here, although that can be challenging with glass tile and modified thinset requirements. 2. We bought the support legs with this unit as well (as we wanted to ensure a real solid feel) would you pour a cement base under the tray just to be safe? That tray looks like it sits up pretty high, and you'd need an awfull lot of mud to support it. It would appear that the manufacturer thinks that the legs and support brackets are sufficient. My installer is really nervous about the fact that the shower tray does not have a lip. I don't want to dismiss the concerns of someone who has been in the business for 20+ years and knows do it right. However, I am sure others have installed this shower tray succesfully and we really like the look. I'd agree with your installer. Not only doesn't the tray have a lip, but it looks like they want you to install it butted to the cement board. I don't see how you can waterproof that kind of joint. Over time, even silicone in that joint will fail and need to be reapplied. The finished pictures in the installation instructions show tile installed around the outside perimeter of the tray. Exactly what does the tile get applied to? Possibly they skip a step where you need to build adequate perimeter framing? Where is the p-trap in this installation? It doesn't show one in the installation instructions. Hey HeresJohnny, I really appreciate your detailed reply. It generated a lot of conversation. Much of which is still ongoing. I have actually had to call Germany as well. I will post an update when i figure out exactly what I have learned As for the p-trap - they show the drain going in to the wall. I guess you are right - do do things differently in Germany!!! If you happen to see this post, how did you end up leak proofing your shower? And, do you like the Duravit shower tray? I recently saw it and would like to put it in our upstairs bathroom but noticed that it did not have flanges and was wondering do tile walls with the shower tray. Thank you for any tips you have. Hello, For better or for worse, we ended up installing the backer board over the shower tray. it's been 3 years and we have not had any issues at all. We also decided to recess the shower tray into the floor. It's a very clean look and we are very happy. let's just hope we are singing the same tune in 10 years My contractor was unable to use the support legs which also made me a bit nervous at the time. to date, we have not had any issues. My advice, if you do go with this unit make sure the contractor sees the installation instructions and knows what they are getting into before starting the job as getting the support legs on will require some planning unless you have access from below. Good luck!
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