How To Waterproof Window In Shower

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How-To

Waterproofing a Window in a Tiled Shower

Use a waterproofing membrane, a pitched sill, and good silicone caulk when installing a window in a tiled shower enclosure.

We want to add a window in the tiled shower enclosure of our master bath, but nosotros're worried most water impairment. How tin can nosotros add a window in a style that will protect the window and the exterior wall from moisture problems?

— Paul Kreitler, Columbus, OH

Tom Meehan, owner of Cape Cod Tile Works: A window in a tiled tub or shower enclosure is common, only you are smart to be concerned near the potential for moisture damage. There are a few unlike means to approach this project. I like to keep the tile into the window jamb as if it'southward role of the wall subsequently I've added a pitched sill.

In these types of situations, I encourage homeowners to use vinyl-clad windows housed in a wooden jamb. The vinyl provides maintenance-free protection from moisture for the window itself. The all-wood jamb provides a flat and sound base of operations. Make certain that y'all locate the window outside the range of the spray from the showerhead.

As with all tiled shower installations, run cementboard throughout the shower area and on the same plane every bit the window jamb. Caulk the joint betwixt the jamb and the cementboard with a expert-quality silicone caulk. Although the caulk provides an initial seal, it should not exist relied on as the only defense against water infiltration through this joint. To seal the joint completely and to embrace the exposed wood of the window jamb, wrap a waterproof membrane such every bit Schluter'south Kerdi (www.schluter.com) over the articulation and into the window jamb. Bond the membrane to the wood with a latex-modified thinset.

I like to install a pitched sill in these windows to allow water to drain back into the shower. In lieu of forest, I use a piece of Corian, which I install with latex-modifed thinset. The simplest manner to pitch the sill is to build up the thinset under the back part of the Corian; mixing it a footling potent will make it easier to work here. Once the sill is in place, I install tile over the entire surface area in the same manner every bit I do the rest of the shower.

When the tile is complete and the grout is sealed, employ a good silicone caulk where whatsoever two planes come together, such as where the window meets the newly tiled jamb.

Remember that the window is on an exterior wall, so temperature changes will crusade expansion and contraction in many of these materials. Check the area every twelvemonth for croaky joints; caulk or grout equally needed.

More than on shower details:

Tiling Bathroom Walls: Windows and Niches – In this video, Tom Meehan reviews the steps for waterproofing a window sill with Kerdi-Board.

Curbless Shower: Build Up, Not Down – Contractor Jake Bruton describes his technique for edifice a curbless shower on top of an existing subfloor, simplifying the traditional approach to this job.

Previous: Shower Waterproofing Next: The Correct Way to Install Shower Pan Liners

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