How we build
Built on Schluter Systems
Bonded waterproofing, uncoupling and radiant heat from one system, installed by the book over a hand-floated mud bed.
Two things wreck a tile job: water getting somewhere it shouldn’t, and a floor that moves. Schluter makes a system for each, and the pieces are built to seal to one another.
None of it works if the pieces go in wrong, which is where the training matters. Lou has built showers both ways over 30+ years, the old mud-bed way and the bonded way, and ours use both: a mortar pre-slope floated by hand, with KERDI bonded on top of it.
The system
The pieces, and where they go
KERDI
Bonded shower waterproofing
A waterproof membrane bonded right under the tile on shower floors and walls. Water stops at the surface instead of soaking into the mortar bed, and every seam, corner and pipe gets its own sealed piece.
Used in: Bathrooms & Custom Showers, Shower Floor Leak Repair
KERDI-BOARD
Waterproof walls, benches & niches
Lightweight waterproof panels for shower walls, benches, niches and curbs. Flat, square and ready for large-format tile, with no paper facing to rot.
Used in: Bathrooms & Custom Showers
KERDI-DRAIN & KERDI-LINE
Drains that bond to the membrane
Center drains and linear drains built to seal directly to the KERDI membrane, so the most common leak point in a shower is made part of the waterproofing. KERDI-LINE is what makes a clean curbless entry possible.
Used in: Bathrooms & Custom Showers, Shower Floor Leak Repair
DITRA
Uncoupling under floor tile
A membrane between the subfloor and the tile that lets the house move without cracking the floor. It's also crack isolation over concrete slabs.
Used in: Tile Floors
DITRA-HEAT
Electric radiant floor heat
DITRA with channels for electric heating cable, so the heat sits right under the tile with almost no added height. It's our go-to for heating a single bathroom, kitchen or mudroom.
Used in: Tile Floors
Profiles & trim
Finished edges and transitions
Metal edge trim, outside corners and floor transitions, so every tile edge is protected and finished, never a raw cut. Backsplash ends, niche edges, and where tile meets wood.
Used in: Kitchen Backsplashes, Tile Floors
One bathroom, start to finish
How a shower goes together
Same job, in order. The old pan came out, the mud bed went in over the radiant tubing, KERDI went over the mud, and the marble went on last. These are Lou's photos from that bathroom.
01Tear it out
The old pan comes out down to the joists. Whatever failed gets found and fixed before anything new goes in.
02Float the mud bed
Packed mortar over wire lath, floated flat and sloped by hand, with the radiant tubing encapsulated in it.
03Bond the waterproofing
Schluter KERDI bonded to the mud bed, drains tied in, corners and seams sealed, then flood tested.
04Set the tile
Marble walls and a hex mosaic floor, set on a base that's dead flat, fully supported and completely waterproof.
Want it built on the system?
Text a photo of the shower or floor you're planning, or call and Lou will walk you through how he'd build it.
Questions
Schluter FAQ
- Is a Schluter shower better than a traditional mud pan with a liner?
- They're different approaches, and we know both. A traditional liner pan works when it's built right, but the mortar above the liner stays wet. With KERDI bonded over a hand-floated mud pre-slope, you keep the solid mud base and stop the water right under the tile. You get the best of the old way and the new.
- Why does it matter that the parts are all one system?
- The membrane, drain and boards are designed to seal to each other. Mixing parts from different brands is where seams and drains leak, and it can leave you with no manufacturer standing behind the assembly.
- My shower was built without a proper membrane. Can you fix it?
- Yes. That's most of what shower leak repair is: taking the floor out, finding the failure, and rebuilding it on a bonded system.
Schluter, KERDI, KERDI-BOARD, KERDI-DRAIN, KERDI-LINE, DITRA and DITRA-HEAT are trademarks of Schluter-Systems. Island Tile Craft is an independent contractor and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Schluter-Systems.
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