I've worked in the trades 40 years and still look for and occasionally find new ideas and techniques. This is an exceptional tutorial. Concise but detailed explanation and illustration without dancing squirrels, obnoxious music or self-aggrandizement. Bravo, and thank you!
This was extremely thorough and well explained!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and first-hand experience with this process 🙌🏽📐 Really contemplating doing mud now for even just a back-wall instead of Durock.. was just about ready to change over to Go-Board, but I’m at a crossroad 😂
Wow. I didn't know any of this shite! 62 years old and I have built alot of showers. Remodeling or should I say starting to a nightmare one now and this might be of use but nonetheless I learned it from you and only because you dared to teach. Thanks teacher. 👍
Hi Mark, I am DIYer and have a shower I will be working on my own shower sometime in the next couple of months. I love learning new things and like this approach over cement board. I learned a lot from this video. I am wondering if you can recommend other resources, books to learn this technique. I'd like to build my confidence more as far as making sure I finish with plumb and straight, as well water proofed and to CA codes. Also make sure I have all the right tools before I start.
Thank you. Check out the John Bridge Forum. Specifically the thread on mud work tips and tricks. That’s where I learned for the most part many years ago. Very helpful
How in the world does this hold up? I am trying to u understand the concept. A thin layer of mud on a mesh seem not very stable. Please explain. Maybe put hardibacker, staple mesh to it, then float?
Hardiebacker wicks moisture. Don’t think that would be a very good choice 10:39 The mesh reinforces the mud and makes that wall extremely sturdy. Then he applied another layer of mud the next session… so it’s definitely not a “thin layer” I believe he just stated in the beginning that he needed the valve and side wall bumped out a 1/2” for a miter return. He is also taking in account for the layout + tile that the customer chose, so he is prepping this shower for its specific measurements.
I was thinking of using plywood backing for entire walls, then paper, then lath , then scratch and brown. Would this be a bad idea ? Please give me a detailed response. This would be my first time floating wall instead of using cement board
Thanks for response, I was using redgaurd or kerdi,just used hydroban on my last shower walls and it seams pretty good. Love your videos man,keep em coming please! Thank you sir!
nice job, i float as well and learn new stuff all the time, where did you get those masonite float strips and how thick are they? 1/8"? also, what do you do when your side walls are out of plumb? I know plumbing the side walls with your mud on a wall that is out of plumb looks like a mistake. i know some guys nail a 1/2" stop stick on the side walls regardless because it will be parallel with the rest of the wall.
Thanks. I cut the strips down from a 4x8 sheet of 1/8” Masonite. As far as side walls, it depends. Sometimes I’ll set a half inch stick regardless of how the wall is. But usually I’m working new construction or a remodel for a GC and I’ll float everything plumb and they will have the drywall crew fix their walls after I’m done. Which is how it should be done when possible imo.
It would be interesting to see what your price difference for floating vs foam board. Seems to take a lot more (behind the scenes) time, especially considering moving materials around.
You might be surprised. I did a foam board shower recently and it was just about sixes for me after dicking around with shimming and fixing bad studs etc. Mud is definitely more physical labor, which I don’t mind. Ask me again in 10 years though. But for quite a few years while learning mud it was definitely not faster. I committed to learning it and it took many years to become efficient. Now I mainly do it because I enjoy it and it feels like a much simpler process to me than hanging board over bad framing.
Everything gets a topical waterproofing membrane that’s flashed into a bonding flange drain so it doesn’t matter. Easier to do the walls first and not be messing up my floor mud
Lots of advantages. Allows us to plum and square walls without messing with framing. More solid inside and outside corners. Zero deflection between studs. We can gauge the mud for exact thicknesses and elevations to achieve better layouts etc. Plus it’s just fun.
@Tarkustile Thanks a lot for your reply. I just finished my bath using cement board and definately not easy to fix corners with it if they are not straight. I can see the benefit of using mud there for sure. But I would not do it myself probably as it is not easy for newbie
I've worked in the trades 40 years and still look for and occasionally find new ideas and techniques. This is an exceptional tutorial. Concise but detailed explanation and illustration without dancing squirrels, obnoxious music or self-aggrandizement. Bravo, and thank you!
This was extremely thorough and well explained!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and first-hand experience with this process 🙌🏽📐
Really contemplating doing mud now for even just a back-wall instead of Durock.. was just about ready to change over to Go-Board, but I’m at a crossroad 😂
Glad you enjoyed it. Give it a try!
Yes! Keep mud work alive I love this stuff!
Fantastic tutorial. Thank you, Mark.
You rock! I like that you give credit to others for the tricks you have learned.
Wow. I didn't know any of this shite! 62 years old and I have built alot of showers. Remodeling or should I say starting to a nightmare one now and this might be of use but nonetheless I learned it from you and only because you dared to teach. Thanks teacher. 👍
Thanks for the feedback. Glad it’s appreciated
This was a great video fantastic education and touching on the nuances Thank you Mark.
What a craftsman!
Thanks
You have some interesting techniques
Good stuff learned some different processes
Thank you for that videos very helpful it's going to get me to mud Moore I love to mud too I've been doing tile for a long time but I want a mud 2 ty
Hamilton Tile sent me over! I’m subscribed
Hi Mark, I am DIYer and have a shower I will be working on my own shower sometime in the next couple of months. I love learning new things and like this approach over cement board. I learned a lot from this video. I am wondering if you can recommend other resources, books to learn this technique. I'd like to build my confidence more as far as making sure I finish with plumb and straight, as well water proofed and to CA codes. Also make sure I have all the right tools before I start.
Thank you. Check out the John Bridge Forum. Specifically the thread on mud work tips and tricks. That’s where I learned for the most part many years ago. Very helpful
We use to use rib lath over studs. I'm in Detroit and no one seems to carry it. But makes it much sturdier.
awesome video. how does the tile go on, just with thinset as normal?
@@mymonkeyshines thanks. Yes just thinset.
How in the world does this hold up? I am trying to u understand the concept. A thin layer of mud on a mesh seem not very stable. Please explain. Maybe put hardibacker, staple mesh to it, then float?
Hardiebacker wicks moisture. Don’t think that would be a very good choice
10:39 The mesh reinforces the mud and makes that wall extremely sturdy. Then he applied another layer of mud the next session… so it’s definitely not a “thin layer”
I believe he just stated in the beginning that he needed the valve and side wall bumped out a 1/2” for a miter return.
He is also taking in account for the layout + tile that the customer chose, so he is prepping this shower for its specific measurements.
I was thinking of using plywood backing for entire walls, then paper, then lath , then scratch and brown. Would this be a bad idea ?
Please give me a detailed response. This would be my first time floating wall instead of using cement board
@@carlosvazquez8962 yeah you definitely could do that. Would be very nice to staple into plywood. That would be a very solid shower
Nice work.
Don't worry, we all look weird on video. Maybe we all just look weird
Yes we do
Loving the content Mark, keep it coming 🙌🏽
Nice video, very helpful, what do you usually use for the waterproofing after the float?
Thanks
I typically use aqua defense on the walls
Thanks for response, I was using redgaurd or kerdi,just used hydroban on my last shower walls and it seams pretty good.
Love your videos man,keep em coming please!
Thank you sir!
I appreciate this. 🫡 Very informative from a 25 year installer
nice job, i float as well and learn new stuff all the time, where did you get those masonite float strips and how thick are they? 1/8"? also, what do you do when your side walls are out of plumb? I know plumbing the side walls with your mud on a wall that is out of plumb looks like a mistake. i know some guys nail a 1/2" stop stick on the side walls regardless because it will be parallel with the rest of the wall.
Thanks. I cut the strips down from a 4x8 sheet of 1/8” Masonite. As far as side walls, it depends. Sometimes I’ll set a half inch stick regardless of how the wall is. But usually I’m working new construction or a remodel for a GC and I’ll float everything plumb and they will have the drywall crew fix their walls after I’m done. Which is how it should be done when possible imo.
What is the thickness of each layer ? Lath, scratch....
Absolute savage
It would be interesting to see what your price difference for floating vs foam board. Seems to take a lot more (behind the scenes) time, especially considering moving materials around.
You might be surprised. I did a foam board shower recently and it was just about sixes for me after dicking around with shimming and fixing bad studs etc. Mud is definitely more physical labor, which I don’t mind. Ask me again in 10 years though. But for quite a few years while learning mud it was definitely not faster. I committed to learning it and it took many years to become efficient. Now I mainly do it because I enjoy it and it feels like a much simpler process to me than hanging board over bad framing.
@Tarkustile I heard that! I've been at this since 94 in Wisconsin. It just never came up. Somthing about it just seems old school cool.
@@honestlyforreal6304 oh it is! What part of Wisconsin?
@@Tarkustile Chippewa Falls
@@Tarkustile Chippewa Falls
If water flows down,why would you do the walls first and not the floor?Just wondering.
Everything gets a topical waterproofing membrane that’s flashed into a bonding flange drain so it doesn’t matter. Easier to do the walls first and not be messing up my floor mud
Why soak the Masonite strips?
Helps bond, or helps release?
Keeps them from sucking the moisture out of the mud. Also keeps them from drying and falling out of the mud too soon.
Do you the same mud coats with same material?
Yes. Same mud for the scratch and the brown coat.
What is the advantage of doing mud vs cement boards?
Lots of advantages. Allows us to plum and square walls without messing with framing. More solid inside and outside corners. Zero deflection between studs. We can gauge the mud for exact thicknesses and elevations to achieve better layouts etc. Plus it’s just fun.
@Tarkustile Thanks a lot for your reply. I just finished my bath using cement board and definately not easy to fix corners with it if they are not straight. I can see the benefit of using mud there for sure. But I would not do it myself probably as it is not easy for newbie
That is some ugly green tile 🥴
Who comments on some strangers page just to say that? Obviously the clients like it.
@@Tarkustile I do. I liked your work just didn’t like that tile.