Flooring Tile - building a custom tiled shower area

Is there any way I can get around mudding in a wet bed for a 3x6 double shower area?

This is a basement bathroom project and the floor is already concrete. It seems like there must be an easier solution.

I have heard of Kerdi but never used it in a tiling project. Can I use it right over the concrete basement floor?

I've already gotten so much use out of this website! Thanks for any help. We are just weekend warriors.

Nikol

So we haven't even touched upon what kind of drain you have there, what size (need 2" inner diameter for a shower)

As Jaz said, you need to slope under the liner. A shower built with a pvc or cpe or metal liner connects to a 2 part clamping drain. The drain has weep holes along the base. Water will saturate the setting bed of mud, the liner keeps it within the pan, the slope directs it to the weep holes and the weep holes let it drain to dry out the pan. No slope=no drainage=stagnation, mold, stale smell, germ and bacteria paradise.

A Kerdi shower has only 1 layer of mud, the preslope. Kerd is set to the slope and covers the walls. It connects to a special Kerdi drain. The tile is bonded to the Kerdi and water gets no further than the thinset layer under the tile where it quickly evaporates out of the grout lines.

You will need to bust up some concrete to be able to install the proper drain. If you took out a tub, you probably have 1.5" drain lines which need to be repaced with 2" drain lines all the way to and including the hub tying it into your main drain stack. An additional vent may need to be installed if the relocated drain falls far enough from it's connection to the stack.

What is your drain situation in the shower area?

Oh, you can go to www.schluter.com and click products, there are links for waterproofing membranes and shower systems with downloadable videos.