Advice appreciated.

I have taken out a older enclosed shower and working to replace with tile. The bathroom is 1/2 undergound (a tri-level home) on an outside wall.
The question is what type of insulation I should put between the foundation wall and the cement board? (I will only have 2" to the cement board).
And what type should be used above the foundation?
I am concerned that making a mistake will produce mold and mildew that I will not see or learn about for many years. Plus, after the room/shower is tiled, I would have a hard time correcting.

I'd rather see a "fastboat" than a "fastilejob" I don't mean to be harsh but, your question is typically incomplete, and requires back and forth questions before I/We can give you an answer within the guidelines of Industry Standards. The most important information you left out is where you live, Hot, Medium or Cold? 1 Season, 2 Seasons, 3 Seasons or 4? This information needs to be known because, it does make a huge difference in the vulnerability of your "Enclosed" shower with one wall "exposed to the elements", which brings up another important point, your definition of an "Enclosed" shower. Is it 4 walls with a full 2 sided jamb, curb, tiled header and tiled ceiling? All these issues are relevant so I/We can put your mind at ease. I/We are also willing to include additional advice, if you tell us what your experience level is in installing cement board as well as your tiling skills. Do you intend to re-build the shower pan? Will you be doing plumbing alterations, etc? To All, who read these posts, please remember to give us ALL the information in order for us to help you diligently and effectively. Everyone benefits by complete questions and complete answers; waiting for your response. "Your Friend When You Need One", so you can "TIRTGIM" Armen Tavy aka Spacerman

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Armen Tavy

I am also in the process of remodeling my shower. I am currently down to the studs and I need to decide which insulation to use. I live in Michigan, so I have all 4 seasons. my shower is not on any outside walls. the entire shower will be tiled, and I will be putting in a recessed light. I am having a new shower drain installed and and new shower pan liner. I will block in between the 2 x 4's with 2x10 or 2x12 so the plumber has a sufficient area to tack the shower pan liner to. What insulation would you recommend? Thank You for your help.

Regards, Bill

Insulation in walls of a shower that is not on any outside walls is not necessary unless you want to muffle the sounds of the shower "a little bit" from adjacent rooms. Since all the rooms are at an ambient temperature, condensation on the reverse side of the tile backer boards should not be an issue. I hope you are using cement backerboards everywhere, including the ceiling, and the ceiling light must be "Vapor Proof") Full showers, walls, floors, ceilings 2 jambs a header and a curb is a difficult challenge for a novice or a seasoned floor tile installer that has never done such a shower. With little or no experience, you would need me by your side the entire time, and of course that would not be possible.

Think twice or thrice before you start this project, and “Please”, do not rely on a "plumber to install your liner correctly, because most of them do not know how. About the only thing they know how to do is secure the liner in-between the sub-drain halves. The shower sub-pan must be pre-pitched with cement before the liner is installed, and the cement for the upper section of the shower pan must be hand mixed, not a store bought pre-mix. The folds in the corners and over the dam are the most difficult, even for the best installers. If you have watched an installation on one of the home improvement shows, do not mimic what they did, because your installation will fail. I have written much on this subject and you are welcome to a free copy of my detailed information. Send your e-mail address to: spacerman@tavytools.com and I will attach copies for walls, drains, and pans for you to review. If you can follow my directions, professional looking results are still a “maybe”. I am leaving for a 6-day business trip to San Francisco this morning, and if you request any of my documents, I would not be able to send them until I return to Florida on the 17th.

I don’t mean to discourage you, I just want you to be aware. Armen Tavy

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Armen Tavy


Edited by spacerman on Nov 9, 2009 at 11:41 PM