Jason Carducci // Page 3 // JP Carducci Inc

Let’s talk about your shower for a minute, and why it may be time to throw out the old and bring in a new Schluter Shower System.

How often do you shower? For most of us it’s once a day. But depending on your daily activities or schedule, it could be more.

How many people shower in your home on a regular basis?

With a family of 4 showering once a day, that’s over 100 showers a month.

With so much shower activity, mold and other problems now have over 100 opportunities to begin forming.

Making sure that you have a waterproof shower is not only a good idea, but it’s a necessity.

Why is it a good idea?

Well, you don’t want your shower to leak water every time you use it. Continuous water leakage creates a mess, and also allows mold to start growing.

Below is an example of a shower not properly waterproofed that we recently ran across.

Mold is BAD!

We don’t want any standing water and with proper waterproofing we stop leakage, reduce the chance for mold, and prevent water intrusion from getting in the wall. (Look at the example above.)

In all of our new construction homes we use the Schluter Shower System.

Schluter Systems was founded by Master Tile Setter Werner Schluter. Needing better solutions for certain problems throughout his career, Schluter began developing innovative products to help with tile setting.

In 2003 , the Schluter Shower System was introduced to provide a lightweight, easy-to-install alternative to mortar bases. And when installed correctly, the Schluter Shower System is 100% waterproof!

Unlike shower pan liners, bonded waterproof membranes bond directly to the mortar bed and protect it from becoming saturated with regular use.

See, the old school way to waterproof a shower is to use Durock & Red Guard.

Waterproofing this way requires multiple application and multiple trips for your contractor. Here is what the steps look like:

Cut & Install Durock
Apply Red Guard
Wait next day for Red Guard to dry
Check thickness of Red Guard (it’s important to check the thickness because you have to have a certain millage to be waterproof.)
Re-apply Red Guard to fully seal (aka Completely Waterproof)
Wait next day to dry
Then tile your shower.

That is a lot of steps to safely waterproof your shower.

With a Schluter Shower System, the process is much faster and more efficient.

Here is our process:

Waterproof & Set tile on same day

And the good thing about the Schluter Shower Systems is that there is no dust, no mess, and can be installed over drywall.

That means that for new construction, you can drywall the entire house and do not have to worry about cement board or pan liners.

Installing the old school way we described above has a lot of mess, and multiple cleanups.

Certified Installation

Now that you are itching for a Schluter Shower System to be installed it’s very important to understand that not every contractor can install this system.

Schluter requires that contractors become certified through their training programs in order to properly install their systems.

See, installers cannot skip steps. You will end up with a failed system if not done properly.

This brings me to the next point.

Schluter Shower Systems have a great warranty, but that warranty becomes void if purchased through an unauthorized dealer, and the installer is not certified.

You do not want that to happen given the fact that Schluter Shower Systems are more expensive that other systems.

In all of our new construction homes and remodels, we are using the Schluter Shower System.

If you are thinking about renovating your bathroom anytime soon, I would recommend you look into Schluter.

Don’t get caught up with the fact that they can be more expensive than other systems. When compared to the time it takes to install, it saves you money in the long run and is 100% waterproof.