Question from Airy
We just moved into our first home, so all this is new to me. I’m so scared of getting sick.
We’re installing a shower into the corner of the bathroom. I want to do all tile. The contractor said we could save some money if we used a pre-made, square, shower floor and do tiles just on the walls.
He said he didn’t notice any smells from these floors. Does anyone here have any experience with these?
I’m looking for a safe, product list that I can just hand to the contractor. I’ve never done anything like this in my life. Tile and grout should be safe. I know that I need non-toxic, latex-free grout (we redid some kitchen tiles with this and it worked great). I have no idea what else is involved. We’ll probably need to do some plumbing, but he looked under the house and everything looks good, so I think we’ll just need the shower hardware. Is there anything that I should be aware of like welding materials?
Also, we have an old, claw-foot bathtub with some chips around the drain. The contractor mentioned doing the shower first and then reglazing the entire tub in the summer and putting it outside to outgas (we have some space under the house). I was told by the house inspector when we bought the house that we could get the porcelain repaired. I haven’t been able to find anyone who can do a non-toxic spot repair or even specifically a porcelain repair person.
Will fumes seep up through the floor if the tub is under the house? There’s a large space under there with just a dirt floor.
Debra’s Answer
My best recommendation is to use all tile in the shower. You don’t mention what material the shower floor is, but they are usually fiberglass or acrylic. We did a bathroom remodel a few years ago and did a shower with a tile floor and walls and are very happy with it.
