Ceramic Tile Shower Question

Hello,

I have began a project in my basement bath. I have installed a ceramic tile shower. I followed all of the proper steps to create a good water tight shower pan.

My question is: What kind of grout do I use in the corners where the wall tile meets the floor tile? Unfortunately, the cement base I layed down was not perfectly level, so there is a gap as large as 1/2 inch in some places where the wall tiles meet the floor. Should this be grout or caulk? I am worrried about the grout cracking, being that the gap is so large in some spots.

Any help is appreciated!!!

 

Caulk it.

Always caulk the tile wall to the floor, or tile wall to the tub, etc.

 

When one plane of tile meets another caulk it.

 

I'm maybe reading too much into this, but do you mean your base around the perimeter was not level or the entire setting bed. You should have a slope from the furthest point from the drain, sloping 1/4"/ft to the drain then install the liner, then a uniformly thick layer of deck mud over the liner following the preslope. The degreee of slope ofcourse will be steeper from points closest to the drain but the top of the mud should be level around the perimeter. You did make it in this fashion, right? What about your weep holes in the clamping drain, did you protect them from filling with your mud? Water tight is perfect but holding water in a water tight pan without it being able to get out of the pan will be a cleaning nightmare later on as well as possibly leading to problems of water wicking into the walls up through the cement board and can result in even more problems if you set your tile with mastic.

 

Yes, the perimeter is not level. I built up the base higher in the corners, so the base dips a little in the center of each wall where the wall tile meets the floor tile. The base is, however, sloped to the drain.

 

I guess the question is di you isntall the liner directly on the pan or did you pitch a layer of mud under it? I don't see a 1/2" caulk line lasting very long at all. Personally, If you have a pitch under your liner and just the setting bed over the liner was wrong, I'd pull the tile off the pan and screed a layer of thinset over the bed to get it leveled around the perimeter. If you id not use a pitch under your liner, I'd redo the whole thing.