Pro's Pick: Schluter-Shower System

Chad Hatfield

President, Hatfield Builders & Remodelers

Plano, Texas

We use the Schluter-Shower System in our tiled bathroom projects instead of a conventional PVC liner with cement backerboard. We really like Schluter’s products for a number of reasons.

For one, we can put the shower system over any surface we want because it eliminates the need for mortar. The system does contain a presloped shower tray, but we still use mortar for the floor. Schluter’s components are versatile in terms of the size and configuration of the shower, and they form a fully bonded, watertight assembly. That makes it easy for us to waterproof a shower bench and know it’s never going to leak.

Another reason we use Schluter is that it’s great for a rough plumbing inspection. For that inspection, a conventional PVC liner would have to be in place, flooded, and tested. What typically happens, though, is the liner gets installed and then, while you’re waiting for the inspection, it becomes vulnerable to pinhole leaks from foot traffic or punctures when someone drops a screw on the liner and steps on it. This damage to the waterproofing often goes unnoticed, but it compromises the liner’s integrity and can lead to problems years later. With the Schluter-Shower System, the liner is placed into the thinset and once it’s bonded and cured, it is rock hard. You’re not going to put a hole in that.

Chad Hatfield of Hatfield Builders & Remodelers on why he prefers to use Schluter's Shower System