“my patience for thinset removal is wearing thin...”
Man, I feel that. I thought demo day would be the fun part, but chipping away at old thinset is brutal—like, how does it bond so well when you don’t want it to, but flakes off when you actually need it to stick? I’m curious, did you end up using a membrane under your tile pan or just go old-school with the liner? I keep reading conflicting stuff about which one’s less likely to fail long-term...
Man, I hear you on the thinset—nothing like spending hours with a scraper and still finding patches that just won’t budge. I’ve done both liners and membranes over the years. Honestly, I lean membrane these days. Less chance of a sneaky leak if you’re careful with the seams, and it’s a bit more forgiving if your subfloor isn’t perfect. That said, I’ve seen old-school liners last decades too, so it’s not like they’re a bad option. Just comes down to what you’re comfortable working with and how much you trust your waterproofing skills. Either way, patience is key... and maybe a cold one after.
I hear you on membranes—they’ve definitely made things easier, especially when you end up with a subfloor that’s not quite as level as you’d hoped. I’ve run into issues with old liners where the corners start to curl or the folds get tricky around the drain, so membranes have saved me some headaches. When it comes to shower bases, though, do you find plastic pans less hassle overall, or do you still prefer building up a tile-ready base for flexibility and repairs down the line? I keep going back and forth, especially in rentals where repairs are inevitable...
I keep going back and forth, especially in rentals where repairs are inevitable...
Honestly, for rentals, plastic pans have saved me a ton of callbacks. Less risk of leaks, and if someone drops a shampoo bottle and cracks it, swapping out the pan is way less invasive than redoing a mud bed. Tile bases look better, sure, but I’ve seen tenants do some wild stuff—one guy tried to “fix” a loose tile with superglue. Never again.
Plastic pans are hard to beat for rentals, honestly. Here’s what I see:
- Install time is way faster—less labor, less mess.
- Leaks? Way less common with a solid pan than a DIY tile job that gets “fixed” with duct tape (yep, seen it).
- If a tenant cracks one, you’re not tearing out half the bathroom to fix it.
Tile looks great, but unless you’ve got tenants who treat the place like a spa, plastic’s just less headache. Only downside I’ve run into is some folks complain about the “cheap” feel underfoot, but I’ll take that over moldy grout any day.