???? vs. Mortar Bed for Tub

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kenreich

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Okay, for those of you that responded to my Corian questions and the elevated tub - thank you! Interesting discussion. My final choice was to elevate the tub
2 3/4" to make room for the drain problems. I did this by cutting 2X4's on their edge to a 2" thickness, screwing those to the subfloor, then screwing down 3/4" plywood to achieve my 2 3/4" elevation. Dry fit the tub and surround and everything including the plumbing fits exactly as it should.

Now for my next question! The bottom of my fiberglass tub has a grid work of 3" squares with 3/4" posts spaced and lengthened accordingly for the tub to sit on. I would like to do something that would fill all the voids in the grid to the level of the posts and then mount that level in a support bed of some kind.

I've gone through all the options I could think of and there are pros and cons to everything I could think of - minimal expanding spray foam, mortar, sheet rock mud, plaster of paris, Quikrete. I'm not throroughly sold on a single fix, yet. What do you guys think?? Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Again, thanks in advance for your responses.

Ken
 
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Thinset is my preference ... always somewhere on the job site, not expensive, sets up nicely.
 
Thinset, mortar or structolite plaster. they all will work fine as long as they are not too soupy. The structolite sets up faster, and we use it because we do not have to wait overnight to finish. Spread in large clumps, and work the materials down and level. We use a shim or two to keep it that way so it does not sink while drying.
I never recommend foam, there is no structure to it and will just compress over time.
Good luck,:2cents:
 
What about filling all the voids in the grid and the void between the bottom of the grid and the bottom of the posts the tub actually sits on?
 
I'm thinking cut the posts off and fill the voids with spray foam.
Of course you will have to build up your base more to account for the removed posts.
 
Remove a section of floor sheeting and sister on bigger joists, new sheeting carry on.
Think about the weight you are putting on shallow joists.
 
I usually go outside and beg/borrow/ steal a 5 gallon bucket of brick mortar from the mason.

if he is not there a bag of quickrete gets mixed up.

it has been my experience that using spray foam is a bad idea. it breaks down in time, mice love it, and its expensive.
 
I thought I would give you a follow-up and my resolution of the tub question. I ended up building a wood skirt around the 3" square waffle grid on the bottom of the tub that matched the angle of the support posts. This wood skirt was used as a screed. I then mixed up thinset and poured into the grid and leveled it off and let it cure. Then I mixed more thinset and put a thin layer on the floor and placed the tub on that and worked it down to my level marks on the wall and screwed the tub in place. It is solid as a rock and the floor of the tub has absolutely no give to it at all.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.
 
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