There’s little that makes me crazier than a whirlpool shower flooring. As there are many reasons your flooring could be squeaking, it can be tricky to find out how to repair it or if it’s fixable. Your best bet is to prevent squeaks in your acrylic or fiberglass shower foundation from ever getting started. Here is what to watch out for.
Chris Snook
1. Subfloor flexing. Most of the time, a noisy shower enclosure is actually because of a plywood or shiplap subfloor bending on a screw or nail. If you step into the shower, the floor flexes along with the timber rubs from the screw or nail, which makes a squeaking noise.
If you are performing a complete remodel and can observe the toilet floor framing from the space beneath, you can usually see where the floor goes and squeaks when someone walks on it. A couple well-placed screws can remove the squeak. Gluing plywood to either side of squeaky floor joists can lessen subfloor flex, also.
Fleurco
Alessa shower base
2. Gaps between the pan and flooring. Sometimes, squeaks are caused in which the flooring tile meets the shower pan. Normally, there should be a small gap between the shower enclosure along with the flooring tile. This gap is filled with silicone, so the grout does not touch the skillet itself. Without the proper quantity of silicone, the pan will probably squeak.
If you become aware of a squeak after the flooring installation, you can eliminate additional grout and thinset carefully with a grout removal tool so there is no grout or thinset linking the floor to the shower base.
Architect, Michael Knowles
3. Inadequate thinset. Look for a shower pan that lets you use a mortar, or thinset, underneath it. Not all producers allow this, but it can result in a sturdier shower pan. Adding mortar or thinset under the pan adds a bit more weight to the installation (which helps weigh the floor down) and fills the voids beneath the pan to keep it from rocking. No motion signifies no squeaking.
URBAN OPERATIONS
4. Pans screwed into wall studs. Shower pans may also squeak when they’re screwed into wall studs. I see this happen all too often, and seldom is this process recommended by shower pan manufacturers. Rather than screwing throughout the shower pan, indicate that your installer use no-drill clip attachments.
Jan McQueen
5. Wet wooden floors. Make sure to waterproof the area outside of your shower. When hardwood floors get too wet, the wood swells and expands, which may cause motion under your shower pan.
Perhaps not all the building codes in North America require waterproofing around the shower (although they do in Australia), so you’ll want to speak to your installer about this specifically.
Holly Marder
6. Heat expansion. Darker tile absorbs more heat than lighter tile. If you’ve selected a dark-colored tile for your bathroom renovation, be sure to ask for a thinset that has a little flexibility for heat expansion. You may discover your shower and toilet squeaks come and go because of weather and humidity levels.
T Russell Millwork Ltd..
7. Subfloor damage. Watch out for the quality of your toilet’s remodeled or original subfloor. Often, a bathtub is eliminated to make way for a brand new shower. After the pipes and drain lines have been transferred, the subfloor has to undergo repairs that may impact its structure favorably or negatively. Ensure that your subfloor is scrutinized for squeaks and the region around the drain is totally supported prior to any installation.