Last week I spent two days at a Schluter clinic. Talk about being schooled! I’ve worked with Ditra before, and knew the benefits of tiling with the product, but had little knowledge of Kerdi. Wow, talk about learning a thing or two. To begin with, Schluter did a bang-up job in providing all of the information I could ever ask for. I walked away with a 3-ring binder full of information, an ANSI Tile Council of North America code book, and a couple of Schluter installation CDs. On the technical side, I now understand why some tile jobs I helped lay years ago are now no good. I had ideas about why they failed, all of which I completely understand now.
Day one began with a great breakfast at the Dearborn Doubletree Hotel in Detroit. Then on to the 7 AM – 5 PM clinic. The instructor had decades of experience as a tile contractor, and has worked at Schluter for about 15-years. It was fast-paced, but we still had time for questions. There were about 60 of us listening intently to every word presented. Every time he referenced the product, we were able to read the TCNA code book and see how it applied to the ANSI code.
After lunch, it was the practical application of the products. They split the room in half and broke us up into groups of 2 – 4 crews. Ditra was first, but then each group was able to work with Kerdi board and wrap. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend dinner at Andiamo’s (very nice restaurant).
The next day was much the same as the first – more information and practical applications. The difference being, we were able to install a Kerdi integrated drain system. Talk about easy! Using the Kerdi-shower tray in conjunction with the Kerdi drain was a heck of a lot easier then laying a mud pan and going through the headache of everything else just to make sure you have a water-tight system. With the Schluter System, you can pre-cut everything, haul it to site on a bicycle if you wanted to, and be tiling the next morning. Talk about easy!
Oh, forgot to mention – we walked away with a set of Schluter trowels: one for Ditra and one for Kerdi, a Schluter hat, and 25-year Ditra tee shirt.
Unfortunately, no pictures to share (I was too busy).
Next time you see Schluter offering one of these seminars – go to it. It’s worth the time. Did I mention it was free?
-- No matter how many times I measure, I always forget the dimensions before I cut.
6 comments so far
MarkTheFiddler
home | projects | blog
398 posts in 338 days
posted 203 days ago
How cool is that! Sounds like a great 2 days. Another step to mastery. Sometimes you don’t know something they teach is right until you have already had good hands on experience.
-- A year into redoing my home - a year to go.
GaryL
home | projects | blog
186 posts in 902 days
posted 203 days ago
I was turned onto the Kerdi system a few years ago at the Remodelers Show in Chicago.
The bathroom renovation in my projects is all kerdi, kerdiboard with kerdi-fix. 1/2 on the wall, 1 1/2 for the bench, and kerdi-flex for the curved tub front.
Very easy to use but pricey. I have now purchased an entire roll of Kerdi membrane and have been using it in all the showers I do now. I used the Schluter curb and pan once but won’t bother again. Way too expensive. I order the drain kit for a mud pack and then apply the membrane over it. I think this is easier and you can keep your wall connection level all the way around which you cannot do with the preformed pan in a rectangular shower.
I wish I had known about this seminar. Learning more about a quality product is always a good thing.
One of these days I want to talk a client into a linear drain to give that a try.
FYI…Noble is another company that makes similiar products, just harder to find.
-- The difference between a pro and an amateur, an amateur points out his mistakes
Todd Thomas
home | projects | blog
739 posts in 1616 days
posted 201 days ago
Hey BillyJ
This is all I have used in my showers for the lat 3 years…. I only use their products, Kerdi board is a life saver.
We pour our own pans and use their drain and kerdi on top of the pan.
Call me and I give you a few secrets on installing Kerdi board. I’ll try to put a few pictures up of some of the showers we’ve done lately
Todd
-- Todd- Oak Ridge, TN
vulpes
home | projects | blog
5 posts in 219 days
posted 197 days ago
Very timely post. Will be renovating/installing a new kitchen with tile counter tops and will definitely look into Schluter.
-- Great minds discuss ideas, mediocre minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.
vulpes
home | projects | blog
5 posts in 219 days
posted 197 days ago
P.S. Had a sub contractor come by recently on a project bid, who said he received all the time free invitations from the manufacturer how to install their product, but he said he never went because he already did 400 installations and they could not teach him anything….
Guess who I did not hire.
-- Great minds discuss ideas, mediocre minds discuss events, and small minds discuss people.
BillyJ
home | projects | blog
258 posts in 1373 days
posted 191 days ago
vulpes – LOL. Heck, maybe he wrote the book! I always learn something, regardless of who puts on the seminar. The presenter mentioned a study, Rainfall Inside My House, by Don Halvorson. It’s a great little study that shows how much water penetration can happen. If you get a chance, Google it. It really made me think twice about all of the jobs I did without using something like Kerdi.
-- No matter how many times I measure, I always forget the dimensions before I cut.