In our eyes, the shower is almost compared to what heaven is perceived to be.  After a long day of work, it is the one place to unwind and let everything wash off.  For that quick ten to fifteen minutes nothing else matters except the water dripping down from our scalp to toes and the clean scent of soap rejuvenating our souls.  Unfortunately if you haven’t updated your shower decor that image is overpowered by dirty grout lines and outdated tiles….

We introduce to you our first design idea, the concrete shower wrap.  We wanted to create a shower which eliminated all grout lines, leaving limited space for mold to grow.  If you follow the steps below, we guarantee a clean-line shower with a Zen-like vibe.

Step 1:  Empty everything, including your soaps, shampoos, loofas, razors, etc.  Depending on your shower stall, you could choose to remove the doors or curtains, but again this all depends on your workspace and how much effort you want to put in.

 Step 2:  Rinse down all areas to be coated with a clean sponge with a 10:1 mix of Ecoprocote’s Eco-Etch Pro Clean & Concentrate.  Allow product to soak in for 10 minutes or so and clean thoroughly with warm water.

 Step 3:  If you’re current walls are high-gloss such as porcelain or ceramic, to ensure proper adhesion roll on one coat Deco-Poz Polymer to surface.  Allow 24 to dry.  If your walls have a texture, primed drywall, or raw cement board skip this step.  Deco-Poz is a primer-less system, but we prefer to play it safe on high-gloss areas.

 Step 4:  Once you have a prepped surface to apply cement, tape of all edges with the strongest blue tape you can find. 

 Step 5: At this point, your next step is to apply Acri-Soy grout sealer to the existing grout.  Skip this step if you do not have any grout to seal.

Step 6:  Now you are ready to apply your cement.  There are multiple options here, which all depends on the look you are going for and the texture desired, but for our guide, we will stick with a smoother application.  Read manufacturers instructions on how to mix EcoProcote’s Polymer and Cement Mix.  A little tip we can give is on vertical surfaces make sure the consistency is a little thicker to avoid running.  With a small steel trowel, apply your first coat of mix at 1/16” directly over your walls, floors, etc.  Make sure if you have grout lines to focus on filling in your lines.  This is extremely important to eliminate ghost lines appearing.  Allow product to dry, usually within a couple hrs. 

 Step 7:  Sand down your walls with a 120 grit sandpaper knocking down all trowel marks. 

 Step 8:  At this point you should have your first base coat of cement on the walls and dry.  This step is probably the most crucial point.  Mix up another batch of cement, according to manufacturers specifications, and trowel your second coat of cement up the walls.  Allow cement to dry and as soon as you notice the color change (cement drying) sand down the walls with a 220 grit sandpaper.  This will give a “polished” effect without having to actually diamond polish the walls.

Step 9:  This step is strictly optional.  If you want to add color to your walls, apply stain of your choice and follow manufacturer’s instructions.  We prefer NewLooks transparent stain, Soy-Crete, or mineral life’s patina wash.  Make sure to follow staining instructions as some stains require a neutralization process.

 Step 10:  SHOWER WALLS: Now you are ready for you walls to be sealed.  With Dynamics 4″ Enviro Roller, roll one coat Acri-soy to your new walls.  Now this is going to sound strange, but immediately after applying sealer, with a white buffing pad similar to the one you use when waxing your car, buff in the sealer as it is drying.  Repeat two more coats of Acri-soy and your job is done!  Depending on how shiny you want your surface, depends on how much sealer and which sealer you apply.  We like the look of this combination, but with proper sampling you can achieve different sheens with different sealers.

Step 11: SHOWER FLOORS: A different sealer must be used.  You can skip step 10 and do this combination on the floors and walls if preferred.  With a 3/8″ nap roller, roll on one coat of the Eco-Tuff 2-Part Epoxy Primer/Sealer.  Make note to really work out this product and do not apply too much.  After 6 hours of drying, apply one coat of Eco-Tuff Clear Coat (Submersible AQ Formula).  Follow manufacturers instructions for application.  We usually roll it on.  A helpful hint is to apply multiple thin coats opposed to less but heavier coats.  We usually only apply 2 coats.

 Step 12:  With a razor blade, score all your edges prior to peeling back tape.  Your painted walls or ceilings might have paint removed at this point, but that all depends on the surface you are working on.   Wait 24 hours to shower and you’re all done.

Necessary Tools & Ingredients

• Eco Etch Pro Concentrate Etch & Cleaner
• Deco-Poz Eco Blend Cement Mix (gray or white)
• Dec0-Poz Polymer Concentrate
• Acri-Soy Grout Sealer
• Acri-soy Penetrating Clear Satin Sealer
• Eco-Tuff 2-Part Water Based Epoxy Primer/Sealer
• Eco-Tuff  SUBMERSIBLE Clear Coat
• Edgewise Premium 14-day Blue Tape
• Dynamic 4″ Mini Enviro Kit
• Drop Cloths
• Auto Buffer with white pad
• 100 & 220 Grit Sandpaper

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at 12:19 pm and is filed under Design Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.