If there is any room in your home where waterproofing is mandatory, it is the bathroom. That is why bathroom renovations are always best left to professional contractors, as they will have the expertise to ensure that the workmanship is above par. However, there are some minor repairs that some homeowners may choose to engage in on their own to flex their DIY muscle. One such project is tiling a shower. Since the tiling process does have a direct impact on the waterproofing of your bathroom, ensure that you steer clear from the following mistakes.

Avoid improper priming and prepping of the shower

Before you can start tiling the shower, the surface that you will be working on must be prepped and primed sufficiently. These processes entail the removal of any lingering adhesive, sanding down of the sublayer and lastly cleaning away all the dust that is created during the priming process. Some people may assume that skipping the prepping and priming and going right into tiling the shower will save them time. The act of the matter is if the surface is not primed, neither the waterproofing nor the tiles will stay securely in place. Before you know it, you would have to engage in bathroom repairs to fix the compromised tiles.

Avoid rushing the curing process

The next stage of tiling a shower is to lay screed on the flooring. Screed refers to a combination of cement and sand and acts as the base for the tiles. Do not be tempted to rush the curing process by applying waterproofing before the screed has had time to completely dry. Uncured screed will not bond with the waterproofing layer, which puts your entire bathroom at risk of water damage. Instead, let the layer of screed dry slowly for a few days before you continue tiling your shower.

Avoid insufficient application of waterproofing

The next step to tiling your shower would be the application of the waterproofing product. These membranes come in various types, so you have a selection to choose from based on your needs as well as budget. Liquid membranes tend to be the easiest to work with as they are just poured directly onto the surface that requires waterproofing. Nonetheless, there are some things to bear in mind when applying the waterproofing product. Firstly, ensure that every single part of the surface is covered in the membrane. Leaving even a small bit without the waterproofing product can pose the risk of potential leaks down the road. Secondly, ensure that the waterproofing membranes extends past the area of your shower that will be wet. Some homeowners forget that water will flow past their shower, so the surface area being waterproofed should cater to this overflow.