Serving all of Southern California : 888-696-1972
Ans : The hot mop shower pan will go up about 10 inches on the walls. The tile backer (hardy backer, cement board, scratch & float, etc) on the walls should be set so that it overlaps the hot mop on the walls and into the hot mopped shower pan. Most tile setters float another layer of concrete/mortar over the hot mop floor and dam before applying the thinset and tile. Please note that it is very important to NOT PUNCTURE THE HOT MOP BELOW DAM LEVEL. For more info please read our article How to Tile a Shower Pan.
Ans : Hot mopping is a smoky process. We try to mitigate the intensity of the smell by only buying the more expensive low/no smell asphalts. However, there is still a distinct "tar" smell that will be around only while we are hot mopping. The smoke and scent quickly dissipates soon after we finish. Also, we've been told by a firefigher that the tar smoke isn't really smoke in the sense that something is burning. It is more steam than anything else.
Ans : We carry about 100ft of canvas drop tarps to cover finished walkways. We recommend that you also ask your contractor to cover any walk ways with the appropriate coverings as well..
Ans : We encourage all of our clients to do a water test of the shower pan soon after the hot mop. It is safe to fill the pan with water about an hour after the hot mop once it has cooled. Most hot mop drains come plugged and ready to test. However, if you are going to water test your pan we recommend you ask our worker to see if the drain has a plug. If not, they can be purchased for a few dollars at your local home improvement store or we can leave the drain hole covered which you will have to later cut out. You can read more about testing the pan at our article about Leaking Showers.
Ans : We can prepare backing for the shower pan upon request but the scope of work needs to be discussed before scheduling. We can supply and install drain sets on existing 2 inch ABS pipe that is sticking out of the subfloor. There needs to be a 1.5 inch clearance from the outside edge of the pipe to the subfloor.
Ans : We believe that hot mopping currently still offers the best value and protection for our customers. That is why we are willing to put our name on the work.
Ans : Yes. Some discount home improvement stores sell a gray cast-iron drain that slip-on over the drain pipe with no glue (see below). These drains are known to have a hard to access tightening mechanism for the rubber seal that make it vulnerable to leaks around the drain pipe. We will not warranty our work when these drains are installed on second floors. For a reasonable price, we can usually replace these drains with a more secure shower drain set that we carry. For more info please read our article No Glue Shower Drains.
Ans : Start with taking pictures of what you think is the compromise. Then water test the shower pan by plugging the drain pipe and filling to the top of the drain and letting the water sit for 24 hours. If you want the extra peace of mind, you can hire us to come back out and remop over the shower pan with another layer of asphalt.
Ans : There is no secure way for us to level a drain once it has been set by the plumber. It will keep any slope/angle after the hot mop that was there before the hot mop.
Ans : We can work with a gap that is less then three inches on the wall backing. If it is greater, you can nail a tin shingle over the gap. These can be found at you local home improvement store for less then one dollar. Just make sure that the sheet of metal is at least 27 gauge.
Ans : We highly discourag using the tile backer as backing for the hot mop. However, if you decide to do this you NEED to put another layer over the backing that we hot mopped onto. The final backing for the tile has to overlap into the hot mop shower pan so that all moisture is caught by the pan.
Ans : Some typical ways to protect the weep holes at the base of the drain is to surrond them with gravel, crushed tile, tile spacers, and/or some sort of mesh. You can find pictures and more detailed descriptions on our blog article The "Holy" Weep Holes.
Ans : Hot mopping provides good waterproofing on floors that will have tile and be exposed to high amounts of water. We often hot mop decks, balconies, fountains, roman tubs, planters, steam rooms, church baptisteries, etc.
Ans : Before hot mopping we create a preslope for the shower pan by dry packing mortar mix to create the slope to the subflange of the drain assembly. Once we are done hot mopping, the finished shower pan will have the cured asphalt exposed. Floating the mud base for the tile floor over the hot mop is uniquely part of the tile setting trade. Our hot mopping technicians have only been trained on hot mopping the shower pan and consequently we can not set the mud base for your tile.
Ans : No. We can only hot mop and warranty our work when the site is prepared to code as described in our Site Preparation page. In addition, you should read our article on Leaking Shower's.
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