I met a General Contractor at one of my clients home today and he said they often do not tear up the tile in the master shower when there is a mud pan below. They will put levers over and tile over it all. SERIOUSLY? Anyone do this with luck?
Sounds wickedly risky in my book!
http://www.hometalk.com/89532/shower-tile-i-...
Possible but not recommended...
http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/qa/ti...
In addition the writer uses a water membrane system. This is a great idea, however proper protocol dictates that this membrane not cover or seal off the below floor drain openings that are critical in preventing leakage should the water membrane fail.
This point is all mute however if the shower pan is placed on a cement slab at or below grade level as any leaks will seep into the ground and evaporate away.
The old adage goes your only as good as the weakest link. And if any tile on the floor or if the original installation is faulty then your new expensive floor would end up needing to be torn out to make the repairs that eventually will arise in short order.
"Ok I admit it was probably a bad suggestion in this case, and I didn't mean to imply we would do it that way. Only that it might be a possible way to save some work if the right conditions existed. I understand not every tile guy is comfortable with the technique but most tile manufacturers do give detailed instructions on how to do it and offer products specifically designed for tiling ...»
That is not my type of client and not the work we offer. If we touch your job, Everything is going to be new and warranty'd by us and the mnfg products we use...