Super Shower

The Super Shower Finish

Super shower finish is a beautiful, smooth water-repellent cementitious plaster alternative to tile and stone. Although there are a few different ways to approach this process, the following application is proven to be durable, lasting, and low to no maintenance.

This stunning finish will complement any bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room.

I’ve been plastering since 1981 and did my first super shower finish about eighteen years ago, since then I have done more super shower finishes than you can shake a stick at and have three of my own. One of them is ten years old and looks as good as the day it was done.

The Process

Once the Bathtub or shower drain is installed (shower value is roughed @1 ¼ inch)* then a hot-mopped or vinyl pan liner is installed, it is ready for lath.

Lath

We install a double sixty-minute paper, Bitathane where necessary. Nail or staple 2.5 or 3.4 diamond wire is preferred; however, other wire may be ok, but thicker wire gives walls rigidity value reducing cracking. Caulk all nail and staple penetrations with polyurethane. Do not caulk roughed-in shower value or shower head stub outs.

Scratch and Brown Coats

Plastic cement is ok. But we use and recommend Eisenwall cement by Rapid set with fiber added, it gains a high strength psi quickly, a stronger overall cement cracking less than plastic cement, and allows the brown coat to be applied without the forty-eight-hour cure time (recommended with plastic cement).

Poly Prep and 4.5oz Mesh

We then skim coat with Merlex poly prep and embed mesh over the brown coat, approximately thickness ⅛ inch or slightly greater; this step is a (crack isolation system) Yes, it is necessary and recommended for all fine finishes.

The Super Shower Finish Coat

Two coats of super shower finish – troweled on (or in plaster’s term for finish coats) A scratch and double, and sometimes a sweetener when needed. Trowel knocking down lines and filling imperfections as the material sets, trowel again, mist on a bit of water and trowel again, compressing the finish until hard and beautiful. The super shower also comes in color. Custom colors can also be made.