Tadelakt repair, repairing our tadelakt shower

[@mjremy2605]

This was very interesting to watch. I want to do my RV shower stall. Very cool to see repairs. Most helpful, thank you! fyi - the music was deafening and hurt my ears. Best to never use music in any DIY video.

[@ellenlee604]

Super helpful! @Vision-pd, how do you repair cracks in the corner of the walls? I'm seeing that my tadelakt is pulling away from the corners so all 4 corners of the bathroom I'm seeing cracks. Wonder if I dab the corners with your stocking method but smooth out with a flat trowel before polishing?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Thats a good idea, I found that the radius I had in the corners was too large so the material was expanding/contracting and causing cracks. I think its tricky to get the radius correct as I believe too small a radius would crack as well. The method we showed in this video should help with the repair but it isnt a fix all solution. Hope you get on well with it, good luck

[@neddelanzarote6387]

Thanks a lot! I wondered how ro repair my selfmade sink. I had many dificulties in finding the exact moment to start polishing and applying the soap, so I ruined it myself being too impatient. :/ I’ll try it out! :D

[@beyondtheworkbench]

That was exactly my issue. The solution I found was wait until the polishing stone does not have any residue on it and then it is ready to soap. It should go cloudy once applied which is how you know it worked. Then polish the cloud off. It is very tough to get all the timings correct.

[@bravoo92]

Thanks for the video! I was wondering if you dampened the repair area before working with the nylon stocking?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Hi, Not exactly, the shower was used daily so the tadelakt had had some moisture on it recently but I dried it off with a microfibre towel before the application. It is important not to get the tadelakt wet (with water, soap application is different) before it has begun to go off so working on this principle I thought it best to keep the area dry before the application.

[@decorativepaintinglatvia]

Hi! How do you reapply soap and wax? Just rub the soap in? And how long do you wait to cover it with wax? Thank you

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Hi, The more people are commenting on here the more I realise the tadelakt we used isnt the authentic material, although it has worked ok for us so your application method will differ. In reapplying I just wash with the soap diluted in hot water and once that has dried you can apply the wax and buff it off or wipe it off as it cures.

[@reubengosling4034]

How have you found having a tadelakt floor in your wetroom? I've read bits online about it not having the required durability and also I'm also a bit concerned it could be quite slippery.

[@beyondtheworkbench]

I would agree with the above and having done it I would advise against it. If applied really well it should work but we found even a small patch that wasn't perfect would let in water and make it damp. And yes it is slippery.

[@t3KJolly]

super input! is the old surface roughened or the old soap removed before the new layer is applied? or is tadelakt simply applied to the existing, soaped surface?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Yes the old surface is removed, nothing will key to finished tadelakt so you need to remove the top layer so that the repair will bind.

[@dacianuscatu]

@@beyondtheworkbench thanks

[@kai7437]

The upload date of this 'repair' video is only 5 months (OMG) after the upload of the initial installation. What caused the problems? Was it applied incorrectly in the beginning? I am considering Tadelakt for my bathroom build and I'd be horrified if it needed repair within the first few years let alone within the first 6 months!

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Hi, yea our issue was that we could not reach the back of the shower tray with the polishing stone in time as the bottom section was too large. We applied the whole shower in one go which may have been a mistake but I didn't want to risk leaks at the seams in-between applications. If you can reach the whole bottom section then you might be better off than we were.

[@kai7437]

@@beyondtheworkbench Thank you for responding. I see. So because you applied the entire surface at once, and the space is only big enough for one person to work, the Tadelakt was drying in many areas before you could have time to finish burnishing it all? Or you mean 'reach' as in literally, like you applied the entire floor section and forgot to consider how your arms would reach to burnish the back without stepping on the work you'd already done?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

@@kai7437 Exactly yes, we also expected it to go off 'be ready to polish' much quicker than it was and we ended up having to wait overnight by which time it was too late. I would advise having a go with it first in a test area but we would have needed a large test area to replicate the problems we came into on this. It also needs quite a lot of care once it is done such as applying wax and soap to keep the surface healthy so it definitely isn't hands off once its down.

[@kai7437]

@@beyondtheworkbench ooh ok. How often does it need to be re-coated with wax and soap to keep it healthy? (assuming everyday use from 2 adults)

[@beyondtheworkbench]

@@kai7437 I apply it every couple of weeks when it stops forming tight beads of water on the surface

[@antoinerobillard3126]

Hi, Thank you for your nice video. Do you put a liner under this kind of finish? I saw concrete on your other video. is it a concrete shower pan without liner ? Or shower pan/liner/concrete/tadelakt?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Hi, We used a liquid liner. The subfloor was formed with concrete to give the gradient for drainage. (the only liner under this is the foundation liner which is under the structural floor) We then applied the tape to the corners and painted on the liquid liner. There is also a mesh that is pressed into the tadelakt itself but this is for strength not waterproofing.

[@antoinerobillard3126]

@@beyondtheworkbench Thank you ! And how did you connect the drain to the concrete/liquid liner? does the first part of the drain was bring the same hight of the concrete, seal with the liquid liner and the second section of the drain same hight of the tadelakt? thanks! You did a great job with this tadelakt.

[@beyondtheworkbench]

@@antoinerobillard3126 We used a two part drain which you would use for a wetroom application. You set the bottom section into the concrete base when you form it. Then you paint over the edges of this part of the drain with the membrane Fit the top section and tadelakt just above this and slightly over the edges so that any water runs into the drain. The tadelakt should be the waterproof layer so the membrane is just a fail safe to ensure any leaks run into the drain and don't soak into the concrete floor.

[@antoinerobillard3126]

@@beyondtheworkbench Thanks!

[@saren6538]

whats the light dust that collects on the surface ? ??? wheres that come from ?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Tadelakt wont stick to the areas that are still polished. It will only adhere to the damaged areas that are rough so the dust is the tadelakt that diddn't stick coming back up.

[@saren6538]

@@beyondtheworkbench lol .. of coure it wont stick... by the way kreidezeit isnt tadelakt. . its a european imatation and that stone is man made from fibreglass. mental how they get away with calling it tadelakt. best to use the back of a plastic spoon for those internal curves. The black soap works womders when applied on tadelakt same day (real tadelakt) and add linseed oil. ..good tho you got the tights trick from easy tadelakt crack repair ...its a good one that

[@beyondtheworkbench]

@@saren6538 Thank you for highlighting this

[@markmanger162]

How are the repairs holding up?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

They are 'functioning' but I am likely going to do a sand back and redo the whole topcoat to make it a better finish.

[@grabopener]

@@beyondtheworkbench good to hear that they're functioning. are you doing any kind of acrylic seal on the floor?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

@@grabopener No, the tadelakt is waterproof as it is so doesnt need any top layer other than the treatment soap you apply with it and occasional reapplication

[@grabopener]

@@beyondtheworkbench okay. I asked because I have a 2 year old traditional tadelakt shower that is holding up well, except for the floor--which discolored quickly and is developing a few small pits (looking for ways to repair this is what led me to your video.) I learned this is not unusual and some tadelakt makers recommend tile or an acrylic coat on the shower floor only. so, I'm eager to see how yours works out.

[@beyondtheworkbench]

@@grabopener The repairs do hold up for a bit but ultimately I think it needs re-doing. The acrylic layer would probably work to keep it sealed but I dont have any experience with it with tadelakt and you may have to coat the whole shower so that it doesnt have a visible transition but I hope it works for you if you decide to go down that route.

[@punchout2418]

"tadelakt testicle" LMAO 🤣😂🤣😂 On a more serious note. How is it holding up after 18 months?

[@beyondtheworkbench]

The floor needs re-doing but I think it dried on us too fast to be able to work the stone into all the areas in time. We will be trying to burnish it this time with a metal trowel.

[@elenarespeto6001]

Que yo vea el título esta en ingles y encima tienes subtitulos "personaje" sin insultar estas mas guapo.......

[@beyondtheworkbench]

Gracias por el comentario y las amables palabras, miraré los subtítulos.

[@gerzalumen1]

Porque mierda ,pones título en español, si el contenido es en inglés.