Hi, I’m Sebastian and you may have seen me in some Schluter videos or at a Schluter workshop.
Before I worked for Schluter, I was a tile setter for many years.
Throughout my career, I’ve had a lot of experience using different methods. One of the best changes I
made was when I started using Schluter®-DITRA. Let me tell you about the bigger picture.
Now that I use DITRA, it’s such a quick and simple process to load up materials,
no matter how big or small the job is, I just throw everything into
the back of my truck and get to it, usually making only 1 stop.
I remember back when I used backerboard as an underlayment for tile…..
every time I went to go to pick up the materials it always ended up being so many trips. Once I had
my backerboard loaded—there was no other room in my truck for anything else I needed for the job.
I’d have to make several trips for my tools, fasteners, and everything else. My poor truck
was always packed to the hilt. And this didn’t include anything I needed to set the tile;
I’d have to go to a different place for that material.
All of the runnings around really ate up a lot of time when starting a job.
Now with DITRA I get right to work. It’s so simple to get my job site stocked.
The rolls are compact, and I can run all my materials right to the area where
I’m working and get started immediately.
There was this one time on an early backerboard job where I was all alone.
I had to set up a cutting station in the garage and get all of my backerboard in
there as well. I hadn’t even started the job yet and my back was already hurting!
With DITRA, I love that everything is done right in the same room. I can roll out the membrane and
cut it right in place. Anything like a vent or closet door jamb can be cut around so easily.
And with DITRA—even the smallest scrap pieces can be saved and used on another job.
With backerboard, you have to deal with all of those requirements for off-set joints,
this means that most of your off cuts end up in the garbage.
It’s constantly up and down and up and down and it’s in and out and in and out of the house for
measuring, cutting, and dry fitting. What a mess! I even ended up roughing up the walls in a couple
of places when trying to get through the house. Sometimes you don’t get to fix those types of
damages. I ended up getting back charged, which actually cost me money. I’ll never forget it.
And this wasn’t even a big job…on my larger projects, it was even worse.
Installing DITRA is such a breeze in comparison. I remember when I
installed DITRA for the first time—I couldn’t believe it was just a thin-set application—I
kept expecting a “catch”. But really, its just as simple as applying thin-set and embedding
the DITRA in place. And to waterproof it? The membrane itself is waterproof,
but I can throw down some KERDI-BAND quickly over the seams and it’s ready to go.
With all of the curbless showers, I’m installing these days, I love the security
of using a manufacturer’s system’s approach, which guarantees that my transition from the
Kerdi Shower System to the DITRA installed on the bathroom floor is all waterproof.
Not to mention all the bonus benefits you get with DITRA. Along with the waterproofing,
DITRA offers uncoupling, support and load distribution, and vapor management!
Backerboard doesn’t have any of those benefits and is a whole lot more cumbersome to work with.
And as a bonus, I can go ahead and start my tile right away with DITRA.
What really surprised me with backerboard, is that even though you have set the board in thin-set,
put in a ton of screws, AND added mesh tape to the joints,
you still don’t have any of those benefits. Another misconception about using BB when
you install it over plywood is that it gives strength and structural integrity to the floor.
I read in the tile industry manual that it really doesn’t do that,
so it’s an awful lot of work without much benefit.
Not to mention that if I want to waterproof backerboard it’s a whole other product I have
to purchase and install—adding days to the job. And tile setting can’t happen right away
since you’re waiting on drying times for the thin-set or waterproofing products.
Plus you’ve got another issue to deal with--your transitions to other rooms or into the hallway.
Once the job is done, it’s time for clean up. With DITRA, I have such little waste that
I can quickly tidy up the Jobsite and be on my way to the next job.
When it comes to backerboard, there is a ton of waste. Then, there’s….the. dust.
That dust gets everywhere. It’s impossible to get totally clean. Between the cutting area,
and just tracking through the house, it takes me quite a bit of time to get
things to where I can move on to the next job. In the end, the cost for backerboard …. with the
materials, extra time spent on the job, and clean up—makes DITRA such a saver in more ways than one.
In this industry, you really need to be open to learning new things and updating your skills.
Using DITRA I am able to fit in more jobs which makes me more profit. These days everyone is
short installers, but with DITRA, you don’t have to increase the size of your crew.
These are just a couple of stories from when I first started out. I’ve come a long way since
then and my switch to DITRA really helped me grow my bottom line and…save my back!