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 plywood 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 plywood 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 Jobsite 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 plywood job where I was all alone.
I had to set up a cutting station in the garage and get all of my plywood 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 plywood, 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, it’s 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 as well as vapor management!
Plywood doesn’t have all those benefits and is a whole lot more cumbersome to work with.
And as a bonus is I can go ahead and start my tile right away with DITRA.
Not to mention that if I want to waterproof plywood 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 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 plywood, 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 plywood …. 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. (DITRA montage)
Those 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!