What is hot mopping? Isn't that an old school method of sealing a bath/shower floor? My contractor mentioned it in his bid and now I am wondering if I should get a new contractor! This is new to me and I am afraid I will get outdated methods. Can anyone help me?
Thank you!

The hot mopping that I'm familiar with was/is a method where a roofer would mop hot asphalt onto a layer of roofing felt to adhere it to the surface or the next layer of felt. I've never heard of using it inside a building. I'd be really concerned if he is planning on doing this inside an occupied building.

I dont know much about it but other tile installers from around the country tell me that it was a very common method of waterproofing a shower pan years ago and is still practiced today mainly on the west coast. I cant tell you what the correct method of doing it is so I cant say anything good or bad about the contractor. Is he going to use cement board on the walls of the shower and put a vapor barrier behind the cement board to protect the wall studs from any water intrusion? Is he going to use mesh tape on the corners and seams of the cement board and use a modified thinset over the tape and also to set the tile? He should if he wants my opinion of him to remain positive.

Thank you! Yes, we are on the west coast. I was a little aprehensive about having hot tar (?) in the house. I will ask him about the other things too. We are redoing 4 bathrooms, and I will see take your advice and check it out. This remodeling stuff is really HARD!

vivian,

if this is a one man operation, and he has been doing this for 15-20 years i would prob go with what he wants to do. if you have a 18yr old kid come out to hot mop your shower i would be a little scared. if its a guy who has 20yrs exp hot mopping he may trust that method better then any of the newer methods that have only beed around 5-10 years and dont really have any long term results to back up their products. construction just like anything else sometimes technology gets ahead of the consumer, so just like your new computer that has bugs in it when it is first released the same can be true of new techniques in construction, except in your case its water leaking throughout your house and not just a simple program not opening on the computer.
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im not saying there arent newer and quality waterproofing techniques with proven track records, but this guy may be well experienced in this method and prefer to do what he has had the most success and experience with rather then experimenting a new product(or new to him)in your house.

I realize this post is old, but i just wanted to inform people that "hot mopping" is recommended by the Ceramic Tile Institute of America (CTIOA). This method has been proven to last many years when done right. Hire a professional! This method is commonly practiced in the west coast. All showers are mopped with three layers and pre sloped 1/4 inch per foot, then put through a 24 hour water test. I would highly recommend the hot mop method.
You can learn more here http://www.ojedashowerpans.com/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark-o,

I know this message is real old but I had my shower and tub area hot mopped and I was smart enough to take pictures at the time. You can see them at CraftsmanRemodel.com. Just go to the Photo Gallery and look at the Master Bathroom Construction Photos.

Mike