But when I noticed a wet spot on the bedroom floor next to the shower, I knew I was in trouble. A trip under the house confirmed the leaks and damage to the floor under the shower.
Then I learned that the tile guys in our area are all very busy, so you get to wait for someone to get to your job. I paid close attention when Mr. Davis finally got there, because it looked like that would be an interesting do-it yourself project.
Here are the basic steps.
Repair any damage.
Usually damage will be to the sub floor in and around the shower pan. Remove rotted material and replace it. If water has damaged walls or ceilings in floors below, you could be looking at big repair bills. Avoiding these problems is why you want the job done right.
Install drain base.
Tile floors are water-resistant but not water-proof. So the mortar that's exposed to water absorbs water. It's very important that the correct drain be properly installed to let whatever water weeps into the mortar reach the drain and move out. At this stage the drain base is roughed in.
Build the sloped mortar base.
Build your slope in here. The slope moves all the water to the drain which prevents mold, fungus and odors. Build a roughly two inch thick base that slopes to the drain. This bed must cure before the next step.
Install the shower floor pan liner membrane and drain top.
A flexible waterproof membrane goes above the mortar base. The membrane is a rubber-like material that's waterproof and undamaged by household chemicals. The membrane goes up the sides of the wall a few inches. One of the tricks is how to fold the liner in the corner.
Install the second mortar bed.
A second mortar bed is installed over the liner and reinforced with wire.
Build the curb.
Build any threshold forms and pour mortar mix to establish the correct shape.
Install tile.
After the second coat of mortar cures, install a coat of thinset.
Then install tile. Let thinset cure then grout.
Tricks to handling shower floor pans:
There are a lot of places to make mistakes and a lot of questions can come up.
Like how do you build the threshold?
How do you get the right amount of fall in the floor?
How is the pan attached to the drain?
What kind of mud is best and how do you mix it?
How do you get the liner in the corners?
How do you run the pan up the walls?
There are a lot of "secrets" about shower floor pans that the tile guys don't want you to know.
You will find all of them here:
Click Here!
Al Bullington writes about rural living and small business topics from his homestead in the country.