Tile shower pan install

An acrylic shower pan is an easier installation than a tile pan. This will create a small lip at the bottom of the shower walls where tiles or an acrylic surround would bump out, leaving a gap. Therefore, the pan must be installed first. With the right type of shower pan, you can have an easy-to- install, virtually leakproof prefab pan and a tiled shower floor, because you can simply tile over the pan.

Use small shims or other spacers to allow a small amount of space between the bottom of the tile and the lip of the shower pan.

Small pieces of cardboard work great as makeshift shims. After the mortar is set, you can simply remove these shims and caulk between the lip of the pan and the bottom of the tile. Put some cardboard in the shower base and walk around on it to see how stable the shower base is. Most installers recommend putting a bed of mortar down for the shower base to sit on. You need some sort of membrane felt, plastic, etc on the floor or the leveling compound will leak out at any hole it finds.

Once the subfloor of proper thickness is properly installed then you can apply cement board directly to the subfloor material. Unmodified thinset is preferable. Over time, these structures can give out, develop cracks or holes, and turn into a leak that rots the floor underneath. With proper sealing, a shower pan can eliminate this issue and the need to install a base underneath.

In contrast to a tiled shower, a shower pan has no grout to clean, maintain or worry about. Plumbers generally install the shower liner, new drain trap and strainer. Contrary to popular belief, ceramic tile and grout, by themselves are not waterproof. You can even dry-fit these tiles outside of the bathroom itself if there are any space limitations.

The standard installation of a tile-over polyurethane shower pan starts with a framed-in shower alcove that is sized for the shower pan. If the subfloor is wood, it should receive a layer of cement board to protect the wood from the mortar bed under the pan. If there is access to the drain connection below the shower, the subfloor simply needs a hole for the shower pan drain assembly to fit through. The final drain hookup can be made after the shower is completed.

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