How To Build A Shower Pan -- Tips For Success

Building a shower pan correctly is often left to the pros. That's partly because the working parts of a shower lie buried within the floor. Here are tips for getting started building a pan yourself.

1. It's a layer at a time.

Bottom up, floors come up a layer at a time. Each layer serves an important function. Get any one layer wrong or leave out a step and the shower fails. Sadly, some pros still get it wrong. They often leave out steps.

2. The membrane stops the water.

One main key to stopping leaks comes in the form of a vinyl sheet called the liner membrane. The trick is the liner is built right into the masonry floor. It's there to catch any and all water that seeps into the floor. And water does seep into the floor. Grout isn't waterproof and some tile isn't either. The liner layer is a must.

3. The mud is special.

Most of the floor is mortar. It's not like used to lay brick. That kind of mortar is too sticky to work properly in a floor. This is a drier mix and it's simple to make. It's just three ingredients in the right proportion. You mix sand, portland cement and water. That's
all.

4. The drain in two spots.

Tile shower drains collect water at two spots. One you see in the shower floor. The other hides down inside the floor. It's the one that catches the water from the liner membrane.

5. Curbs fail too.

Curbs hold the water in the shower and they fail too. Often failure starts with the wrong foundation. Forming the curb is simple. It's best formed by either stacking wood or brick. Hollow forms fail.

Building a shower pan happens one step at a time. Each step is simple, but no steps can be left out or failure is certain.