Shower Pan Replacement Project Step by Step

In case you can't read what the pictures say, I rewrote it below:

Picture 1-Original 1962 shower floor. Shower leaking into crawl space over entire area.

Picture 2-Using a 4.5 inch diamond blade angle grinder, cut at grout line of first tile from floor; the floor was easily removed with hammer and chisel since the water soaked mortar bed was soft

Picture 3-The original waterproofing membrane was similar to heavy roofing felt and rested on the wood floor. This membrane only came up on the sides to this cut line- it did not overlap the threshold. The original membrane was completely removed.

Picture 4-View looking toward the front of the shower showing the water piping and remains of the water proofing membrane

Picture 5-Layer of roofing felt put down against the wood floor and "floor mud" (essentially mortar, sold at tile stores) put down to form the "pre-pan". The plumbing drain consists of PVC drain assembly (3 pieces) with the first part put down with the prepan mud. The prepan has a 1/4"/ft slope toward the drain as measured from the longest direction (the back) and then that height is transferred to all the sides. Floor mud to water ratio as directed on the mud package (a dry mix).

Picture 6-Orange PVC waterproof membrane placed on pre-pan and up the sides. Membrane is folded in the corners and attached to the sides at the top (fasten as high as possible to avoid holes in this membrane). Spacers and then cement board placed on the sides- screws go into the studs in the walls. Caution: take special care to adjust the cement board and spacers so that when tile with its normal mortar bed is installed , the new tile will be flush with old tile- do not rely on extra thick mortar bed to get the new tiles flush with the original wall. The bottom of the cement board is approx 1/2 inch above the membrane The drain ring clamps over the membrane- cut small holes in the membrane for the screws and cut center hole for drain flow. The drain top screws into this ring and its height can be adjusted. Small pebbles placed at drain assembly weep holes so any water between membrane and mud and easily drain.

Picture 7-Approx 1.5 inches floor mud w/same slope toward drain as pre-pan is installed over the waterproof membrane. Mud is installed up to the bottom edge of the drain top which is the same thickness as normal mosaic tile with its mortar bed.

Picture 8- 2 inch by 2 inch tiles installed in a mortar bed- shown before grouting. Tiles laid out to minimize small cuts around the drain. This required extensive cuts around the perimeter but the score and snap tile cutter is very fast compared to using a tile saw. Tile comes in sheets with mesh backing holding the tiles together which maintains even spacing but makes it difficult to remove excess mortar from between the tiles- where the grout goes. Tile cost roughly $6/ft ^2 or $80 for this job.

Picture 9-Based on discussions with Augusta Tile Center personnel, grouted with epoxy grout which is stain resistant
and virtually waterproof, thus serving to further reduce the chances of water leaking thru the pan. Note: ordinary grout is not waterproof and the waterproofing membrane must be watertight to protect the subfloor. Cost of epoxy grout was $25 (roughly 20x times the cost of ordinary grout). Grout has short worktime- 1 hr or so, but installs easily and did not tend to lift out when wiped off during the installation process.

Let my know what you think, thanks for watching.

• Affiliate Submitter:
  

1. By: DerPicnicker
2. Categories How To
3. Views 533
4. Added :18-Nov-07
   Report This Video