Shower Pan Installation

Tap to Read ➤ Bidisha Mukherjee

Installing a shower pan is not a difficult task. If you know how to install it, it will help you when some repairing needs to be done later. Here are some instructions for the same.

A shower pan is responsible for the collection of water in your bathroom. Hence, it prevents the damage that can be caused to the walls and floor by water leakage. It requires regular replacement, as it gets worn out quite frequently.

You do not need to have exceptional plumbing skills to install it. With the right kind of tools, you can easily carry out this task.

Installing on Concrete Floor

Select a pre-molded shower pan from the ones that are available in the market. It is always recommended to choose a good quality, so that no moisture leaks out. Pans made of fiberglass and acrylic are the best choice for this purpose.

The first thing that needs to be done, is to prepare a sub-floor that is mostly made of concrete. The required thickness of the base is different for each shower pan. Usually, the measurement is mentioned in the manufacturer's guide.

Prepare a mortar mix of the required quantity and spread it evenly on the floor. Most of the pre-molded pans have an in-built slope that helps the water to flow to the drain, thus preventing it from getting stagnant in one place.

If the shower pan that you are installing does not have a slope, then you have to build it with the mortar. Allow the mortar to get cured completely and then affix the liner. Place the liner on the surface of the mortar and then spread another layer of mortar on it.

Now, place the pan on the mortar in such a way that it fits in perfect alignment with the liner. Fix it properly to the base, so that water can't pass through it. Finally, the drain cover needs to be attached.

Installing on Ceramic Tiles

Nowadays, shower enclosures with ceramic tile flooring are immensely popular. The procedure for installing a shower pan on ceramic tile floor is slightly different. A flexible sheet of plastic has to be laid down on the floor as a liner before you place the ceramic tiles over it. Liners made of PVC are the best.

To start with, you have to prepare a mortar base in the same way that you had prepared for the concrete floor. A gradual slope has to be made on the mortar with the help of a trowel that is directed towards the drain. Let it dry up completely, before placing the plastic liner on it.

The sheet of the liner should properly cover the entire base area. Fold the edges of the liner up the adjacent wall and tightly fix it using nails or staples. Then, lay one more coating of mortar on it securing it further.

Give some time for it to dry up and then lay the ceramic tiles over it. For the next 24 hours, keep the area untouched and let the tiles get set on the surface. After that apply the grout to the tiles and leave it to dry for one more day.

Thus, you can see that a shower pan installation is not as difficult compared to other home improvement projects. You can easily do it yourself and save some of your hard-earned money.