You’ve decided to add a bathroom to your den, so you picked up some shower pans and a package of tile at your local home improvement store. The next day you unboxed the shower pans and realized, neither one will work without concrete. What now? You could hire out, but concrete projects are a lot of work, often cost quite a bit of money, and can be dangerous if done improperly. In this article we’ll cover the basics of how to tile a shower floor on concrete or plywood floor.
Building a shower or bathtub on concrete foundation can be difficult if you don’t know the process. Follow this how-to guide to learn how to tile shower floor on concrete, or build a shower pan to bear the weight of the water, and pouring the bed for the tiles.
How to build a shower pan on concrete
A shower pan is a shallow tray or pan that sits on top of the subfloor and concrete slab in your bathroom. It helps to protect the subfloor and prevent leaks.
Shower pans are usually made of fiberglass, but you can also use a plastic liner if you want to save some money. The shower pan sits directly on top of the subfloor, which is the layer between the floor joists and basement floor.
How to Tile a Shower Floor on Concrete
Step 1: Remove Old Tile
First, remove any old tile from your bathroom walls and floor using a utility knife or grout removal tool. Remove all grout from between tiles with a grouting saw or chisel. Make sure that you don’t damage your walls when you’re removing tiles!
Step 2: Clean Walls & Floors
Next, clean the walls and floors with soap and water so they’re completely free from dirt, debris and mold spores before installing new tile.
Step 3: Apply Adhesive to Walls & Floor
Now it’s time to apply adhesive to your walls and floor where they will meet each other during installation (between tiles). Use an even coat of adhesive over all surfaces that will come into contact with each other during installation (i
You don’t need to have a concrete foundation or slab to build a shower pan. You can build a shower pan on top of a plywood subfloor and then tile the floor. If you have access to concrete blocks, they can be used as a base for your shower pan.
Planning
Before you start building the shower base, you need to plan out the dimensions of your bathroom and determine where you want your shower door and other fixtures. The most important thing when planning is making sure that there is plenty of room for your head when standing up in the shower. Measure twice and cut once!
Materials
You will need:
Tools/Equipment: Drill, hammer drill bit, jigsaw, masonry chisel, level, tape measure
The next step is to install a shower pan. The shower pan is the bottom of the shower. It’s usually made of fiberglass or concrete and is designed to sit on top of your subfloor. A shower pan comes in all shapes and sizes, so you can choose one that fits your space and matches your style.
The easiest way to determine where to place your shower pan is to draw a rough sketch of the space on the floor, including where each wall will be located. Then measure from the ground up and mark where your walls will be located. This will help you place your shower pan correctly so it’s level with the rest of your bathroom flooring.
Once you’ve determined where each wall will go, use an electric saw to cut holes in your subfloor at each corner location to accommodate plumbing pipes and electrical wires (see Resources). You’ll also need to cut out an opening for any drains that may run through the floor (see How To Install A Shower Drain).
Laying Your Molded Fiberglass Panels
Fiberglass panels are lightweight but sturdy enough for regular use; they’re also easy to install over plywood subfloors using screws or nails (see above). Before starting any installation work, however, check
The most popular way to build a shower pan is to lay down a layer of plywood first. The plywood will provide a flat surface for your mortar and tile to bond to, and it allows you to use any type of tile that you like.
The first step is to cut the plywood to fit your shower area. Then you’ll want to screw it down onto your subfloor using galvanized screws with washers on each side. If you’re not sure how many screws you’ll need, it’s best to over-screw than under-screw because you can pull out a few if they’re too long but not add any if they’re too short.
Once the plywood is attached, mix up some mortar according to the directions on the bag and use some spacers or a trowel to spread it across the surface of the wood evenly in one direction (usually lengthwise). It’s important that you make sure this layer is thick enough that when set up properly, there aren’t any gaps between mortar and wood anywhere on top of your subfloor; otherwise water can seep through those gaps into your subflooring and cause damage or mold growth later on down the line (and yes, it will happen).
After
If you’re installing a new shower, you’ll need to build a shower pan before tiling the floor. This is a hole in the concrete that will hold the drain and shower curb. The pan sits beneath the tile and helps to keep water from seeping through the concrete and into your home’s foundation.
If you’re building a shower on a sloped or uneven surface, we recommend hiring a professional unless you have experience working with concrete.
Measure and mark out the size of your shower pan onto the plywood subflooring using a tape measure and chalk line. Use 1/4-inch plywood for this project; it’s strong enough to support most showers. Cut out your subfloor using a circular saw with either a carbide blade or masonry blade (available at home improvement stores).
Line up the cutout shape of your subfloor with your marks on the concrete flooring, then screw it down using 3-inch screws every 12 inches along all sides (except for any bottom corners).
Fill in any gaps between the subfloor and concrete floor with backer rod or caulking material before pouring concrete into your shower pan form; this will help stop water seeping through cracks in
Showers are a great way to add style and functionality to your bathroom. A shower pan is the foundation for your shower floor, and it can be either poured concrete or a preformed fiberglass unit.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how to build a shower pan on plywood floor. We’ll also give you tips to make sure your project is successful.
Materials Needed:
Shower Pan
Leveling Feet (Optional)
Silicone Caulk (Optional)
You’re going to want to build a shower pan on plywood floor if you’re installing tile in an area where there’s no existing shower base. This is most common in bathrooms that are being remodeled, but it’s also possible in new construction.
To install the pan, you’ll need to measure your bathroom and mark off the dimensions on a sheet of plywood. You’ll also need to cut out the drain location, which will be positioned in the corner opposite the wall-mounted faucet. The drain should be at least 3 inches below the top of the plywood so there’s enough room for water to drain when someone flushes the toilet or turns on a sink.
Next, use a hammer drill and bit to drill holes through both sides of each piece of plywood and fasten them together using screws or nails. Make sure you predrill so the wood doesn’t split when you drive in your fasteners!
After that, install your shower drain according to its instructions and position it into place with mortar adhesive or waterproof sealant (depending on how permanent you want it). Then apply thinset mortar overtop of your drain cover and seat it firmly into place using plastic shims as needed
The first thing you need to do is to find the right size of shower pan. The size of your shower pan will depend on the size of your bathroom, but it also needs to be large enough for you to comfortably step into and out of it. If you have a larger shower, then you’ll need a larger shower pan, which may mean that you’ll have to put in a new floor as well.
If you’re not sure what size of shower pan you should buy, take measurements of your bathroom and talk to someone at your local home improvement store about what they recommend.
Once you have the right size pan, use a level and mark off where each corner should go on top of the plywood subfloor. Then use wood screws or nails to attach the plywood subfloor to the joists below.
Next, attach the outer walls of your shower pan by drilling pilot holes and inserting screws through them into the plywood subflooring below. This will hold everything together while you work on installing drains later on.
Next comes installing plumbing lines for hot water supply and cold water return lines so that water can flow freely under your new shower base when it’s finished being tiled or carpeted over later on
The easiest way to do this is with a shower pan liner. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are very easy to install. The pan will be made of aluminum or plastic, depending on your preference and the type of floor you have.
The liner comes with a drain hole at one end and some type of anchoring system at the other. You simply place it in your shower floor and screw down the anchoring system so that it stays in place and doesn’t move around during use or when you step on it.
Once you’ve installed your liner, you can start tiling right away!