The Most Important Thing To Do, When Building A Shower Pan
I've seen plenty of tips and advice all over the Internet
and rarely do I find the most important thing that you will need to know
when building a shower pan. Every once in a while I will purchase a book
on home repairs or bathroom remodeling that mentions the most important
thing you need to know when building a shower pan, but I rarely see it
anywhere else.
Most people waterproof their shower pan, and never install a sloping
surface underneath it. There are a couple of ways that you can
waterproof your shower pan. The first and most commonly used one today,
is called hot mopping or using hot tar, a thick roofing felt paper.
These shower pan seemed to work pretty good, but can crack and start to
leak.
The second most common form is using a plastic liner that looks
something like an aboveground pool liner. This material works good, but
can often rip or tear, if it isn't assembled properly. Each one of these
methods, will be more effective if you install a sloping surface
underneath them.
This surface will be raised around the perimeter of the shower pan and
slope towards the drain. I rarely see anyone do this anymore, but it
used to be a common practice. It can be done using concrete or plywood.
Either one of these works out fine, you can even use concrete on top of
a wood floor, to produce a sloping surface. However, I would recommend
using concrete on top of concrete and using wood on top of wood. The
reason for sloping the shower pan area underneath the waterproofing
membrane is that any water, that gets underneath the shower floor tile,
can safely work its way towards the drain, instead of sitting on the
flat surface, for long periods of time.
When you don't install a sloping surface underneath your shower tile
waterproofing membrane, you can expect water or moisture to accumulate
in flat areas around your shower pan, underneath your tile. The water
will also absorb into the concrete or cement that is used to slope the
shower floor, directly above the waterproofing membrane.