How to Install a Shower Pan in Bathroom Remodeling
A shower pan is the part of the shower you stand on while bathing. It must support the weight of shower users while providing a watertight seal to keep the structure of your home from water damage. A bathroom remodel that involves taking the walls down to the wall studs should include replacement of the shower pan. A replacement shower pan will give your remodel a professional-looking appearance while keeping your home's subfloor and structure from water damage. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Framing square
- Measuring tape
- Jig saw
- Shower drain kit
- 4-foot level
- Wood shims
- Pencil
- Mortar or plaster bedding
- Trowel
Instructions
-
-
1
Place a framing square at the corners where the floor meets the wall studs in the location where you'll set the shower pan. Use the square to ensure where two stud walls meet -- this could have one or two corners, depending on the style of shower pan -- is square. Correct any stud framing issues if they are out of square before continuing.
-
2
Cut a 5-inch-by-5-inch square in the subfloor with a jigsaw where the shower drain will go. Refer to the instructions that came with your shower pan for the required measurements of the location of the drain. Note that some shower pans may come with a template that you place on the floor to indicate drain location.
-
-
3
Install the shower drain pipe according to the directions that came with the drain. Refer to the instructions that came with your shower pan to determine how much the drain pipe should stick above the surface of the floor through the hole cut in the subfloor.
-
4
Install the shower drain fitting on the hole in the bottom of the shower pan according the instructions that came with the drain. Position the shower pan onto the floor so that the drain fitting on the underside of the pan slips over the drain pipe in the floor. Slide the pan as needed to ensure the edges of the pan are pushed up against the wall studs.
-
5
Place a 4-foot level across the shower pan in several different directions. Place wood shims under the pan as needed to bring the level bubble in between the two marks. Mark the wall studs above the shower pan installation flange with a pencil. Lift the shower pan straight up and place it aside. Remove the shims.
-
6
Mix the bedding material recommended by the shower pan manufacturer -- usually mortar or plaster -- according to the directions on the bag. Apply the bedding material to the floor where the shower pan will reside and spread it with a trowel. Ensure you use enough material to support the entire surface of the underside of the shower pan.
-
7
Position the shower pan back into position over the bedding material before it sets. Ensure the drain fitting on the underside of the pan slips over the drain pipe coming out of the floor. Push down on the pan evenly until the installation flange is at the marks you made on the studs earlier. Ensure the front edge of the pan is making contact with the subfloor.
-
8
Allow the bedding material to set up. Install drywall or cement board onto the wall studs and over the installation flange of the pan. Leave a 1/8-inch gap between the drywall or cement board and the splash rim of the shower pan.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Do not put any weight on the shower pan until the bedding material has set up completely. Refer to the directions on the mortar or plaster container for curing times.
