How to Install a Shower Pan in a Handicapped Shower

A shower pan for a handicapped shower has special requirements. The most important is that it has no threshold. The threshold interferes with wheel-chair access. The second requirement is that it is larger so there's room for the chair to navigate. The two requirements actually work together: The larger shower area allows you to end the slope of the floor before the doorway. A fabric membrane is the best material for a handicapped shower, since you don't need a second coat of concrete with it, which raises its height.

Things You'll Need

• 15 lb. roofing felt or plastic Hammer Roofing nails Concrete backerboard Tape measure Galvanized screws Straight edge Level Board Pencil Work gloves Sand Portland cement Water Mixing pan Drain Trowel Thinset Fabric membrane

Instructions

1. Create the layout for the shower stall. Keep the head of the shower as far away from the entrance as possible. When you calculate for the slope of the shower you'll need to use a drop of 1/4 inch for every foot the drain is from the wall, or if you stop the slope about a foot beyond the area where the water hits, at that point. If the drain is 3 feet from the wall, the slope is 3/4 inch.

2. Lay roofing paper or plastic on the subfloor. Cover that with wire mesh. Overlap the mesh 1 inch where necessary. Nail with roofing nails or screw the mesh down with galvanized screws every 6 inches. Mix a batch of mortar. To do this you use one part of Portland cement to every three to four parts of sand and enough water to form a ball that doesn't crumble to pieces if you lightly drop it.

3. Trowel down the mortar. A steel floating trowel and a wood float are ideal to create the slope. Use a level to test the slope. You might need to make a slight 1/2-inch bump at the threshold to keep water from flowing out of the shower. Push the drain into the concrete and let the mud dry overnight.

4. Hang the backerboard when the concrete is dry enough. Cover the concrete with a thin layer of thinset and prepare to lay the fabric membrane. The Schluter Kerdi system has one precut for the floor. You may need to use other pieces to cover the entire area. Make sure you overlap them and smooth them into place.

5. Cover the membrane on the floor with cardboard when you work on the walls. Use strips of fabric membrane folded in half to seal the floor with the walls. You'll put half on the floor and the other half on the wall. When working on corners, make sure you overlap them from two directions. Go up the walls with the fabric like you're hanging wallpaper. Seal the drain with a layer of thinset and the membrane created for the drain.

6. Wait at least 24 hours before a water test. Plug the drain and then put in an inch of water. Check it the next morning to see if you have visible leaks or loss of water.

7. Coat the area with thinset if you're adding ceramic tile on the membrane. Give the area plenty of time to dry after the waterproofing test.