How to Replace a Fiberglass Shower Pan
Fiberglass is tough and has wide variety of uses. One place you’ll find fiberglass that you may never have noticed is in the shower. The floor of the shower, or shower pan, is often made of fiberglass to create a durable, strong piece of plumbing equipment. If your shower sustains some damage however, you can easily remove it and install a new one. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 3 ½-inch dry cut off saw
- Shop-vac
- Prybar
- Hammer
- Power drill
- Substrate
- Tiles
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Instructions
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Remove the door or curtain from the shower if there is one and open any windows in the bathroom.
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Cut into the wall about 12 inches above the shower pan. You want to cut along the grout line of the tiles so if you have to move up or down by up to 2 or 3 inches then do so.
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Use a 3 ½-inch dry cut off saw to cut through the tile and substrate of the shower. Cut all around the shower.
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Clean any dust the saw created with a shop-vac.
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Wedge a prybar into the gap made by the saw and bang it in place with a hammer. Pry the materials of the wall using the prybar and hammer around the whole shower and following the saw line.
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Drill through the drain until you can loosen the shower pan from the drainpipe below with a power drill.
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Remove and discard the old shower pan.
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Clean the area under the fiberglass pan with the shop-vac and remove all of the dirt and particles.
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Set the new fiberglass pan in place and secure it by installing the new drain flange according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
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Install new substrate in the exposed area around the shower pan and the wall.
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Tile over the new substrate to seal the shower pan in place.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear goggles and a facemask to keep dust particles from getting in your eyes and mouth.
Be careful when drilling into the drain flange; old drains were often made from lead and should be drilled into cautiously.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
