If you're looking to remodel your bathroom, a new shower can revamp the entire space. There are many shower pans available for purchase but if you're working with a small space or searching for a customized look, create your own concrete base. Adequate waterproofing and correct sloping are essential, but with the right tools and education, you can avoid the hassle of contractors by pouring your shower base yourself.
Instructions
1. Trim a piece of ½-inch cement board with a knife to fit your shower floor. Cut a hole in the center to hold the drain base, the bottom part of the drain assembly.
2. Attach the cement board to the floor using carpenter's glue. Insert drywall screws with a screw gun to reinforce the connection. Put the bottom part of the drain assembly into the center drain hole you prepared.
3. Cut a piece of cement mesh with tin-snips to fit the shower floor, leaving a space in the center for the drain. Lay the mesh and secure it to the floor with a staple gun.
4. Measure with a tape measure from the center of the drain to each side to calculate the height of your slope. The slope must be at least ¼ inch for each foot to allow for adequate drainage. For example, if a shower wall is 2 feet from the drain, the cement will have to rise from its ½-inch depth at the drain to 1 inch at the wall. Draw a horizontal line around the shower perimeter with chalk and a level to serve as a slope guideline.
5. Mix cement in a wheelbarrow using the instructions written on the cement packaging. Lay a coating of cement with a shovel on top of the mesh.
6. Slope the cement with a trowel, adding more cement if necessary. The layer should start as ½-inch thick around the drain and then rise to the guideline you drew on the walls. Let the drain part sit on top of the cement layer. Leave this base layer to dry for a day.
7. Lay a plastic shower liner over the cement layer letting the liner extend about 1 foot up the walls. This liner, often made of PVC and found in your local hardware store, will reduce potential damage by draining any water that seeps through the floor. Staple the liner in place with a staple gun.
8. Cut an opening for the drain at the center of the liner with a razor knife. Insert the top part of the drain assembly and attach the two parts by screwing the provided screws into place with a screwdriver. Set the liner so that it rests right under the three small holes in the top part of the drain assembly. Close the liner around the drain with liner glue.
9. Attach ¼-inch cement board to the shower walls with carpenter glue, letting it overlap the liner at the bottom of the walls. Prepare another batch of cement, following the instructions on the package to create a thicker and drier product.
10. Cover the liner layer with a layer of cement 1 inch deep in all places. This should conserve the original slope you formed. Smooth the cement with a trowel.
11. Press the drain rim, the cover of the drain assembly into the cement. Let this second cement layer dry for two days. Your shower base is now ready to be tiled.
Tips Warnings
While pouring your shower base, plug the drain with a sponge to keep debris from falling in.
Failure to slope the shower base properly can lead to water accumulation, potentially causing extensive damage.
Tags: pouring, shower, base, drain assembly, part drain, part drain assembly, cement board, cement layer, cement with, center drain, around drain, assembly into, bottom part, bottom part drain
