Start-up for new shower install in basement, Square hole is cement floor. Do I close

[ReggieD]

I do home improvement as a hobby. I am a jack of all trades, master of none. I want to install my first fully tiled shower in basement. I know how to run drains, vents, copper, etc. This is my first time installed a shower in the basement that already have the drains roughed-in.

I have a square hole in my basement floor with a 2" pipes leading down to an elbow which feeds underground to the toilet 4" pipe and vent 2" pipe. All feeding back to an underground tank. I need to understand what to do with the square opening before pouring the new shower pan. My plan is to fabricate a 45 x 70 walk-in shower. I need to make sure to have the drain at the right height and properly pitch the shower floor toward the drain (www.markeindustries.com/) .

a) What do I do with the opening in the floor to prevent water, bugs from entering the basement after the shower is complete?
b) What plumbing pieces do I need to purchase to attach to the 2” pipe before pouring the shower floor. What fixture should I glue to pipe? What should I attach to pipe to have the ability to adjusts to the shower floor height?
c) How high should I cut the 2" pipe so the drain can be high enough before pouring the shower floor.

Pictures enclosed.

[jadnashua]

First, for construction of your shower, you should check out www.johnbridge.com and look in their 'Liberry'. There are numerous approved methods of building a tiled shower. The pan is not poured, it is shaped with deck mud which is closer to wet beach sand than concrete. The shower drain, if you build a conventional shower, needs to be a clamping drain. The receptor that holds the grate is adjustable in height because it screws into the clamping portion. This allows you to compensate for various thickness of tile and setting bed. When you say walk-in shower, are you talking about an ADA approved, curbless shower? If so, then you need to make the area where the shower is recessed from the rest of the bathroom to accommodate the required layers and waterproofing. You'd want the shower area to be recessed about 3-4", depending on the size of the shower to accommodate the required slope to the drain (minimum 1/4" per foot to the furthest corner). Yes, you need a waterproof layer, even in the basement.

My preferred method of building a shower is with Kerdi from www.schluter.com. the Kerdi system requires their drain, which is set so the top surace is even with the sloped surface. The drain piece is adjustable in height and x-y to allow for the tile thickness...a neat feature, and, it is square, so cuting tile to fit is easier than round. They have preformed pans you can tile, or you can use deckmud like you would with a conventional shower. If you use this, it is fairly easy to make the entire bathroom floor waterproof so it won't wick up into the walls and mess with your framing. You'd use Kerdi in the shower, and DItra on the rest of the floor.

[ReggieD]

I did not really mean pour the shower floor with cement. I was trying to shorten my introduction by summarizing my plans. Yes you are correct regarding the shower pan. I am going to use the kit which has pitch sticks, weep drain, rubber bladder, sand mix instructions, the whole nine yards (www.markeindustries.com/) on how to customize the shower floor. Also I did not mean to imply that I was going to make the entire bathroom into a shower. My goal is to fabricate a large walk-in shower with a lip to keep the water in the shower area. The shower will be 45" x 70 with a 30" glass door. My earilier post was mostly focus on what to do with the square opening in the floor and the correct drain attachment to make sure my drain is at the right height with respect to the tiled floor.

I want to do it right the first time. I will love as much help as possible. I looked as several web sites. None of them had clamping drain pipes. All appeared to be glued. Can you send more infor to clarify..Thanks for your help and future help

[jadnashua]

A clamping drain for a shower uses the clamp to seal the liner to the drain. How the drain connects to the pipe depends on the pipe. Since you have pvc, you'd use one that glued to the pipe.

Note, the drain ideally should be centered in the shower.

All of your questions can be answered over at John Bridge's Tile Your World website. You need to determine the height of the preslope, then depending on the drain you choose, it will determine how high to place it. You'd want to fill in the hole after you install the drain. you need that area to be stable.

WIthout a curb, you'll need to be careful about what you do in the rest of the room. I still think Kerdi verses a conventional liner is your friend. It's easier, too, since you only need to shape one layer. With a conventional shower, you need the preslope, the liner, then the setting bed.