Scooter B
New Member
I'm currently rehabbing a HUD on a limited LTD income so I am trying to do all the labor I can myself. For major plumbing, electrical and anything natural gas related I call in the pro's of course but I replaced the hot water heater myself. I have lots of woodworking experience and tools so I feel comfortable working with a wet saw etc regarding the tile.
The stand up shower in the master bath had a plumbing leak at some point which was repaired but the home builder used dry wall backing for the shower and the lower two rows of tile on one wall were caving in due to water damaged dry wall. (My plumber confirmed there were no remaining leakage in the plumbing.) The home inspector indicated that the shower pan showed signs of a leak and should be replaced when I replace the walls (with cement board this time) and tile. The only shower pans I had seen previously or aware of were sloped fiberglass or some type of composite/plastic/resin that I assumed sat right on top of the slab and cemented or epoxied to the slab.
I got the walls and ceiling torn out easily enough and the tiles chiseled off the pan surface and assumed I was seeing a remaining layer of thin set underneath. There appeared to be border of soft concrete or mortar surrounding three of the four sides approximately 1.5" -1.75" (around the thickness of a 2x4 that contrasted in appearance with what turned out be 3" of sloped poured concrete and not thin set over a preformed shower pan. The poured concrete pan sat on top of a black rubber moisture barrier that only rose 2" above the floor pan and had been screwed into the frame. The border chiseled out with little effort and as previously stated I was expecting to find a preformed shower pan of some kind with thin set over the surface and was naively shocked to find out it was all poured concrete. From my subsequent research I have found out that the sloped poured concrete is also an option instead of the preformed shower pans and that the moisture barrier should have been much higher up the sides and should NOT have been screwed in. Also I get the impression from some of my reading that the moisture barrier should not have been between the slab and the shower pan.
I read some info a while back about the difference between a shower base and a shower pan and differing views about moisture barriers (layer/level to place it, how high up it should rise) and bookmarked several links but my brain got overwhelmed pretty quick trying to figure out what should work best as a DIY for me.
I have the concrete panels ready to be cut and attached to the frame after I get a shower pan in. My dilemma is the open floor area inside the framework seems to be an odd size at 49.75" by 40.25" (inner edge to inner edge of framework). So I haven't been able to find anything "off the shelf" to exactly fit. I reviewed some recommended options for good shower pan products including some tile ready ones but the costs of a custom size and shipping are two to three times what I had expected compared to the off the shelf shower pan from Lowes or Home Depot etc that I budgeted for. I have no experience with mixing or pouring concrete and am definitely not comfortable trying to correctly slope a shower pan before the concrete dries. Other concerns are not getting the proportions right, not knowing how much concrete I would need to mix and being able to mix, get it all poured and formed by myself before it set. Therefore the DIY poured concrete floor pan while easily adapted to odd sized showers does not sound like an option for me.
Parameters:
- My preference is to use tile over which ever shower pan I do end up using but its not an absolute depending how it impacts the cost and complexity of the job. I would prefer recommendations that would allow me to use tile but would be open to looking at alternatives.
- The existing shower ceiling was too low (with the added 3" of concrete over the slab) to allow for a shower head to reach above my head and I am only 6'1". I pretty much planned to raise the ceiling frame 5"-6" to accommodate plenty of clearance which is easy enough to do. The added height would also help the smaller shower feel a little more spacious. On the other hand from the level of the slab however it appears I would have 1"-2" to spare at the existing ceiling height so if I found a custom fit shower pan which only added another 1"-1.25" above the slab in height it might simplify the project a little.
- My other alternative I suppose is to try to find a "tile guy" that would be willing to just pour the shower pan for me. I'm not sure how many good ones would consider the trip and fee for a minimal project worth their time.
I welcome and thank you in advance for any recommendations you could offer.
The stand up shower in the master bath had a plumbing leak at some point which was repaired but the home builder used dry wall backing for the shower and the lower two rows of tile on one wall were caving in due to water damaged dry wall. (My plumber confirmed there were no remaining leakage in the plumbing.) The home inspector indicated that the shower pan showed signs of a leak and should be replaced when I replace the walls (with cement board this time) and tile. The only shower pans I had seen previously or aware of were sloped fiberglass or some type of composite/plastic/resin that I assumed sat right on top of the slab and cemented or epoxied to the slab.
I got the walls and ceiling torn out easily enough and the tiles chiseled off the pan surface and assumed I was seeing a remaining layer of thin set underneath. There appeared to be border of soft concrete or mortar surrounding three of the four sides approximately 1.5" -1.75" (around the thickness of a 2x4 that contrasted in appearance with what turned out be 3" of sloped poured concrete and not thin set over a preformed shower pan. The poured concrete pan sat on top of a black rubber moisture barrier that only rose 2" above the floor pan and had been screwed into the frame. The border chiseled out with little effort and as previously stated I was expecting to find a preformed shower pan of some kind with thin set over the surface and was naively shocked to find out it was all poured concrete. From my subsequent research I have found out that the sloped poured concrete is also an option instead of the preformed shower pans and that the moisture barrier should have been much higher up the sides and should NOT have been screwed in. Also I get the impression from some of my reading that the moisture barrier should not have been between the slab and the shower pan.
I read some info a while back about the difference between a shower base and a shower pan and differing views about moisture barriers (layer/level to place it, how high up it should rise) and bookmarked several links but my brain got overwhelmed pretty quick trying to figure out what should work best as a DIY for me.
I have the concrete panels ready to be cut and attached to the frame after I get a shower pan in. My dilemma is the open floor area inside the framework seems to be an odd size at 49.75" by 40.25" (inner edge to inner edge of framework). So I haven't been able to find anything "off the shelf" to exactly fit. I reviewed some recommended options for good shower pan products including some tile ready ones but the costs of a custom size and shipping are two to three times what I had expected compared to the off the shelf shower pan from Lowes or Home Depot etc that I budgeted for. I have no experience with mixing or pouring concrete and am definitely not comfortable trying to correctly slope a shower pan before the concrete dries. Other concerns are not getting the proportions right, not knowing how much concrete I would need to mix and being able to mix, get it all poured and formed by myself before it set. Therefore the DIY poured concrete floor pan while easily adapted to odd sized showers does not sound like an option for me.
Parameters:
- My preference is to use tile over which ever shower pan I do end up using but its not an absolute depending how it impacts the cost and complexity of the job. I would prefer recommendations that would allow me to use tile but would be open to looking at alternatives.
- The existing shower ceiling was too low (with the added 3" of concrete over the slab) to allow for a shower head to reach above my head and I am only 6'1". I pretty much planned to raise the ceiling frame 5"-6" to accommodate plenty of clearance which is easy enough to do. The added height would also help the smaller shower feel a little more spacious. On the other hand from the level of the slab however it appears I would have 1"-2" to spare at the existing ceiling height so if I found a custom fit shower pan which only added another 1"-1.25" above the slab in height it might simplify the project a little.
- My other alternative I suppose is to try to find a "tile guy" that would be willing to just pour the shower pan for me. I'm not sure how many good ones would consider the trip and fee for a minimal project worth their time.
I welcome and thank you in advance for any recommendations you could offer.