Tile Ready Shower Pans For Fast Shower Construction

Tile ready shower pans are a modern alternative to traditionally built shower pan liners for ceramic tile showers. Traditional pans require masonry skills and some art for several of the construction steps. Tile ready pans require skill too, but not as much skill. Also the newer designs go in faster since there is no cure time for masonry liners.

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The new design shower pans are ready for ceramic tile setting as soon as they are installed. The drain is built in to the base pan and the slope is built into the pan. Check local building codes for approval of whatever system you choose.

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The traditional shower methods work great if done properly and are especially suited for custom sizes. But the newer systems are perfect for custom sizes too and are especially good for multi-unit installations like apartments or hospitals. The disadvantage of tile ready showers is cost. Installation is faster but cost is consistently higher. In most cases you can get a traditional shower pan built for just the cost of the ready made shower pan material. So look carefully at cost.

Consider these three systems.

The Tile Redi system includes a polyurethane pan with a built-in drain. Standard pan sizes come with built in curbs and side shields. The pan sets in a mortar base supplied by the builder. Level the unit and attach all the pieces and it's ready for tile installation. Check the prices!

The Schluter system has a pan with material for foam curbs and sealing material for the shower wall plus matching adhesives. The Schluter also includes a matching drain. This system is better suited for odd size locations and has the large advantage of sealing the entire wall. The pan sets in a mortar base and after installation is ready for tile.

Lastly, the Wedi system from Germany uses foam panels with adhesive to build any size shower. Foam boards make up the walls for a completely waterproof shower. The pan is set in a mortar base and is ready for tiling the morning after installation.

Conventional masonry construction of shower pans builds ceramic tile showers that will last for decades at a reasonable cost. Tile ready shower pans do have advantages in some situations.

Tile Ready Shower Pans For Fast Shower Construction

Puzzled about shower pans? Need more information? Visit our site for ceramic tile tips.

We invite you to visit http://www.installingceramictile.net for free answers to your shower questions.

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Shower Floor Pans - Often Made Mistakes

Shower floor pans consist of several layers all working together to keep water where it belongs. Make one of several mistakes and the shower leaks and the repair bills mount. Here are some common errors.

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1. Shaky Base

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Tile cracks if installed over a base that moves. That goes for shower floors too. The sub-floor below the shower should be braced and rot free or the shower mortar moves and the whole structure self-destructs.

2. No Slope On Mortar First Layer

Some tile installers see no reason to slope the mortar under the liner. That works for awhile. Eventually what happens is the whole shower base stays wet and creates a perfect environment for mold. Mold begins in the mortar and spreads through the whole floor, completely turning the base to a big mold bed. Symptoms of that are signs of mold in the grout lines that just keep coming back no matter how often you clean.

The first mud layer should be sloped to help water exit the base.

3. Faulty Liner

Shower floors leak. Grout will not stop water and neither will some kinds of tile. A built in waterproof liner membrane serves as the barrier past which not one drop of water should pass. The liner most often takes the form of a vinyl sheet especially made for the purpose. Leave it out or fail to get it sealed to the drain and disaster waits. The liner truly is the layer that keeps water in it's place.

Really all parts of a tile shower exist to properly support the liner and the drain. They are the critical pieces.

4. Drain Problems

Tile shower drains contain drain holes at two levels. One you see in the floor. The other lies buried and sealed to the lower drain base. That special drain is key to a waterproof shower. No substitute will work the same.

5. Not Containing Moisture

Water vapor goes everywhere around a shower. Even if the floor remains waterproof, walls can become mold harbors. Vapor barriers behind tile shower walls keep water in it's proper place instead of feeding mold in walls creating a terrible mess.

Shower floor pans constructed the right way keep water where it should be for many years. Make any of several basic errors and the shower fails and water damage results.

Shower Floor Pans - Often Made Mistakes

Our site includes a free shower pan installation article series with much more detail.

Check out our website for tips on installing ceramic tile projects of all kinds.

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Tile Ready Shower Pans - Skip the Mud Work

Tile ready shower pans are the quickest way to get a leak-proof shower. Building shower pans the traditional way using mortar works great. The problem is there are so many trick to know about the mortar work. That all can be skipped with the right shower base. Here's what to look for when shopping for shower bases

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Only a few bases will work.

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You cannot tile over cheap shower bases that you find at building supply stores. Why not? A shower base for tile must be very rigid so no bending happens. It has to have good support so it doesn't flex. Any movement of the base and you have cracked tile and you just made a big mess. Only a few companies make the bases that work.

What about sizes?

A tile ready shower pan will come in limited numbers of standard sizes. That means you either pay for a custom size or you use the standard sizes. Custom sizes don't come cheap. The Schluter systems can be built in any size using standard parts, but it involves building the pan itself. It's not exactly a tile ready pan.

Drain locations...

Drain location is another problem. You may need to move the drain to fit the pan. That's because drain locations are standard just as sizes are standard. This just calls for a bit more plumbing work.

Sticker shock...

The real big issue with tile ready shower bases is the price. Convenience and speed don't come cheap. In many cases you can pay to have a traditional shower pan built for just the cost of the ready to tile shower pan.

The fastest and easiest way to a leak-proof tile shower is a tile ready shower pan. Only a few companies make the base that really works. Get the right base and the tile shower you install will be leak-proof and problem-free for decades. It's going to cost extra though.

Tile Ready Shower Pans - Skip the Mud Work

Get free ideas to get the best and the easiest tile ready shower pans on our website. Check it out.

Al Bullington invites you to visit http://InstallingCeramicTile.net for answers to your tile shower questions.

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Building Shower Pans - 7 Steps!

Building shower pans is something you can learn to do. Building shower pans is a great skill to learn or maybe you just want to understand how it's done.

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Here are the basic steps for building shower pans.

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1. Repair damage.

If you're replacing a shower pan, fix damaged places. Usually you find damage to the sub floor around the shower floor pan. Remove and replace rotted material. If water has harmed walls or ceilings in floors below, repair that at the same time. To avoid these problems in the future, shower floor pans must be built properly. You can do it right yourself.

2. Rough in shower drain base.

Tile floors are not water-proof. They're water-resistant. Exposed grout and mortar absorbs some water. Mix the mortar properly, or it will crumble and fail over time. Also, there are different grades of mortar. Consult your dealer or read the package directions to make sure you have the right grade for your application.

It's very important that the shower drain be properly installed. The water that weeps into the mortar must reach the drain. Rough in the drain base here.

3. Build the shower floor pan mortar base.

Build your shower floor slope now. The slope moves the water to the drain which prevents mold, fungus and odors caused by standing water. Build a two inch thick base sloping toward the drain. Let the base cure before the next step.

4. Shower pan liner membrane and drain top.

A waterproof shower pan liner membrane goes on top of the mortar base. The shower pan membrane is a rubber-like material and is waterproof and resistant to household chemicals. The membrane extends up the sides of the shower wall several inches. Folding the liner in the corners is a trick to building shower pans!

5. Install the second shower pan liner mortar bed.

Install a second layer of mortar over the liner membrane and reinforce with wire.

6. Build the shower curb.

Build any threshold forms and pour mortar mix to establish the shape.

7. Install your ceramic tile.

When the second coat of mortar cures, install a coat of thinset.

Then install your tile. Let the thinset cure and then you can install the grout.

Now laying tile is an art, but there are tricks you can use to get your joints even and get your cuts done right.

Tricks for building shower pans:

There are several places to make mistakes and a lot of questions can come up when building shower pans.

Such as:

How do I build a threshold?

How do I get the right amount of fall in the floor?

How is the pan attached to the drain?

What kind of mud is best and how do I mix it?

How do I get the liner in the corners?

How do I run the pan up the walls?

What about making cuts? What kind of saw is best?

Building Shower Pans - 7 Steps!

Building shower pans and confused about a step?

I know exactly what you're dealing with.

Vist InstallingCeramicTile.Net to get your project on the right track.

Al Bullington enjoys the beauty and practicality of ceramic tile surfaces from his home in the country.

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Shower Floor Pans Repair Made Fast And Easy

Shower floor pans develop leaks several ways. Sometimes the only way to fix the problem is to tear out the old shower pan and install a new shower pan and liner. But there are at least two other ways you can sometimes fix a leaky tile shower.

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There is a method to fix shower leaks by injecting epoxy through the floor of the shower. The injected epoxy forms a waterproof layer under the tile shower floor. I understand that injecting epoxy evenly under the shower floor could stop a leak. But I worry that you don't know where the epoxy actually is going. If epoxy runs toward the shower drain under the floor, the pan won't drain properly and you may not know it. Any structural problems caused by leaks aren't fixed either.

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Maybe the epoxy injection method has a place but any savings over actually rebuilding the shower pan may disappear over time. It's just postponing a real repair.

Another approach, short of rebuilding a shower pan, is doing spot repairs. When I recently had a shower leak, I called our local tile guru. He suggested looking for grout problems and then sealing any grout breaks with silicone. I eventually had the shower pan rebuilt, but that may have been unnecessary. Read on to find out why!

Grout in shower floor pans is not waterproof, unless an epoxy grout, like Spectralock is used. Water leaks through the grout to the shower pan liner beneath and then flows down the liner to the shower drain. That's the design. Over a long period of time, the water seeping through the grout causes grout deterioration. The grout can crumble, crack and fail.

One step you really should take is to seal your shower floor grout to help repel water. This will prolong the life of the grout. This normal maintenance is often overlooked.

If you have cracked grout causing a leak, you should evaluate the damage. If you have a crawl space under the shower pan, it's easy to see what happened. Is there mold or rot? How much? Minor problems will look better if you stop that leak and let everything dry. Maybe you need some expert advice before you decide what to do. If the subfloor is still solid underneath, you may not need a complete replacement.

Many times the grout failures are in corners of the shower and the water is leaking over the existing shower pan liner so the pan hasn't actually failed. The water is running outside the shower pan liner. If the shower pan is still good, fixing the leak may be all you need to do.

Here's how to proceed. First, let the shower dry completely. Then regrout or seal the cracks with silicon caulk.

If you choose to regrout, get a tile grout saw and remove the damaged grout as much as possible. Then work in new grout with a rubber grout trowel. Go over all the grout especially in the corners and the floor to make sure it's all sound. Clean the tile and seal after it's dry and you're ready to try your shower pan liner repair.

If you just seal with silicone, make very sure the area is dry and work in plenty of silicone. That's after you've used your grout saw and removed damaged grout. The challenge in sealing a leak with caulk is getting the caulk down in the grout grooves. It's hard to do especially with narrow grooves!

Carefully watch for shower leaks after your repair and you should soon know whether your repair worked.

Shower Floor Pans Repair Made Fast And Easy

Want to know more about shower pans and shower pan installation? Understanding how shower pans work can save you a bunch of money even if you're just making a shower repair! You might pay for a shower pan replacement when you only need a repair!

Visit InstallingCeramicTile.Net! and get the guidance you need to repair your shower floor pan.

Al Bullington enjoys ceramic tile and showers in the hot and humid rural South.

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