Building Your Own Tile Shower Base

Removing the Existing Shower

The first thing to do when installing a new shower is to remove the old one, and when you pull out a fiberglass shower, you need to demo the entire shower alcove, which includes taking down the shower walls and pulling out the drywall if it needs replacing. Cement board is the best choice if you plan to line the walls with tile. It is sturdy and solid, plus it stands up to water better than any other type of drywall. After removing the old shower, level your floor and repair any parts of the floor that are weak or rotted.

A sturdy floor is important when installing a tile shower base. If the floor is weak in certain places, remove the floorboards and install new 1/2-inch flooring plywood. A solid, flat surface with no gaps or holes is necessary to install the shower base. Once the floor is finished, turn your attention to the drain line. Remove the old drainpipe, and Install a new one if necessary. Most home drains today use 2-inch PVC pipe.

One simple way to ensure success is to install a shower liner under your tiled shower base. The liner is a mat that fits the dimensions of the shower alcove. It actually installs before the drywall over a thin layer of concrete, which is laid on the flooring boards. Once the mat is set into the shower area and leveled with a carpenter's level, nails secure it to the framing walls. The drywall or cement board installs over the mat, and a bed of mortar is poured over the mat and formed to slope towards the drain. The tile is then set into the mortar.

If you do not use a pan, some kind of liner is necessary to prevent water seepage into your floor. A water barrier is often used between the subfloor and concrete mortar bed of the showering floor. This barrier, made of rubber or plastic, tacks to the framing boards with regular nails. Additional barriers like mesh and roofing paper may be laid down on top of the plywood as an additional water barrier. To complete the concrete pour, the drain hole is dammed with a piece of pipe, and the concrete base formed inside of the alcove. After the concrete is dry, the tile is laid on top using grout and mortar.