I watched this video three times before attempting to build and pour my first shower pan. Everything went as smooth as could be thanks to you. The shower's been done for three months and I love it! Thanks!
This is great! I was going to buy a pre-formed shower pan, but after watching the videos I'm sure I can do it myself. Thank you so much for the inspirational instruction!
Dominick, thank you for the amazing instructional videos! For the past year I have been building a master bedroom and master bathroom in my 100 year old home, total gut job, total makeover. Your videos are incredible and have taught me so much. I'm ready to tackle the shower pan in my custom shower this weekend. I feel well prepared from your video and feel 100% confident that I'll be successful. thanks again!
Just wanted to say thanks!! I've been doing tile work for a few years but have never done a shower base before. I watched sime other videos and found yours to be the most informative, I nominate you for a show on DIY! I got a kick out of your style, informative and entertaining! kudos to you! thanks again and I wish you the best.
THANK YOU! I had a friend very helpfully tear out my basement shower after a sewer backup. That was over 6 months ago. I can't wait for him to come back and finish, which could be 15 years from now. I know what I'm doing over Labor Day weekend!! ^_^
Dude I got ton of work done today. Durock thin-set and fastened to subfloor, cement board seams on the walls sealed, and cement board fastened to the jacuzzi tub surround/steps/top deck. Not only that I got my custom shower drain recessed and afixed to the sub floor, and 1st layer of the shower pan poured. It's sloped perfectly. I got the membrane to install tomorrow or next day once the shower pan sub-layer is dry. I'm no pro, just a do-it-yourselfer. So far so good man. thanks for your help!
I've watched several of these videos on shower pan installation and I appreciate how you put down metal lath on top of the felt paper. No one else seems to do this, but it seems like the smart thing to do.
Thanks so much for posting! One little change I made- instead of using pea gravel to keep open the "weep holes", I took a couple of "Scotch-Brite" plastic scouring pads (about 3/16" thick each), cut a hole in them the size of the threaded drain shaft, and positioned them in place on top of the weep holes prior to the mortar bed going in on top of the membrane. Easy to handle, will never decay or degrade, and 100% certain that the weep holes could never be obstructed. Thanks again for the clear, valuable info!
By far the best instructional video on how to prepare a shower floor, very detailed and to the point. Thanks I’ll make sure to record my install and credit your channel. Thanks again
Hey, Not sure if you even check the comments...but I just wanted to say thanks so much for making this video or how to make the shower base. All questions are pretty much answered in the video if you watch it carefully, a couple times. I have only seen one other video of this kind of explanation but not nearly as long or thorough. You even discribe what what mortar to use-just look at the bag, they sell it at home depot exactily like that. I have never done this before and with this video it made me feel not only great about my work, but confident that I could probably do it for somebody else. YEs its true that I wish the video would have continued more with the side step up and what you do in particular on the walls ? Do you do the same.? Tar paper. backer board,thin set, then tile? Or is there more? Anyways thanks again. I'm pretty confident that if it leaks I will be extremely shocked.
Hi, my name is Abdelkrim , that nice of you to post some many types and different videos to help people with. First of all, I am a tiler for almost 14 years, and i have been in North of Africa. Second, when i came here to America, i found it is more different than what i used to because in North Africa we only use the solid build wall or cement wall and the we make it even with cement tile and afterward you start installing tile with a mix of cement and a bit of sand not the thinset ,
Best vid so far out there concerning this. As a fellow installer, I'll come work with you anytime buddy. If only the old school guys i trained with had made things that clear. Experience is everything..more you learn, more you earn. appreciate ya.
I put down the pre-slope yesterday and when i checked on it this morning, my CAT had dug up 2 of the corners! So, I guess a warning to keep the bathroom door closed until it's dry :(
New construction is always sooo much easier....i hate remodeling older larger buildings with the older tile set with mud, and rebuilding showers in that scenario, its a laborious task.....this video is excellent tutorial, i have installed a few hundred showers with this method (few variations based on existing conditions), and its on point!...
Hey man, thanks for taking the time to make this. It was very well done and detailed enough for me to follow along. I am starting my project today and will be referencing it a lot.
I am truly enjoying this video, this will be my first time building a shower myself, while i have had several done in the last few homes i have owned i always had it done for me and always Great but not cheap! thanks for putting this out there for others to learn and take the scary mystery out of yet another DIY project!
Thanks for the awesome video, the tile supplier told me it is too difficult to use a membrane and wanted to sell the schluter system to me at a cost of about $500. I watched the video and did exactly as you showed and the neo angle shower stall turned out fantastic, Thanks!!
In regards to nailing through the liner over your curb, no, it is not an accepted standard because tile and grout is not impervious to water. Water will be absorbed through the grout. This is why a pan liner is a requirement not a recommendation. Traditionally wire mesh and fat-mud is used to prepare the curb for tile. Schluter and Noble have polystyrene curb systems available. Cement board screwed or nailed through the liner is not acceptable at or below the flood line. Most building departments require a pan liner flood test and should always be performed even if it's not being inspected. Sorry to disagree with you but as a licensed contractor I've replaced too many showers due to water damage around the curb and drain. I'm just trying to pass along the information that I've learned over past 30 years and I still appreciate when other contractors and tradesmen share their techniques to help me improve my work.
This project is way more intimidating than it is difficult. I'm so glad I finally tackled it. Thank you Dominic, I followed your directions and took my time. It seems to have turned out really well! Just as an FYI, I'm an almost 60 year old lady. So there's no reason anybody else shouldn't be able to do this. Thank you very much.
This is the best video I have ever watched that describes in detail how to make a shower pan. Can anyone tell me where the other links are to watch to continue this project through the tiling of the shower?
I live in south texas, next to mexico. I had a contractor quote me 700 bucks but I did not ask how he was going to do the shower. No up front money until he finishes he job. My shower is plain stud boards right now, like the one you are working on in this video. Thanks for the video.
good video again dom. what i do with the nail heads on the membrane is just hit them with a little silicon and that way i never have to worry about them
I would like to hear from you back with some more advises about how to start doing that job here in America, and it will be my pleasure to answer any question if you will ask , once again thank you for your videos it is really helpful to me. good luck.
Nice job. You should caulk the underside of the liner membrane where it touches the plastic drain flange w/ silicon. This prevents leakage out of the liner and into the underside of the flange. The liner is the drain for all cracks or porous areas of the tile job.
exactly. Dominick, i understand nailholes=possibility of leaks, BUT in order for it to leak, water must reach that point. AND if the water reaches that point, it's going all over the rest of your bathroom floor which can leak into the floor below causing some damage to alot of damage. SO that one little nail on the top is the least of your worries
Great how to video. With all of the different waterproofing methods, materials and procedures out there it is important to follow each manufacturers instructions. Our drains install independent of any waterproofing and set like tile into the tile bed. Buy Online at Home Depot.
Gracias Dominic, tu video me ayudo mucho para hoy empezar hace el resto de mi trabajo en mi mobile home, se que no entiendes espanol, pero con decirte Than kyou! entenderas.
Finally someone smart enough to tuck the corners in the studs.You know how many ignorant plumbers I've seen fold the corners like a package so thick that after the ignorant sheet rocker puts on the boards on you end up with with a half inch curve at the bottom? Only to have the ignorant tile man install over the curved backer board creating a really bad situation for the door installer who cant curve his glass.So many times i want to throw up! Congrats on a good job!
Michael Scarfi. Haha man you clearly dont know anything about a shower puns sometimes you have fold the corner and if it gets thick you used drywall shims to compensate you dumm ass i have been a professional bath a kitchen contractor for years and never had a problem
I missed how high and wide do you make the curb? This video is very helpful as I am tearing out my old shower. It is on a ten year old home and is cracking and leaking everywhere. It also never drained to the center drain I had to sweep the water in. Anyway thanks so much for video as I cannot afford to hire a contractor, your video will get me through. Thanks!
Alot of tile guys will bring the liner up 12 inches because water WICKS. It rises UPwards. The bottom of your board can be nailed or screwed in 10 inches or above and your wall board should go on BEFORE the mud float, at least the first row. The mud pack keeps the bottom edge of the boards TIGHT, u can also tape and mud the bottom edge afterwards. Shim the studs for the kickout at the bottom of your board, or use quarter inch on the bottom row and float thinset to the next half inch. :)
I would do a few things different, I would use the fixed drain instead of the adjustable, The adjustable ones are prone to leaking, Before bolting the drain ring back on I would use butyl sealant to seal between pan material and ring, Also use butyl when wrapping curb corners where the cuts are to seal for leaks. When you are done put a stop in the drain and fill with water overnight to make sure you have no leaks.
Take my word, this guy is a pro at what he does & the majority of you watching this are going to probably get halfway through a project like this & ask yourself,, "what the hell am I doing"? This isn't for every DIY'er. He's skipping the most labor intensive steps & unless you're somewhat mechanically inclined & can think things through thoroughly, this is a difficult first time project. Decades ago when I did plumbing work, we had to set the pans for the tile guys behind us in new construction. I used to make them out of sheet lead & a bituminous pitch sheeting called "compotite" back in the day. We would set the pan on the subflooring & "fold the corners" of the pan instead of cutting them straight up like this guy's doing. Folded corners are leak proof but it was a bitch forming them out of much stiffer material like the lead & thick bituminous sheeting than the rubberized material shown here. I'm not trying to take anything away from this gentleman's method, I'm merely implying this is very time consuming & in a small space like this project, you can always go with a solid acrylic base that you'll most likely never have any issues with. A really good unit is made by "Dreamline" from Amazon costing in the vicinity of $250. It is however not as aesthetically appealing as a complete tile base but they're very durable. However you decide, there's nothing as beautiful as a well done tile unit so best of luck on whichever method you decide upon..
we all do this different, I like the 8' rise of vinyl around, and fold my corners and never nail below 7-8 inch mark except for step out, I nail outside of step, I also place a piece of vinyl cut and glue to shed water over step not into wood on sides of step out, as for the drain I lay vinyl over cut center hole and tiny slits for bolts, I lift the vinyl and use liberal amounts of vinyl glue under covering the top of plastic drain under the vinyl, then push vinyl down with bolts coming thru material then top piece tightening the bolts. I'm not putting your way down just following what I was taught by several great Plumbers, I currently hold a Journeyman license Thanks for the video
Of course. As long as it's done right and of course doesn't leak. I've done a countless amount of pans the way I show with never an issue including my own that has lasted for 20 years so far. Thanks again.
You should use carpet glue under your membrane liner especially along curb so you don't have to drive a nail through the membrane on the top side of the curb 2"×4" which is an area that water will find its way through. That's how I was taught to do it. good job.
Water will ALWAYS get behind the tile if you use typical sanded or non-sanded cement based stuff. Most grout is water permeable and to my latest knowledge unless you use an epoxy grout (which is expensive and harder to work with if you’re a typical DYIer) you will have water penetration behind the grout especially in tiled floor showers areas where water sits longer. This is one you use concrete board in showers, or at the minimum; green board in areas like back splashes.
Dom you're fantastic. I'm about to install a walk-in custom shower in my basement, (concrete floor). Can you do a video (or direct me to one if you have already) on starting with a concrete basement floor?
Thank you! I am going to give it a try this weekend. Is there a PART 2 to this video to show slope, floor installation and curb covering? Thank you for your help.
There was. Well somehow it got all screwed up from the camera I was using. If you go to my site you will be able to see the after pictures at least. www.askmediy.com/how-to-make-a-shower-pan/
Hey rossco ,you want a little gap there and do not fill with morter because you don't want the water to sit on that edge. Meaning, water is going to get through your grout joints and if the backer is on the pan it will wick that water up the walls and remember that will lead to water being trapped in the walls and hello black mold!
I'm doing this in mobile home, you think, is it good? Sunday just finished putting the plastic, ready to put cement floor, I'm doing this in my spare time after work in a factory. have good night!
Awesome instructional. I am remodeling the utility shower in the basement of our 50's home. I am planning on having a professional plumber come out and replace the cast iron drain that is completely eroded and blocked, and have them pour a flat slab up to the adjustable floor drain that you have pictured. From there I will follow the video. Any changes since I will be installing over concrete instead of wood? Thanks Dominick
You're videos are great! Keep em going! Quick question, I've read that it can take upwards of 28 days for the mortar to cure and before you can continue working on it. How come this isn't the case for you? Is it the material? Is the 28 days thing a myth? Thanks!
Yeah, One thing you could do is cover the areas behind the tile board with plastic like they did in the old days. But really if water ever got back there you would have bigger problems anyway.
Thanks for the video Dominic. my contractor was doing a jersey mud coat to make my shower pan, but he never came back to finish it. Is it difficult to finish building the jersey mud coat myself?
We've just followed your directions. We mixed 1 1/2 gals of water to 2 bags of sand/concrete mix. It didn't seem any dryer than yours. 24 hours later, it didn't harden, it turned out very crumbly. We've removed the entire dry mix. Can you suggest a proper mix of concrete/water? Thanks!
Yea, it's a kit that is made by Mark E Industries. It worked out well. It's 25 bucks and includes 6-3 foot sticks that are already sloped. My drain is just a hair higher then the mud. It's that OK?
Nice job, I have a question, I'm remodeling my bathroom and i uninstalled the fiberglass shower base, but i live in a condo and the floor its concrete, what's your suggestion, do I have to install plywood on top of the concrete floor or just wire mash?
Hey Dom, got a question if ya dont mind, did you use thinset or some other adhesive to adhere the liner to the presloped mortar pan? not really neccessary I wouldnt think, but I have seen others do it, just wondering your method of install, seeing as you do niceeeeee work. Thanks man.
Hello thanks for the great video. Suppose I am starting on a cement slab rather then the wood floor? What steps would I not need? what would I have to add? Also what is the drain fitting called that you said it made for poured shower pans?
Great, informative video. I'm planning on putting a shower pan in my basement bathroom. Since the floor is concrete I don't think I can use wire mesh. Can I use thinset instead so the mud can grab it? Cheers
