How To Build A Shower Pan The Easy Way Using No Mortar

You can learn how to build a shower pan the traditional way. Thats done by building up layers of masonry and then building in a waterproof membrane and then installing the tile over all that. It isnt easy because of the masonry work, but its still used a lot. Heres why showers leak and why the traditional method is tricky.

See, shower floors naturally leak. The grout in the joints is not waterproof and neither are the tiles either. Water just goes right through the floor. Heres the trick. A special waterproof membrane is built right into the masonry floor to catch the water. Theres then a special drain that the water gets routed to. Its tricky to get it right, especially with all the masonry work. But get it wrong and you have yourself a mess...

Heres the easier way.

Many professional tile setters no longer build masonry shower pans. These are old mud men too. The easier way is the Schluter-Kerdi shower kit. Instead of all that mortar for building a base, the Schluter kit includes a ready-made foam base. Its like a tray thats just the right slope and shape to form the perfect shower foundation. The base is just glued in place and then covered with special waterproof membrane material. Theres a special drain too. Over that goes the tile, just like a traditional shower base. Thats the easy way.

This way you get a no maintenance shower without all the masonry headaches. You still get that solid feel just like a masonry shower too. No bouncy shower floors and no leaks either. Now many tile setters like this method better because its faster. You dont have to wait around while layers of mud dry and cure. Also learning how to build a tile shower is a lot easier using this method. Theres no need to learn all the tricks for handling masonry and getting the waterproof membrane installed properly.

There are other advantages to the new shower kits too.

Get more free ideas about how to build a shower pan the easier way on our website. Check it out.

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