Oct 01, 2011, 03:41 PM
DIYrightWalk In Shower - how to slope floor for proper drainage
The room is gutted. I want tile floor in main bathroom and then an L shaped walk in shower with different tile. Three walls of the shower will be tile and two walls will be glass. The glass walls will be frameless and attach to the floor with an L channel that is 1 inch high. I have a concrete slab and need to know how to slope the floor for a drain and what you do for a “shower pan” when you transfer from the bathroom tile to the shower tile when they are the same height? Am I asking for something impossible?
Oct 01, 2011, 05:10 PM
JaybeeNothing is impossible, it just depends on how much money you want to throw at it.
You will either have to cut the slab in the shower area so you can drop the shower pan or you will have to raise the floor in the main bath so that the shower is lower in relation to the tile of the bath floor. Those are your only options.
If raising the floor of the main bath will cause problems with the entry to the bath from adjoining rooms, then you can't do it that way.
Leaving cutting the slab - a job for a pro with the right equipment. Hold on to your wallet.
Oct 01, 2011, 07:22 PM
DIYrightThanks, that is what I thought. Raising the floor of the main bath is not really an option. Since I need jack hammer the floor to remove the plumbing and drain from where the tub was, I was thinking on asking the plumber to jack hammer more of the area so I could then use mortar to form the shower pan. I am doing this because of my handicapped son more than just wanting a walk in shower. The area for the shower the way I see it has three distinct areas and will need three drains. The short leg of the L shape is 49 inches by 36 inches, the next part of the L is 39.5 inches by 53.5 inches and the final part is 24 inches by 53.5 inches. You think 3 drains are an over kill? Could I get by with just one for area of 90.5 inches by 63 inches?
Oct 01, 2011, 08:02 PM
JaybeeOne drain.
My advice: Do not DIY this or get some expert help. Building a shower pan is not an easy thing to do correctly. Building a walk-in shower pan is even harder. In your case, it sounds like you will be completely removing a section of the slab to get the depth that you need. You will need some reinforcement and a method to tie the new slab into the old one to avoid a future of uneven settling.
Oct 01, 2011, 10:38 PM
NestorProbably the most practical thing you can do here is give up the "walk in" aspect of the shower and simply raise the floor in the shower area.
Oct 02, 2011, 10:14 AM
DIYrightThanks again, I agree it is not something I should be doing. Would still like to know if anyone has experience with a "shower pan" for a walk in shower or making a bathromm a "Wet Room".
Oct 03, 2011, 12:05 AM
JaybeeI've made several walk-in showers - some in new construction and most in remodels. But all were on framed floor structures where we could cut down and double up on the framing underneath the shower area to make a drop pan. Much easier than working with an existing slab as in your case.
Aug 22, 2012, 04:02 PM
ezslopeIn doing this several times, I realized there needs to be a tool designed to slope your shower floor, so that you can get a consistent and uniform slope to both mud bases regardless of the shape of the shower, or the placement of the drain. I was unhappy with the current options, so I came up with a simple, cheap, effective, reproducible solution – EZ-Slope float strips.
Check it out –
http://www.ezslope.netAug 22, 2012, 06:25 PM
JaybeeI use a little math and some left over backerboard strips. Easy, available and costs nothing.
Aug 22, 2012, 07:37 PM
swschradeasy way to do the shower pan is if you have a yard in your area that stocks the Schluter pan kits. it's a sloped foam base with their own drain.
hard way is the cement/liner/mortar buildup, which I did after a couple weeks of researching best practices. I also had an off-center drain, because who wants to stand in that wet puddle? this means none of the slopes are duplicated. all hand work.
you use a level as a straightedge a LOT, and you have to figure the minimum slope on the longest axis from the drain, then mark that height all around the shower so you have a place to slope... from.
done, tiled, looks good... but that's my last one.
Aug 22, 2012, 09:50 PM
JaybeeI had the chance to use a Schluter pan kit a few weeks ago. Started with their stock 6' x 6' shower and modified it to fir the 5' x 10' shower size. It's a good system, I liked it and will use it again.