In Less Than One Hour – Eliminate Shower Leaks by Installing a Solid Surface Shower Pan

INSTALLING A COMPOSITE SHOWER PAN IS FAST AND EASY. Before discussing the simple steps to install a composite shower pan, I felt that some clarification and definitions are necessary because not all shower pans are alike.

WHAT IS IN A NAME? A roof is a roof, although there are Buy Water Savings Calculator Online
many different roofing systems and roofing materials. Not true with “shower pans.” They are often interchangeably called a shower pan, shower pan liner, shower pan membrane liner, waterproof barrier, shower base, shower tray, or shower receptor. Yet, each has a different meaning depending on context and each are available in a variety of materials.

Bob Vila’s web site defines a SHOWER PAN as “The base, containing a water drain, of the shower enclosure.” And a SHOWER RECEPTOR as “A one-piece base (floor) unit used as a shower, for example, to catch water and direct it to a center drain.”

For the sake of clarity, I offer the following definitions.

SHOWER PAN & SHOWER BASE – A finished area that is capable of retaining and directing water to the drain plus it doesn’t require tiling once installed. The shower pan or base has a drain hole, sloped floor to properly direct water to the drain hole, sidewalls, and a threshold (entrance to the shower that forms a curb to keep water from running out onto the bathroom floor). A shower pan is synonymous with a shower base.

SHOWER PAN LINER, MEMBRANE LINER, & WATERPROOF BARRIER – A barrier, usually a plastic sheet or membrane, that is intended to trap water that penetrates the shower floor tile, grout, and mortar under the tile and force the water to flow to the drain. As long as it doesn’t leak, it prevents water from reaching the sub-floor and surrounding wall enclosure. The liner is a component within a constructed shower pan. A shower pan liner is synonymous with a shower pan membrane liner and a waterproof barrier.

SHOWER TRAY & SHOWER RECEPTOR – A shower tray is synonymous with a shower receptor. Both are used in place of a liner. They serve the same function as the liner, but are pre-formed to eliminate some of the installation steps necessary when using a liner.

Shower pan liners, shower trays, and shower receptors are all used in conjunction with the construction of a shower pan that has a tiled floor as well as a tiled wall enclosure.

Commercially available shower pans are complete, ready-to-install units. They eliminate the need to create a mud sloped floor, a shower liner or tray, and tiling of the shower floor.

COMPOSITE SHOWER PANS. As composite shower pans are made from a number of different materials and constructed differently. I wanted to touch on each of the most common types. Composite shower pans fall into several material groups; cultured marble, fiberglass, acrylic, and solid surface. Generally all are made by fabrication of flat sheets, thermal-formed from a single piece of material, or molded or cast to form a one piece unit. The one-piece construction eliminates seams, which in turn eliminates potential leaks. Each has their pluses and minuses. Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I will not comment on appearance. All composite shower pans install on a flat, level floor and do not require the creation of a sloped mud base. Also, the cast or molded pans generally do not require the use of a plastic membrane.