Do You Have to Glue in a Shower Pan?

Prefabricated Shower Pan

• Prefabricated shower pans are shower floor units that are completely constructed when they come from the manufacturer. Usually made from a hard, durable, waterproof plastic such as acrylic, these units contain a shower floor, drain hole and small platform. This platform raises the shower floor above your bathroom floor to protect the floor from water damage. Installing a prefabricated shower pan usually entails little more than adhering the unit to your floor and wall and connecting it to your shower drain. Some companies, such as Schluter, design more complex systems.

Adhesives

• When you install a prefabricated shower base, you must adhere it to your bathroom floor. This ensures the pan stays in place, preventing slippage and damage of the connection between your shower drain and plumbing system. Most shower pan manufactures, such as Transolid, recommend the use of thin set mortar, rather than glue, when it comes to setting a shower pan in place. Mortar works like cement. It is applied in a wet, clay-like form and dries to form a hard bond with surfaces. Use a waterproof caulk or sealant at the juncture where the lip of the shower pan meets your wall to prevent leakage around the pan.

Homemade Shower Base

• Homemade shower bases include everything between your feet and your bathroom floor when you stand in a shower stall. These units typically contain three layers: the pre-pan, the shower pan and the shower floor. The pre-pan is a layer between the pan and your bathroom floor. The shower pan, usually made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), is a waterproof layer that prevents moisture from leaking through your shower floor to your bathroom floor. On top of this sits your actual shower floor.

Homemade Pan Installation

• The appropriate process for homemade shower pan installation depends upon the type of pan you use. Two common types of pans exist: solid sheets of plastic (such as CPE or PVC) and liquid membranes. Liquid membranes work like glue; they are applied in a liquid state and harden to form a waterproof layer on top of the pre-pan. Plastic sheet shower pans require adhesive, but not glue. Rather, you use metal lath and mortar to secure the pan in place. Metal lath looks like chicken wire or a chain link fence, but uses thick, flat strips of metal to form a mesh pattern. Lath provides an anchor for mortar, helping it form a better bond with materials such as shower pans. You apply lath and mortar above and below a shower pan to keep the pan in place.