DIY Terrazzo Shower Floors

People often put tiles down in shower floors for both aesthetic and practical purposes. However, an equally aesthetically pleasing and practical, though less expensive alternative is terrazzo flooring. Traditional terrazzo floors are made from marble chips in a cement base with a sealer on top to provide shine, and in the case of shower floors, slip resistance as well. Since these floors are precast, you need only lay them over the sub floor. This project may require more than one person.

Precast terrazzo
Damp cloth
Mortar
Solvent welder or internal pipe wrench
Drain cover

Instructions

- 1
  Remove any tile or other decorative surface on your shower floor. Your terrazzo shower floor will sit directly on top of the sub floor of your shower.
- 2
  Wipe your terrazzo precast floor with a damp cloth. Once dry, check it for any cracks or damage that may have occurred during shipping.
- 3
  Ensure the drain opening in your precast shower floor matches the drain opening in your shower subfloor.
- 4
  Remove the drain pipe and set it aside. You'll later reinsert it through the opening in your precast terrazzo floor and into the drain below.
- 5
  Lay down a half-inch layer of mortar over your shower sub floor. This ensures that the precast terrazzo floor will lay completely level, even if the surface underneath is not perfectly level.
- 6
  Set the precast floor gently into place, then grout edges to avoid water leaks.
- 7
  Insert the drain pipe back into place through the drain pipe opening of your terrazzo precast floor and into the drain opening below. For plastic pipes, you’ll need to fit it, then solvent-weld it. For metal pipes, use an internal pipe wrench to tighten pipe into place.
- 8
  Install a drain cover plate. Some screw in, while others use an adhesive.

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Bathrooms