How to Make a Wheelchair Accessible Tile Shower Pan

Measure the floor area around the drain where you want to install the wheelchair accessible tile shower pan. Make the shower pan at least 60 inches in width and 30 inches in depth to allow for the individual to maneuver inside the shower. Mark the area where you want to install the shower pan with masking tape.

Measure 2 feet out from the side of the shower on the side where you want to place the door. Mark another tape square around the 2 feet of floor directly next to the shower pan.

Remove the flooring in the area marked for the shower pan. Use a circular saw set to the same measurement as the thickness of the wood planks on the floor, usually three-quarters of an inch, to cut the surrounding planks. Remove the planks from the joists below by pulling out the nails with a hammer.

Cut the tops off of the wood joists to the depth that you want to make the shower pan with the circular saw. The joists should be at least 3 inches lower than the rest of the floor since it won’t have a lip to hold in water. Place boards of wood approximately three-quarters of an inch shorter than the joists between the joists every 6 inches, bolting them into place to re-secure the floor, lay three-quarter-inch plywood on top of these cross pieces of wood to fill in all the space between joists and cover the joists, leaving the drain uncovered, and plywood pieces with another half-inch to three-quarter-inch thick piece of plywood, nailing it into the joists.

Lay a vinyl shower pan liner over the newly built floor, cutting a hole in the liner for the drain and using drywall mud to attach it to the floor. Once the drywall mud dries fully, after about 24 hours, mix a batch of mortar, adding just enough water to the mix to make it spreadable and apply 3 inches of mortar to bring the shower pan up almost to the level of the surrounding floor. Leave only enough space for the tiles to fit on top and still sit level with the tile floor.

Remove mortar from around the drain until the drain has only 1 inch of mortar surrounding it. Slope the mortar between the edges of the shower pan to the drain so that the edges of the pan remain roughly 3 inches high and all slope down toward the drain, which prevents water from running out in the absence of a lip. Let the mortar dry completely.

Install tile over the sloped shower pan using thinset mortar. Fill in the spaces in the tiles with grout and caulk around the edges of the tile job.