Can You Use Portland Cement for Shower Floors?

Portland Cement

• The most common type of cement in use around the world for hundreds of years, Portland cement is a hydraulic cement that can cure even in the presence of perpetual water. All cement products chemically react when water is introduced into the mixture, and Portland can cure even if the forms are poured under water, hardening over time.

Poured Pan

• Shower pans are often created by concrete finishers during the pouring process at the same time a basement slab is poured and a bathroom floor drain installed. Since the cement is in a liquid form when it is poured into a form, you have to wait for the Portland to set up to a somewhat stiff state; you can then use tools to slope the concrete to the drain in your shower area.

Floated Pan

• If there is already a floor in place and you are creating a shower pan from scratch you can use Portland cement to create a floated mud pan. Portland is mixed with sand, water and lime to create a mixture that is only slightly damp -- just enough so that the mud clumps in your hand, but not so much that it is sticky. It is then floated into form using metal and wood trowels with straightedges and levels.

Curing

• The curing time for Portland cement is difficult to define because of the numerous elements that can affect it, including humidity, presence of water, mixture procedures used, ratio of sand to cement, ratio of cement to lime, altitude and time of the year. As a general rule all shower pans need to have around 72 hours to cure before you do anything else with them, such as waterproofing, thinset mortar or carpet padding. The concrete itself can take weeks to months to fully cure and harden.