A tile shower pan built the traditional way consists of several layers, but it’s mostly mortar. It’s sloped floor too, because the water must drain toward the drain. Getting the mortar sloped takes some skill, but it’s actually a fairly simple process.

The proper slope for the floor is about 1/4 inch per foot. That’s enough slope to keep the water moving and not pooling. Even the top of the curb should get about that same slope to keep the water in the shower instead of on the bathroom floor. (more…)

The tile shower pan built the traditional way is built from the bottom up in layers. The heart of the pan is the vinyl membrane that really stops any water that makes it past the shower floor. You do realize that shower floors naturally leak??? The pan is built to catch that water. After the liner membrane is in place, a second layer of mortar goes over the liner and it’s the base for the tile. Here’s how it goes on.

The second mortar layer of the pan is constructed of what’s called deck mud. It’s a simple mix of portland cement, sand and water. That’s all. It’s put on and then formed using a flat trowel and pieces of boards. The mortar is sloped at about 1/4 inch per foot to make sure the water moves right to the drain. (more…)

The tile shower drain is tricky and much of the tricky part is buried in the shower pan. You see the whole shower pan is designed to route all the water to the drain. All the water includes the part that leaks right through the floor. That happens because tile floors are never waterproof. Some water ends up passing right through the floor.

The drain includes holes that are on two layers. The top layer you can easily see. The lower layer is down in the floor. (more…)