Shower Pan

How I wish that I could keep plugging away on the house project, last week was very productive. Alex was home from Humboldt State and eager to make some money so the kitchen finally got some attention. The north wall is totally sheet rocked and all the blocking and wiring is installed. The wainscoting in the bathroom is complete along with new jambs and casing for the door.

New cap for Wainscoting

For the shower, Becky ordered sloping plastic strips to aid in the initial slope that was poured with thin set because it was only about half an inch thick at the drain. Once that cured a PVC liner was placed over the floor and stapled to the walls. Putting the liner out in the sun made it more manageable to work with. Out of the package it had folds and the stiffness made it frustrating to fold into the shape of the shower base. It was easy to shape when warmed by the sun.

PVC liner

The quarter inch backer board was installed on the walls...again. I had started to put the wall boards up when the shower first took shape, then removed it so that the floor could be poured first. When Greg was here I had this idea that we could skip the liner step and had him cut and install the rest of the hardie backer. Well I changed my mind again, removed the wall boards and decided to do it the correct way. My last few showers didn't have the sloping floor under the liner, nor did they have three piece drains. This time I asked a childhood friend Jeremy L., a tile mason in Utah how he did shower pans and also did a bit of research on the internet. I had to order a three piece drain, the liner and the sloping sticks because that sort of thing isn't available locally. Most people these days just install a premade shower pan - buy it - install it - all done. One thing I did differently from Jeremy was not pour a curb, instead I built it by layering two 2x4's and then covered it with the liner and hardie backer and then it will get tiled.

3 piece drain

Once the liner was in place the second part of the drain was bolted down pinching the liner and a second slab was poured with mortar. Unfortunately I didn't have enough mortar so my slab is not at the height it should be and my drain is sticking up too high above the slab. I had this idea to install a square drain to make cutting the tile simpler. The square corners prevented me from just twisting it to lower the drain when the mortar was wet, plus the gravel between the third and second part of the drain made it difficult to twist. Instead I will have to pour yet another layer to bring my floor pan to the correct height, I will have to use thin set again because it will only be a thin layer.

Mortar too low

I have to get back to work now, I have drawers to build and cabinet doors to finish. Yesterday I agreed to build window sashes for insulated units already purchased. That will be tricky, the glass is already cut and the openings are already made, I have to make the wood fit between the two dimensions.