Dry packing shower pan

Advice and installation help at the John Bridge Tile Forums. I have therefore taken a few pictures of the mud I make, and I will explain the process once again.

Building your own shower floor from scratch requires shower deck mud, also referred to as dry pack mortar. Deck mud is made from portland cement, sand, and water. The mixture should be approximately 1 part cement to 5 parts sand but anywhere for 4 to 6 parts sand to 1 part cement is acceptable. Be very careful with how much water you add to the deck mud as you mix it up. It's referred to as dry-pack mortar for a reason.

Dry packing shower pan

The shower pan is the all-important foundation of a stand-up shower. Water is a merciless foe, so cutting corners here can lead to rapid and expensive failure of the entire shower. In this project guide, get the key practices for building a mortar shower pan after the framework of the shower is in place. Project Tip: Use the Sakrete App to quickly measure, estimate and buy straight from your phone. The first layer of the shower pan is underneath the waterproofing membrane. This often-overlooked step establishes a drainage path for water if the top layers of the shower pan are compromised. Project Tip: Why pre-slope? If the membrane is installed flat on the subfloor, water will have no path to the drain and will cause mold, tile failure and eventually, failure of the entire mortar pan. Project Tip: Make a final pass with a steel finish trowel to establish a smooth finish surface. Waterproofing membrane ensures that any moisture intrusion is properly drained. Project Tip: Use a steel finishing trowel to smooth out the final mortar bed. This allows tiles to be set directly on the mortar bed instead of requiring additional thin-set mortar. Where to Buy Send My Calculation. Project Prep The shower pan is the all-important foundation of a stand-up shower. Estimate the amount of material required.

It is much courser than masonry sand, but masonry sand can also be used. Other places feel very hard, like the slab.

Read This]. View First Unread. I am remodeling a bathroom and building a new 4'x8' shower. Existing floor is concrete slab. I followed all the instructions on this website to make dry pack mortar and installed the pre slope yesterday.

Update: Several readers have noted that the membrane installation method described in this article which is a flat membrane installation is no longer recommended as an optimal installation method because water that penetrates through the top layer of tile or grout may rest on the membrane. A pre-slope fill mortar bed installed under the membrane, coupled with the proper method for ensuring the mortar does not block off weep holes to the drain, can better protect the installation from standing water than may not evaporate back through the surface tile and grout. This updated method can be seen in this article at The Family Handyman. Note that the below method may still meet code in some areas, so if you are dealing with a professional installer, you may want to discuss their methodology. Next time we have a chance to follow a professional on a shower pan install, we will update this article to include the revised method. In preparation for moving, Mr. Homeowner have tasked Joe with remodeling three full bathrooms, and he has brought in Jim and Rich from Diamond Tile to pour the shower pans and lay the tile. Before Jim and Rich got started, Joe and the plumber have made some important preparations. Also, the subfloor has been brought up to the necessary level for the drain. The guys used concrete board because it was handy and the right thickness.

Dry packing shower pan

It also explains how to properly install a traditional shower floor base. Read on for info about how to properly slope a shower floor pan. I use Kerdi fabric to waterproof my own custom shower installs, which puts the waterproofing layer right below the shower floor tile. However, other shower installation contractors still use old-school PVC vinyl and fiberglass waterproofing for renovations and new home builds. While this is a lower-tech way of waterproofing a shower, it can still work okay for a couple decades when done correctly. The most important part of any shower base is the waterproofing. This is why I use [opens in new tab] Schulter Kerdi waterproofing fabric to put a waterproofing layer directly beneath the tile. This creates the driest, most guaranteed mold-free shower install possible.

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I will say this, though. To recap, deck mud is the mortar to use when building shower floors. One popular product is Sand Topping Mix. Deck Mud 2. I dry missed the mixture, and mixed it with water, in a large flat-bottom wooden trough, using a mortar hoe, so I know I got it thoroughly mixed. I did mine in two batches. Deck mud is made with clean sand, portland cement and water. Seal ring with manufacturer-approved caulk. You can use a shovel, but a masonry hoe above works much better. Build Pre-Slope Mortar Bed Dump enough dry pack Sand Mix into the shower base to form a level perimeter around the entire shower pan at your high point mark. Deck mud is made with clean sand, portland cement and water. Some of the floor feels very solid, exactly like I expected.

Follow our step-by-step instructions to custom-fit a shower enclosure with a mortared shower pan. A mortared shower pan allows you to custom-fit a shower enclosure.

Once rough slope is achieved, use a straight edge to confirm that you have a smooth slope from edge to drain in all directions. One popular product is Sand Topping Mix. I dry mixed this thoroughly, then added water slowly to get the consistency described in the dry pack article. Tiling should begin within 16 hours of mortar bed installation. With the dry pack mixture, I was able to fill in the sections of the floor between the plastic sloped sticks and screed it cleanly to the top of the sticks. I really thought I had an absolutely perfect first layer for my shower floor. One popular product is Sand Topping Mix. If the mix is too wet, add more dry mix. Sharp sand or masonry sand, on the other hand, is stored outdoors, and its water content varies with the weather. Deck mud contains only sand, portland cement and a little bit of water.