Shower stall
 

Dumb it down for me quickly..
Im Ripping out a tub and replacing with a shower stall and glass doors.
What does the tile on the bottom need to sit on? Copper, rubber, premade form?

Mud floor, they have a new rubber or paper membrane that waterproofs it.

You should have a custom copper pan made for the bottom , with the drain integral, and tile inside of this. Much better than the membranes

First question... What tile are you going to be laying on the floor? This will determine what kind of mud job you do. Small 1x1 tiles or river rock on a mesh backing will allow you to conform to the slope necessary to drain. I am old school and use copper pans with adjustible drain. I have heard good things about the rubber liners that can be topped with mud, or the pre formed slope wedges that you cut to size and then have a light layer of mud. Just mever used them. I usually sub out the mudjob to my tile guy. Call me if you want a name. But I realize this is a DIY forum and that you want to reduce costs. I have a monster tile saw too....MK101 if you need it, Mike.

If you are doing it yourself, it's fairly simple to use a fiberglass shower pan. But you can do tile if you want to, it's just more complicated. A copper pan might take more time unless you know the dimensions ahead of time and don't have to give them a template, it is safer. A membrane might get a puncture if you are not very very careful thoughout the process. Keep nails up high, even the durorock, and keep sharp stuff off it. It will have to have a mud base and trowel it to a taper from the corners in to the drain. there is a special drain fixture for that application, it's adjustable in height.

as far as glass door, just get one from a glass place or have them do it all depending on what style.

I did mine with the cheaper PVC flexible liner, but if I did it again I'd probably use copper.

For the flexible liner I did a sloped mortar bed, liner and then another layer of sloped mortar. The tough part about the liner is folding it into the corners, it's not hard, but unless you shave your studs back a bit the rock can tail out at the bottom. That being said it's not really noticeable on mine.

For the tile I used a mortar specified for under water use...I think it was Versa Bond?

-spence

Thanks for the tips I can't do prefab I'm ripping out a tub and replacing with shower so the drain has to stay where it is now. Would like to keep it simple. I'm just tileing a corner stall and the bottom and then I will have my glass guys put doors up. Ross I might take you up on the saw offer.
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Do youself a favor and use 48, if not all 60 inches for the shower. Put a seat opposite the wet wall. The females like it for shaving their legs.... Once you have the tub out, it is easy to access and move the drain where you want it. Just subfloor, and will make it easier to stand in and drain. But they do have offset drains available in the pre formed bases.... I put a 34x48 swanstone base in here. Center drain, no seat. Pony wall opposite wet wall. used 6x8 white tile on walls. Extra room is nice.
No problem on the saw. Lemme know.

60x32 for around 2 bills... easy peasy. Make a steam shower for two!

Problem is I'm removing the tub and going to small shower to get enuf room in there for the dryer. The washer will go outside the bathroom and hook up on the wall where the shower pipes are now.
Laundry Is in the basement which is outside, down 2 sets of steps, and thru a low bulkhead.
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Not to be a know-it all the Mass plumbing code requires a of min 900 sq. inches of floor space for the shower to legal. Go with copper

It will probably be slightly larger than the prefab corner units
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I don't know why people still use copper. The correct receptor with a membrane clamp, put sloped mud base down, membrane on that, some stone around receptor, mud base for tile. Now no water can sit in tile mud base and go septic and make the base rot out. Schluter system is similar.

I've used the rubber membranes a few times and just like using copper much better...too old to change my ways perhaps. :smash: