Fiberglass and Custom Ceramic Tile Bathroom
Shower Installation Tips
By: Mark J. Donovan
If your bathroom remodeling plans
include a DIY bathroom shower installation project then prepare for a little
work. However, before you begin you will first need to enlist the services of a
plumber to install the shower drain and supply lines. This process can get a
little messy as the shower drain will probably need to be tied into the existing
drain/vent stack and the supply lines pulled from somewhere else in the home.
Once you have the shower drain
and supply lines roughed in you can then being the process of installing a
bathroom shower stall.
When it comes to installing
bathroom shower stalls you basically have three choices.
Fiberglass Bathroom Shower Kit
First, there is the common
fiberglass bathroom shower stall. This type of bathroom shower stall
typically comes as a kit with a base shower pan and sidewalls and is
available in several standard sizes. The shower pan base is installed first,
followed by the side walls. Normally the side walls are attached directly to
wall studs.
To complete this type of bathroom shower installation project,
moisture resistant green board is attached to the adjacent shower walls to cover
the shower stall flanges, and a glass shower enclosure is attached to the outer
base of the shower pan and the shower walls.
Bathroom Showers Utilizing only a
Fiberglass Base
Alternatively you can buy just the
fiberglass bathroom shower pan and then use cement backboard on the shower
walls.
Fiberglass bathroom shower pans are
available in many standards sizes. This type of bathroom shower is commonly
installed when the bathroom shower walls are to be tiled. Again, moisture
resistant green board is used on the walls adjacent to the cement backerboard
shower walls, and a glass shower enclosure is attached to the outer base of the
shower pan and the ceramic tiled shower walls.
Custom Ceramic
Tile Bathroom Shower
Finally, there is the custom
ceramic tile bathroom shower. With a custom ceramic tile bathroom shower you
have the flexibility to create any size bathroom shower, and ceramic tile is
used on both the shower walls and shower floor. With a customer ceramic tile
bathroom shower you also have the flexibility to create seats and other
types of features in the shower stall.
It is important to note that a custom ceramic tile bathroom shower requires
the installation of a shower pan membrane liner for the shower base, and the
installation of cement backerboard on the shower walls. Installing a shower
pan membrane liner involves the use of mortar and creating a sloped shower
pan area.
Photo by Mark Donovan
The shower membrane liner sits sandwiched
in-between two layers of mortar and is sloped towards the shower drain opening.
See my
Shower Pan Membrane Liner Ebook to learn more on how to install your own
custom shower pan.
Once the custom shower pan is
installed, the cement backerboard is then attached to the bathroom shower stud
walls. After the backerboard is fastened to the walls, the ceramic tile can then
be installed on the shower floor and walls. Finally, a glass shower enclosure
can be attached to the shower walls and pan, if required. Some custom ceramic
tile shower units are designed so that no glass shower enclosure is required.
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Related
Bathroom Remodeling and Bathroom Design Information
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Bathroom Shower Enclosures and Supplies from Amazon.com
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