Shower pan installation may be one of the great mysteries of home improvement.
That's because of the hidden parts.
The trick is that shower floors leak.
Only by building into the floor a waterproof layer can you rest easy that the water makes it to the drain, not to the framing around the shower.
Here are three of the early steps to shower installation that get your shower off to the right start.
Tip 1: A no bounce subfloor.
Subfloor that moves much under the shower equals cracked shower floors.
Much movement of the subfloor under the shower is a sure crack in the tile floor.
Often the cracks start in the grout, but the tile itself can crack too.
The solution to this is the right joist bracing plus at least one sheet of 3/4 inch plywood as subfloor.
Two sheets is even better.
Tip 2: Sealing to start.
Above that solid subfloor goes a layer of humble 15# roofing felt.
That does a couple of things.
One is it seals the first masonry layer that comes next from the subfloor.
That's so the masonry layer doesn't dry too fast.
That way it cures just right.
Then next is another simple step...
Tip 3: Wire lath for the right stick.
Wire lath laid over the felt layer helps the first mortar layer bind in just the right way.
Nothing fancy here.
It's just regular wire lath that you get right at the tile supply place or your building supply house.
It gets stapled down right with the felt and that's the right foundation for the shower pan to start going up.
Shower pan installation is built up right from the floor joists.
Every layer is important, but no layer is really complicated.
It's just step by step getting every step done properly.