DO I NEED TO INSTALL SHOWER PAN FOR A SHOWER ON A CONCRETE FLOOR?

Users who are viewing this thread

RAUL BAEZ

New Member
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Texas
I AM BUILDING A HOUSE AND HAD THE IDEA TO INSTALL A SHOWER HEAD IN A FIRST FLOOR POWDER ROOM. I ASSUMED SINCE THE FINISHED FLOOR WILL BE CONCRETE I COULD DROP THE CONCRETE AT THE POWDER ROOM AND HAVE A FLOOR DRAIN. FOR THE FEW TIMES I ASCTUALLY DECIDE TO USE THE SHOWER. SO THE IDEA SEEMED ECONOMICAL TO ME. MY BROTHER INSISTS THE FLOOR NEEDS TO BE SLOPED TILED OVER A SHOWER PAN LIKE YOU WOULD DO CONVENTIONALLY? DOES HE HAVE A POINT?
 

MACPLUMB

In the Trades
Messages
1,080
Reaction score
83
Points
48
Location
HOUSTON, TEXAS
YES !
You need a pan
you can get a roofer to hot mop
One with the proper drain fitting
Check John bridges web site
 

Terry

The Plumbing Wizard
Staff member
Messages
29,946
Reaction score
3,460
Points
113
Location
Bothell, Washington
Website
terrylove.com
Concrete is porous. You will either want a shower drain that clamps to a liner and then a mudset pan installed, or pick up a fiberglass pan that sets over the concrete.
 

RAUL BAEZ

New Member
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Texas
Concrete is porous. You will either want a shower drain that clamps to a liner and then a mudset pan installed, or pick up a fiberglass pan that sets over the concrete.


with either of these techniques can i get a Finnish that looks like concrete so the floor look continuous? the issue is that the room wont have a dedicated shower space its essentially going to be like one big shower
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
Without a shower pan, how would you keep moisture out of the walls? Water does wick, sometimes a long distance, especially on the horizontal, but even more than you think vertically, too.

While not using a liner seems to be used in some places, it does not meet the building code. Depends on exactly where you live as to what code applies. National codes require a waterproof liner, sloped a minimum of 1/4"/foot to the drain. Typically, it must also go up the walls a minimum of 2" above the top of the curb before you can install any fasteners. Since you aren't planning a curb, that can create some issues with the inspector, too, but is possible with the proper design. Neither concrete nor tile is considered a waterproofing layer...moisture WILL get behind/underneath/in them. It needs a sloped waterproof layer to direct that accumulated water to the drain, otherwise, it will just accumulate. Texas is prime country for carpenter ants and termites...not having a proper liner will attract them to your home!

It's not the easiest thing to produce a nicely sloped concrete pour...it tends to run, so, trying to make the whole thing look like a slab can be problematic.

What you are describing is a wet room, where the entire room is designed to drain and thus needs to be waterproof. You do need something to keep water from running out into the hallways...might be enough, if the room is large, to just have the slope and the drain far enough away from the doorway.
 

RAUL BAEZ

New Member
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Texas
Without a shower pan, how would you keep moisture out of the walls? Water does wick, sometimes a long distance, especially on the horizontal, but even more than you think vertically, too.

While not using a liner seems to be used in some places, it does not meet the building code. Depends on exactly where you live as to what code applies. National codes require a waterproof liner, sloped a minimum of 1/4"/foot to the drain. Typically, it must also go up the walls a minimum of 2" above the top of the curb before you can install any fasteners. Since you aren't planning a curb, that can create some issues with the inspector, too, but is possible with the proper design. Neither concrete nor tile is considered a waterproofing layer...moisture WILL get behind/underneath/in them. It needs a sloped waterproof layer to direct that accumulated water to the drain, otherwise, it will just accumulate. Texas is prime country for carpenter ants and termites...not having a proper liner will attract them to your home!

It's not the easiest thing to produce a nicely sloped concrete pour...it tends to run, so, trying to make the whole thing look like a slab can be problematic.

What you are describing is a wet room, where the entire room is designed to drain and thus needs to be waterproof. You do need something to keep water from running out into the hallways...might be enough, if the room is large, to just have the slope and the drain far enough away from the doorway.


yes this is exactly what i was afraid of i guess i was hoping since the shower would be used very rarely, I could get away with no shower pan, and tiled walls.
The powder room has an exterior wall so i think i might opt for an exterior shower. and put up partition walls migth make for a nice feature in the house. and be less expensive. now all i have to worry about it exterior fixture hehe.
thank you very much for the info by the way!
very helpful
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks