I wasted almost half of a bag o fast setting concrete trying to do what the manufacturer is asking
and it is not working. The shower base sits on a perfect flat surface because I poured self leveling concrete. If I measure the levelness corner to corner it is almost perfect, it makes no sense to fight to improve it
The shower base will have two glass panels (it is a corner setup) and as of know it is by itself very heavy, you can't push it around when you sit on.
You can hardly push a scrapper under it in at the median point of the long edge of the shower base
I have looked at it and when you press on it on the center point of the shower base the corner points to not move at all and the short edges stay on the floor perfectly flat and level.
The drain does not move when you step on the shower base, it is just this very small space at the median point of the long edge that closes and then it is perfectly flat there as well. I suspect that gap will close completely when the glass panels will sit on it
As far as I can see I won't be able to fine tune the concrete mounds or the way the shower base sits on this concrete in order to offer support AND to make those shower edges sit perfectly flat on the floor.
How much can I improve this situation ? What else can I do? ? One thing that I am considering is to pour again self leveling cement that is pretty liquid and it it will go under that base and support it . In order to do that I will have to lay down plastic sheet on the exterior perimeter of the shower base and then fence the same perimeter like 1 in away from it and pour the self leveling concrete there. The plastic or maybe tape will make sure I can remove the self leveling concrete after it is cured and the hope is that it will leak under the shower base and support it from below
The other option is to trust the level that the floor is flat and to assume that the base is bent a little and it will flex and follow the floor once it is loaded with the glass panels. If there is any jiggle room left when loaded with the glass panels it will be in the center. I am assuming that the edges adjacent to the wall will get some load as well from the cement boards on that wall, although it might not happen as the cement board might be above the flange but not sitting on it
and it is not working. The shower base sits on a perfect flat surface because I poured self leveling concrete. If I measure the levelness corner to corner it is almost perfect, it makes no sense to fight to improve it
The shower base will have two glass panels (it is a corner setup) and as of know it is by itself very heavy, you can't push it around when you sit on.
You can hardly push a scrapper under it in at the median point of the long edge of the shower base
I have looked at it and when you press on it on the center point of the shower base the corner points to not move at all and the short edges stay on the floor perfectly flat and level.
The drain does not move when you step on the shower base, it is just this very small space at the median point of the long edge that closes and then it is perfectly flat there as well. I suspect that gap will close completely when the glass panels will sit on it
As far as I can see I won't be able to fine tune the concrete mounds or the way the shower base sits on this concrete in order to offer support AND to make those shower edges sit perfectly flat on the floor.
How much can I improve this situation ? What else can I do? ? One thing that I am considering is to pour again self leveling cement that is pretty liquid and it it will go under that base and support it . In order to do that I will have to lay down plastic sheet on the exterior perimeter of the shower base and then fence the same perimeter like 1 in away from it and pour the self leveling concrete there. The plastic or maybe tape will make sure I can remove the self leveling concrete after it is cured and the hope is that it will leak under the shower base and support it from below
The other option is to trust the level that the floor is flat and to assume that the base is bent a little and it will flex and follow the floor once it is loaded with the glass panels. If there is any jiggle room left when loaded with the glass panels it will be in the center. I am assuming that the edges adjacent to the wall will get some load as well from the cement boards on that wall, although it might not happen as the cement board might be above the flange but not sitting on it