Tile On Wall Above Shower Pan

The tile shower pan is the most essential component of your diy tile shower project to get correct.

Tile on wall above shower pan.

For the vertical layout begin your pattern at the top of the wall so there ll be full uncut tile at the top. The advantages of a curbless shower are the lack of worry about someone tripping over the curb as well as the visually pleasing line of sight. If you plan to cut the bottom row of tile start your installation with the second row. This will give you a 1 2 overlap over the tile lip on your shower pan.

Measure up from the bottom of the backer board the height of a tile minus 1 2. Pre fabricated shower stall units are usually fiberglass or acrylic kits created in a factory and shipped to your home in one or several pieces. After removing the pan you may need to remove 6 inches or more of. The tile does not come down completely to meet the fiberglass but stops slightly above it leaving a small gap.

Place tile spacers flat side down along the shower base where it meets the shower base flange. Temporarily place tiles along the wall sitting on top of the tile spacers. The proper way to tile over a fiberglass shower pan is to remove the pan. Most shower kits include a shower pan and two or three solid wall panels although some are one piece shells in which the shower base or bathtub is integrated with.

Normally you can t tile over standard polymer or fiberglass shower pans because they flex too much and will eventually crack the tile grout and possibly even the tile itself. Acceptable shower pans. Fiberglass shower pans are frequently installed with tiled walls in the shower. Measure your panels of cement backer board to fit the shower walls on each side.

Shower pans that are designed to accept tile are heavier and sturdier than a normal pan so that they can withstand the weight of most users without cracking the grout or tile. A leaky shower pan will lead to many problems involving mold and or rot and is a nightmare to correct usually needing to gut the shower and start over to get it right. Install a 4 mil plastic vapor barrier according to manufacturer instructions just above the shower pan before installing the cement backer board. That way if you do have to cut tile to fit they ll be at the bottom where the tub or shower pan might be slightly out of level.

If your shower enclosure walls are not perfectly square or if you plan to install accent tiles the layout of these tiles becomes increasingly important. This isn t especially problematic if the pan was installed separately from the shower walls but it can be tricky if the pan is part of a one piece fiberglass stall and it may need professional expertise. A curbless shower pan sits level with the rest of the bathroom and works just as well with a fully enclosed shower as it does with an open shower separated by a half wall or curving open wall. Smooth the cut edge.