Whenever you are renovating your bathroom and plumbing and tile work is involved like installing a new tub or a new shower pan, it can be quite labor-intensive.
But instead of these, there are prefabricated showers for homeowners. These are great for those who want a faster, easier alternative to custom tile. Perhaps you might be thinking that the installation process for pre-fab bases would differ from tile but it is not. The installation process is the same but the pre-fab bases are lighter, faster and less expensive.
The prefabricated pans are light because it is made from acrylic or fiberglass. There is a variety of sizes and shapes available in the market but you won’t get enough color range and high-end appearance of the tile.
Generally, there are various types and shapes of shower pans available in the market. Whichever shower pan you buy for your toilet, their installation process will be quite the same. And if you install your shower pan by a professional then they are going to charge you a lot of bucks even for simple work, you should hire a professional when it’s really important.
If you try yourself and follow the following steps stated below in the article then you can install your toilet’s shower pan all by yourself and can save hundreds of bucks, but doing this plumbing tasks by yourself can’t be a good idea if you don’t have any idea about basic plumbing.
Materials & Tools Required For Installation
If you are going to install your shower pan by yourself then you are going to need the following tools along with the shower pan. If you already have them on your tool chest that’s very good, otherwise you have to buy them:
- Power drill and bits
- Hammer
- Screwdrivers (Philips and flathead)
- Adjustable pliers
- Tape measure
- Level
- Caulking gun
- Silicone bath caulk
- Screws (usually 1.5-inch or 2-inch)
- Washers
- Shims
- Masking tape
- Framing square
- Cleaning supplies
So, this is the list of the tools and materials which will be required by you in order to install your brand new shower pan.
Procedures of Installation
Now that you are ready with your shower pan along with all the tools and materials, it is high time to get started to install your shower pan. You will have to install it through four stages and the stages are: Connecting the drain, leveling the base, attaching the new pan, and creating a watertight seal around it.
Connecting the Drain:
The very first stage of installing a shower pan is to connect the shower drain. In the components of the drain, there is a flange, drain pipe, gaskets, and a drain body.
Firstly, you need to test the drain flange to make sure it rests flush with the pan and then you can add an extension if needed. If it doesn’t work then you need to apply primer and cement to the drain pipe and the flange.
After that, you will have to attach them to the drain in the floor. When the cement will be dried, you will have to put gaskets on the flange and place the pan over the drain. After that, silicone should be used in order to caulk the flange before lining up the drain body’s holes with the flange’s screw holes.
Lastly, what you need to do is pressing the drain body into place and attaching the drain screen and screwing it into place.
Leveling the Base:
The second stage of installation is leveling the base which is very important. Before placing the new pan you will have to check that whether the floor is perfectly level or not. Because if it is not perfectly level then the water will not be drained properly. After checking if you find that there is still slope then add shims to compensate the slope and make it level.
Attaching the New Pan:
The third stage of installation is to attach the pan. In order to do so, firstly you need to mark the center of each side’s studs on the rim and then pre-drill holes at the designated marks.
After that, you need to Screw or nail the pan into the stud with rustproof nails or screws.
Caulking & Sealing:
The last stage of installation is to create a watertight seal around the shower pan. You can do it by using Silicone bath caulk because it creates a tight, waterproof seal to finish things off. You just need to caulk over the areas that you drilled, around the area where the studs and pan meet and the joints of the floor and base.
You should avoid caulking over the lip because it could prevent the shower walls from sealing correctly.