Tiling A Shower -- Mud Or Not

Tiling A Shower

No doubt tiling a shower the traditional way using mortar layers takes real skill. Often many tile setters today opt for modern materials and the tile ready shower pan. The traditional pan construction still works and offers several advantages as well. These are ways the old style pans may be better.

It Works Well If Done Properly

The function of any tile shower pan is to capture the water that makes it past the floor itself and get it headed down the drain. That must be because a tile shower floor does not stop all the water. The grout especially is not waterproof. With no liner the water the seeps through the floor over time will do serious damage.

A traditional pan consists of two sloped mortar layers with a heavy vinyl liner membrane sheet sandwiched between the mortar layers. Water that makes it to the liner gets routed to a drain layer that's built into the floor.

If each step is done properly there is no reason a shower base shouldn't remain waterproof for decades. It takes skill, but even more so, proper installation requires an understanding of the function of each of the layers and how they go together.

Custom Sizes No Problem

As long as the shower is a standard size, tile ready shower pans present no special problem. With custom sizes though, you must go to a special system like the one from Kerdi which then requires you to build up a sloped mortar base but instead of a built in liner, the liner goes over the base. As you can see, this is more complicated than just dropping in a pan and tiling over it.

No, for custom pans, the mortar base works perfectly. That's because the size or shape of the shower makes no difference if ti's built up with mortar. That's a real advantage for mortar construction.

Money Savings

Often a tile ready shower pan base costs nearly as much as a complete installed mortar shower pan. The more modern shower pans come with a number of advantages. For multi-unit installations, less skilled labor is required. There is little waiting for mortar layers to cure. But for a single shower or two, cost favors the mortar shower base. Shop around for shower bases and this will be quickly clear. Tile ready shower pans are pricey.

The traditional method for tiling a shower works very well if each step is done properly. No doubt, installation is tricky and requires skill but the mortar shower pans still have a place especially if the cost matters. Mortar shower often cost far less than other shower construction methods.

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