How to Build a Shower Pan Curb

The existence of shower pan curbs is very useful as lots of people would consider this in order to avoid nasty leaks in the shower area. Basically, shower curbs will keep water inside the shower area in which sometimes being used as a base for mounting brackets intended for the shower doors. These are common elements in custom-fitted showers that should tie to the shower pan itself.

For this reason, it can provide a completely waterproof area as well as standing up to repeated exposure to moisture and repeated use. Perhaps it will help to follow some important pointers to be reminded of the essential goals to achieve when doing this type of project.

1. Determine the Form

Working on a concrete slab should require a solid base. So you need to create blocks and mortar made of concrete. There are also other forms that rely on wooden bases in forming the curb. Take note that curbs can be as large as you want, so wood of any size can be used to create a basic form.

2. The Pan Liners

Take note that block curbs are painted over with latex waterproofing, but wooden curbs are covered with equal flexible pan liners that should conceal the wooden subfloor and the initial pre-sloped concrete. Thus, in measuring the pan liner to be installed on the shower pan floor, you need to wrap 6-8 inches up the walls so that the wall or board panels will be able to wrap it.

3. The Wire Mesh

Upon placing the liner, it is essential to wrap the curb using a wire mesh. This will create a base to which the mortar of the tile or natural stone installation can stick to. This is so because it can’t be made possible using a plastic liner. For this reason, you need to cut down the wire mesh to a size that should result to metal shears or tin snips.

Such will be folded over the curb to make it slide on top of the liner. You can staple the mesh only to the curb’s face and down along the bottom near the floor. The rest of the wire should then be bent or folded in order to fit snuggly over the curb.

4. The Concrete Deck Mud

Before installing any type of finish over the curb, it is essential to create first a base that should enable adhesives to stick to. Basically, you can just utilize the same deck mud that you have used for the shower pan’s floor. Just make sure that the deck mud has been bonded and packed with the mesh.

Optionally, natural concrete can be used in this case, but it requires a certain amount of thickness. This is intended for concrete mud so that it will bond together with the wire mesh. When it hardens, it will provide a certain base that should be used for installation of the finish material on the top of the curb.

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