Are you getting a Tile Redi shower pan? Then, you should know that, like other products in its line, it also has specific steps to follow for its installation process. The following guide is intended to provide an easy-to-follow procedure to install such a bathroom component easily, whether you are a professional or one who wants to accomplish the task DIY way.
1. Frame out your bathroom shower stall area to fit your new shower pan dimensions and then clean any debris from your sub-floor.
2. Test fit the drain housing of the shower pan into the sub-floor bore hole and make sure that you align the pan properly to fit it snuggly against the studs of the shower frame on all sides. Take note that this step would depend on whether you have access to the drain connection below the subfloor, and if there is one, you should cut a section of drain pipe, which is long enough to extend below the sub-floor, offering you an easy connection to the wastewater pipe. If there is no access from below the sub-floor, then make sure that the drain pipe stubbed up from the sub-floor is adjusted to the right height to be able to fit properly into the drain connection of the shower pan.
3. Turning the shower pan over, take note that there are ribs under the shower pan floor, so make sure to measure the depth of the ribs under the floor from the rib bottoms resting on the substrate to the pan floor’s underside at the deepest point between the ribs. Once you get that value, calculate the thickness of your mortar base with the use of a formula that is appropriate for the type of shower pan you have. Take note that the mortar base must have a consistency that is close to peanut butter to get the best results.
4. If there is access from the sub-floor below, then the proper adhesive on the outside of the cut drain pipe and quickly insert it into drain connection, while making sure that the pipe extends far enough below the sub-floor to allow it to conveniently connect to the waste water pipe that follows the installation.
5. You can now place the pan in the mud base in a firm, but gentle and shimmy manner, to make sure that the drain will be fully supported by mud at the bore hole in the substrate and that the ribs are completely filled with the mud by applying hand pressure to the left and right sides of the pan floor until the ribs make contact with the subfloor. Level all sides of the pan and the let the mortar dry overnight.
6. Install water-proofing and the shower backer board according to standards. This means that you should water-proof and seal the joint between the Tile Redi splash walls and the backer board using silicone or the optional Redi Flash system.
7. Adjust the height of the drain as recommended to accommodate the marble or ceramic tile. Mix the included Redi Poxy trowel and adhesive onto the shower pan surface using the right square notch trowel. Finally, tile the rest of the shower.
In doing these steps, make sure you comply with the standards and recommendations by the indicated tile council.
