What Kind Of Concrete To Use For Shower Pan
This product is actually a high strength mortar made with sand and portland cement which i will henceforth refer to as mortar.
What kind of concrete to use for shower pan. By the time i got to the shower i. Waterproof the shower pan. Portland cement is water resistant when it hardens smooth and easy to trowel onto the floor and available everywhere. The slope directs water toward the shower drain.
They should be mixed to a ratio of 5 1. Concrete showers are durable and easy to clean but may look utilitarian. Portland cement the most common type of cement used in homes today it has been around for centuries it seems and is one of the best types of cements for a shower base. If you use a sheet membrane you will have to install a layer of roofing paper first and then install the vinyl membrane.
We first need to frame in the shower pan with 2x10 lumber around the bottom of the floor and regular 2x4 studs up the walls. Lath is material that is added to concrete to give it tensile strength. I subbed myself out to a contractor to do some tile work his helper prepped the floors and showers all i have to do is tile but what sloppy work on the prep. For this example we ll use a drain that is in the center of the shower pan.
The type of sand you should use for your shower pan is called sharp sand while the cement you will need to use is called portland cement. Painting concrete surfaces requires a few additional steps beyond the simple priming and painting of traditional drywall surfaces. It is essentially metal mesh not unlike chicken wire that is placed inside the frame of the shower base before the. Depending on local building code you can use a vinyl sheet membrane or hot mop with tar.
Mortar is the type of concrete product that works best for shower pan applications since it contains no gravel allowing it to work easily and dry with a gentle slope. The drain can be anywhere on the pan as long as we slope the concrete for proper drainage. Painting a concrete shower can add much needed visual appeal to an otherwise cold gray space. Whether you ll be installing tile over your shower s concrete floor or leaving it bare you will need to use a mixture called deck mud to form the shower s base.
Mortar mixes for shower pans are blended with portland cement which is water resistant when it hardens and sand. Finally add water gradually so that the sand and cement come together in a ball with no excess water or crumbling. As a side note sakrete sand mix can be used in many other projects like a bedding mix for brick and flagstone walkways or a topping mix for rejuvenating old concrete surfaces.