Prep Shower Floor For Tile

1 inspect the floor from the basement or crawl space below it.

Prep shower floor for tile.

Waterproof the seams along the base of the shower walls where the walls meet the shower pan. How to prepare a floor for a walk in shower. A successful tile installation project requires a level surface. How to prep a shower wall for tile begin by removing the old tile or the fiberglass shower wall.

Walk in showers are large showers that can either be created from scratch or built using premanufactured pans and wall panels sold as kits. Use a tile nipper to shape the tiles around the drain. If you find hollows and valleys you must fill them with a self leveling underlayment. Mix the grout apply it with a rubber float let it dry for a few minutes before wiping the grout off the tiles surface.

The most important part of a tile floor installation is prepping the subfloor. The rule of thumb is to use thinset mortar as your tile adhesive in wet areas. Check for dips in the floor by sliding a 4 foot to 6 foot straight edge in different directions all around the room. Scrape up as much adhesive as possible keeping the blade sharp with a sharpening stone as you go.

To install the tile i m mixing up some thinset mortar and applying it to the floor with a notched trowel. If you don t do it right the floor could crack and buckle. Spread mortar around the opening of the drain hole then press the floor drain into place. Because this is a larger tile i m using a trowel.

Need to find a pro for your tile shower floor installation. For drier areas like a kitchen backsplash you can use tile adhesive or mastic. Fill seams in the subfloor with caulk. Place the tiles let them sit for a few minutes and lightly wipe the thinset away from the joints.

If the adhesive is hard and brittle use a chopping motion to break it up. Then attack the adhesive with a razor scraper photo 1. Spread mortar and press in continuous strips of waterproof membrane. This is a dusty job so use plastic to cover your doorways wear a respirator that s rated for dust cover the floor with a drop cloth and make sure there s plenty of ventilation.

Durable tile floors look sophisticated and are great for wet areas.