Tile Learning Center

Pre-sloping and Shower Floor Installation

You preslope by installing a 2" strip of 1/2 Durock around the perimeter of the shower floor in mortar.

Remove the drain. Fill the area with a polimar added, water mixed mortar. Using a small straight edge let one end ride on the perimeter. Durock down to nothing at the drain. You get a 1/2" fall to the weep holes on the floor drain base. When the pan is installed you feel a noticable fall to the drain. If water got under your shower floor it will drain to the weep holes and not effect the performance of the shower floor

I use a small piece of screen so the sand/cement do no fill the holes.

Mix the sand/cement fairly dry and generally slope to the drain but a little higher than the finished height. Let it set up for a couple of hours. Drag the flat side of the trowell, smoothing and taking off excesses little by little. You have all day to work with the mix and by making it heavy and scraping down you can get very smooth and level fall to the drain.

Next day the shower base is dry so take Durock tape and connect the floor and walls. Doing this will greatly hinder movement as years go by.

Always lay the tile loose and complete the entire shower floor. Everything is fit except the few pieces around the drain. Remove the floor and keep in order, it can get confusing reinstalling in mortar. But if you get it right you install the floor in about 5/10 minutes.

Clean out mortar and install dry the pieces. Fit all the pieces before using lots of good Kerabond/Keralastic, not leaving any voids for water to set. Not to worry if mortar comes up in grout joints. Kerabond cuts and cleans up well in the next few days. Be careful the next day cutting with utility knife so you don't disturb the tiles. Kerabond/Keralastic's biggest advantage to tilesetters is its slow set up time.

Leave tiles slightly higher than the drain and water has no choice but go down the drain.

Finish the wall tile down to the floor. Make sure you fill ALL voids along the wall with mortar. The best shower you can offer your clients.