If a new shower is in your future, one of the most important elements to consider is the floor of your shower. To get to the finish line of what type of shower floor will work best for you, there are a few questions that must be answered. Do you know the questions? If not, it might be a good idea to read on as we work to demystify the remodeling process.
How do we determine which shower floor is best for you? Let’s start by asking the key questions that will lead us to the right answer for you.
What size would you like the shower to be?
As is the case for many questions, there is no right or wrong answer. The question could also have been phrased “What size do you need the shower to be?” because function absolutely plays a role in some situations.
The primary reason the shower floor size is important is that preconstructed, manufactured shower bases often are made in standard sizes. As a result, the shower is constructed to the size that allows that standard size shower base to work.
In the event you want a larger shower or a custom size of some sort where the dimensions don’t work with a standard size shower base, you’ll just need to go custom on the shower floor.
Shower floor material
Another decision point on the shower floor is what material you wish to use or see on the floor. Manufactured shower bases are often constructed of fiberglass, while custom shower floors are most commonly constructed of a tile that compliments what might be used on the wall.
VERY IMPORTANT: Ensure that your tile partner properly waterproofs the floor system of your shower before installing the tile on the floor of your custom shower. The failure to do this can be catastrophic to the area below down the road.
SIDE NOTE: There is a common belief that you don’t want tile on the shower floor due to grout maintenance and more specifically, grout staining that might occur over time. Our suggestion is to use a better grout product to mitigate this issue and you won’t have regrets about using tile on the shower floor. The goal is to use a product where the sealer is not a topical sealer protecting only on the surface of the grout, but rather using an integrated sealer where the sealer itself is mixed throughout the grout, thus offering long lasting protection.
SIDE SIDE NOTE: Don’t use abrasive cleaners on any of these products anymore. Focus on the soap and water type cleaners that avoid chemicals sure to deteriorate the topical finishes and sealers over time!
Is there a right or wrong type of shower floor?
My honest answer is no, as long as we begin with the baseline understanding that whatever path you choose, it gets installed properly. Let me offer a few examples explaining why.
Cost is always a factor in any project. As a result, there could be a client who wants to do a nice project but falls in love with a shower base that has a very small threshold to step over as they age in place. This important functional element may drive them to a manufactured shower base in a standard size offering.
There could be a client that would really want a shower threshold to be constructed of the matching countertop material for the aesthetics it offers, but the only way to do that is to proceed with a custom tile shower.
There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to the decision-making criteria. There are only rights or wrongs when it comes to proper installation of whichever path you choose.
Zero threshold roll in showers – the new craze!
A new wildcard to making your shower floor decision has emerged in recent years, particularly for those who plan to age in place. It has to do with creating a shower floor that has no discernable threshold to step over. We call them roll in showers or zero threshold showers.
Various products have been introduced to accomplish this for the areas you cannot see beneath the tile, but there are 1 key requirement that must happen to accommodate this approach to a shower floor. The shower floor AND the bathroom floor must both be tile. This potentially adds cost to the overall project, but it is a requirement.
We hope this gives you a starting point on how to begin to think about your next shower project.