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When tiling a shower pan, it is important to follow the steps below in order to ensure proper installation.
Once the hot mop is complete you can begin prepping for the wall backing. Start by flashing the water barrier (typically asphalt felt paper) over the sides of the hot mop so that all moisture flows into the shower pan. The backer board or wall float should come down to about one inch from the hot mop floor. Make sure to not puncture the hot mop below dam level along the walls. This means no screws, nails, or staples below the dam level—puncturing below this level can compromise your shower’s water threshold (think flood levees or river dams with a hole half way up—not good).
Once the wall backer is up the mud bed for the tile must be prepared. We have seen most mud beds floated with a premixed mortar or a custom mix of three parts sand and one part Portland cement. However, before floating the mud bed over the hot mop make sure to keep the weep holes at the base of the drain protected with gravel or crushed tile. For more information on weep holes check out our related article.
Also, most local codes call for the mud bed to be reinforced at the approximate center of the base. This is most easily accomplished using metal lath (metal mesh used to provide a base for plaster).
Once the mud bed is dry apply the thinset (adhesive mortar made of cement, fine sand and a water retaining agent) and tile. Once the tile has been set you can apply the grout and sealer.
Once the grout and sealer have been applied, the shower pan should look like the diagram below. Note that the same steps apply to vinyl liners as to hot mopped shower pans.
West Coast Shower Pans has expert hot moppers to help make your new shower installation a reality. Please feel free to contact us for a quote or with any questions.
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