A new shower can transform the look of your bathroom.
It can offer more room and more privacy, helping you turn a basic bath into arelaxing retreat.
However, adding a new shower can also be a lot of work.
Credit: Michael Partenio Productions
The shower’s opening can be closed off with a door or a curtain rod.
Remove the base and cut and cement an extension to the drainpipe.
The extension should be flush with the floor.
(Some manufacturers require a bed of mortar or sand.)
Set the shower base over the drain to confirm that the drain is positioned correctly.
Check for level; shim with additional roofing felt as needed.
Tap it all the way in place with a 14-inch steel rod.
load the drain strainer.
Build Wall Sides
With the shower base in place,build 2x4 wallsfor the sides.
No studs should be farther apart than 16 inches.
Install horizontal braces to support both the faucet and the showerhead arm.
Some bases may require a ledger.
drop in the supply pipes and faucet.
Install Backerboard
Cut pieces of cement backerboard to fit.
Cover all wood surfaces with the backerboard.
Attach to the studs with backerboard screws.
Check that the wall surface is smooth and even because the tiles will follow any contours.
Before tiling,caulk the gapat the bottom.
Apply tiles and a bead of caulk.
Tile the Shower Wall
Cover the backerboard with ceramic tile or with a prefab tub surround kit.
before you jump in,consult guidelineson selecting, laying out, and cutting tile.
In general, tiling should be planned to minimize small pieces.
Wherever a tile edge will be exposed, install a bullnose piece, which has one finished edge.
Use a notched trowel to apply thin-set mortar or organic tile adhesive and set the tiles.
Use a tile-cutting hole saw for the faucet and showerhead stub outs.
Once all the tiles are applied, allow the adhesive to set overnight.
Wipe several times with a damp sponge, working to create consistent grout lines.
Allow to dry, and buff with a dry towel.
Caulk all the inside corners.
One-piece units are designed for new construction only because they are too large to fit through a door.
Three-piece units are quickly assembled and are ideal for remodeling.
The walls of these units must be installed against solid walls.
A corner unit can simply be installed in any corner that is reasonably square.
A rectangular or square unit requires an opening of the correct width and height.
