Instead of asking the plumber to install a new shower, try to do it yourself. We advise how to assemble a shower – step by step.
We advise you on shower installation diy with a floor drain in 11 steps. Read what tools and materials you need and what to pay attention to when assembling.
Installation of a shower with a drain in the floor
Step 1. Materials needed
The tiles for the walls and floor of the bathroom are to suit not only our tastes, but also usable and assembly requirements. Tiles can not be slippery. However, they should be large to limit the surface of the joints. The shower panel must be adapted to the efficiency and pressure of the home water supply system and to choose its size, shape and type of drain.
With the self-assembly, the best solutions will be simple rectangular or square tray (panel) subfloor with a linear drain. They are usually sold together with siphon and drain, in several variants of the decorative cover. You will also need sections of 50 mm diameter sewer pipes and elbows with different refraction angles.
It is also necessary to purchase installation pipes, eg PEX type with couplings and handles, corrugated casing pipe, besides shut-off valves – preferably with a filter – and connecting hoses of quite a long length.
Installation of the tray and laying of ceramic tiles requires the supply of a flexible adhesive mortar, a liquid foil together with a sealing tape and grouting mortar. Complementary materials will be expanded polystyrene boards, assembly pins and a Teflon tape for hydraulic seals.
Step 2. Necessary tools
The main problem will be precise cutting and grinding of the edge of the tiles. The best solution is to use a stationary cutter for ceramic products with electric drive. Its purchase can be justified if there are other surfaces to be used in plans. Alternatively, we can use an angle grinder, and to smooth the edges – an orbital sander or a manual paper holder.
You will need standard tiling tools, ie notched trowel, mortar mixer, brush for applying liquid foil, grinder for grouts, and measuring instruments, such as the level, scoop and pencil. To cut styrofoam we will use a knife or a ball with fine teeth, which will also be used to cut a sewage pipe. Installation of the water supply system will require the use of hydraulic adjustable wrenches, and when mounting dowels fixing the spray panel – drills with a concrete drill with a diameter of 8-10 mm.
Step 3. Possible solutions
The construction of non-threshold showerheads with a drain placed directly in the floor is gaining popularity, and sanitary equipment manufacturers offer increasingly newer elements of equipment. In addition to aesthetic qualities, this solution has practical advantages – it ensures comfortable entry into the shower, makes it easier to keep the bathroom clean and in the event of failure of the washing machine protects the other rooms from flooding. The shower can be made in several variants, depending on the installation possibilities and labor intensity of the works.
Step 4. Conditions for installation
The removal of water from the floor drain placed in the floor requires a reduction of the substrate by 12-15 cm in relation to the target floor plane, which must be taken into account already at the stage of building the ceiling or laying floor layers on the ground. As a last resort, such a reduction – for example when mounting on an already made floor – can be achieved on two levels. Then, under the entire descending surface, the recess can have only 6-7 cm, and in the place where the siphon is installed and the drain pipe is laid, the full depth is 12-15 cm.
Planning to put a shower in the bathroom with flooring on the ground, preliminary connection of the drain pipe to the sewage system should be done before the thermal insulation layer is installed – which requires the establishment of the exact location of the shower – and the outlet to protect against the ingress of dirt during construction works.
In a bathroom with a floor construction, the subfloor layers are usually quite thin, so it will be necessary to sink the siphon and the drain pipe in the ceiling. In the popular teriva ceilings – with proper placement of the plumbing section – pipe can be used for pipe laying, cutting them and covering the cutout with, for example, a polystyrene insert (before concreting the ceiling), or creating it in a finished ceiling using a concrete cutter.
Step 5. Inserting a drain with a siphon
The most problems are caused by drainage from the floor drain , because it requires a sufficient siphon trough, pipe routing with a decrease of not less than 1% and connecting them to the plumbing section. In the prepared cavity, in the first place, we must determine the location of the siphon by inserting a “dry” sub-panel.
Through the hole in the panel, mark the center of the drain, then on the floor draw a cross, specifying the place of siphoning. The length of the drain should not exceed 2 m, if only due to the need to create a slope. They are made of pipes and fittings with a diameter of 50 mm.
The supply of a drain pipe to the siphon usually requires the use of bends with different angle of refraction. It is not allowed to wobble the lead vertically, and the correction of the waveform – if it is not enough to choose the elbows – we can get by adjusting the length of the straight sections. Pre-matching the elements of the drain is easier to do after removing the gaskets from the goblets and install them only during the final assembly.
Pipe sections – if they need to be cut – you need to chamfer at an angle of about 30 at even ends around the circumference and remove any burrs. Before assembling the drain, the gaskets should be covered with glidant or soap, and in the press joints, leave approx. 0.5 cm of clearance. In the cup, the connections are screwed tight with hands.
Step 6. Piping the pipes to the panel
A pipe with hot and cold water should be supplied to the shower panel , i.e. to its installation location. In the case of models with a rain shower or massage nozzles, it will be necessary to ensure sufficient water supply pressure and pressure. These requirements are included in the instructions for use of the panel. Before buying, it is worth to check if the home installation meets the conditions regarding the parameters. In case of doubt, the test measurements can be carried out using a provisionally connected through valve and manometer.
The shower panel can be adapted to be installed in the plane of the wall or in its corner. Setting the shower in the corner facilitates its installation and does not limit the surface in the shower. Pipes are hidden in wall furrows or behind the cover in the corner of the wall. Both supply pipes (with cold and hot water) are led out to a height enabling convenient connection of the panel.
Depending on the assembly requirements of a particular model, the ends are placed at a precisely defined height when connected with a rigid connector or in a convenient place under the cover at the corner and at a height of about 1 m from the floor – when the leads are made of flexible hoses.
Step 7. Underfloor insulation on the walls
After preparing the connection to the installation of hot and cold water, we can proceed to cover the walls with ceramic tiles. It is advisable to use large-size products. They will ensure greater tightness of the cover and make it easier to keep the wall clean. Before tiling, check that the surface is sufficiently level and durable.
The best substrate is cement-lime plaster, which if necessary can be leveled with adhesive mortar applied a day or two earlier. Another treatment will be to cover the substrate with waterproofing insulation with the so-called liquid foil, reinforced in the corner and by the floor with special insulation tape.
Step 8. Underlay and shallow shower tray
When installing a tile tray in the form of a shaped plastic panel, after assembling the siphon and drain, we must form a base layer, on which the sub-floor panel will rest or a ready-made pool will be placed in the floor. A convenient solution will be to insert a foundation made of hard styrofoam, eg EPS 100 or XPS, with a thickness adjusted to the necessary filling.
In a certain range, this thickness can be adjusted with a layer of adhesive mortar used to attach the insert. Of course, you need to cut out the holes for the siphon and the channel in which the outflow will run.
Another solution is to obtain a primer layer from cement screed, but this will prevent possible correction of connecting the drain to the siphon. The underlay must form a plane at the depth recommended for embedding a sub-panel, and in the case of a screed, wait a few days until it hardens sufficiently.
We also check the level of the undercoat in both directions, however, slight deviations can be compensated by a layer of glue holding the panel. We fix it with tile adhesive, applied with a toothed trowel and undercoat, and on its underside. The position of the panel must be able to connect it to the siphon through the drainage hole. Then we control the horizontal setting – by placing the level on the diagonal of all corners.
Step 9. Antifoam insulation on the perimeter
The subfloor panel usually has a waterproof waterproof layer that protects against moisture penetration at the place of drainage and at the connection to the bathroom floor. Depending on the location of the shower tray, we also roll the floor insulation onto the wall when the shower tray will be directly adjacent to the corner.
Along the edges of the panel – after unrolling the sealing foil – we apply a glue mortar that will fill the gap on the perimeter and ensure that the seal integrated in the panel will be secured. In addition, the area around the shower tray can be insulated with liquid foil and glued with tape – then we will achieve a tight connection with the rest of the sub-floor insulation of the floor and walls.
Of course, water-proof insulation from a liquid film or a watertight mortar must be prepared on the entire bathroom floor. The day after the panel is pasted, floor tiles can be laid. Then we combine the siphon with the drain grate, paying attention to the arrangement of the gasket and the height of the edge adjusted to the thickness of the tiles.
Step 10. Laying tiles with a slope
Placing tiles with a slope towards the outflow is the most difficult and labor-intensive stage. Using the dimensions of our panel (provided by the manufacturer), we can cut a cardboard template that will greatly facilitate the cutting of elements. As a rule, we have to create a four-way drop at the central and linear outflow (if it does not adhere directly to the wall). Due to the need to skew the tiles, we should use a stationary saw with a diamond disc that will ensure a precise and even cut.
As a last resort, you can use a manual grinder, but usually it will require laborious alignment of the side and will not always give good results. We also need to polish the cut edges, cutting the sharp, glazed edge with a gentle arch. We will do it manually, eg with a stone, a block with sandpaper, or mechanically, eg with an orbital sander. The tiles to cover the shower tray can be the same as the rest of the floor or differ in color, pattern or size. It is recommended that tiles that are not slippery when using the shower.
Place the tiles in the tray first, before you attach them to the entire bathroom floor. We use a flexible adhesive mortar, applied with a notched trowel to the plate and substrate. We start the work from the place of the linear (or point) outflow, while adjusting the level of the outflow, ensuring the free flow of water.
First, we put rows of full-sized tiles that reach the edge of the recess of the hollow, then the slant plates, which are first to be laid dry. This will allow you to check that they form the right angles, and the joints have the same width. Finally, we embed them using the already arranged elements as a base to maintain an even tilt surface.
After binding the glue, we proceed to grouting. The best will be the epoxy grout, but when applying it, it is easy to make irreversible mistakes. It is therefore safer to use a flexible cement-based joint spreading with a squeegee at the level of the tiles.
Step 11. Installation of the panel
We put the shower panel after finishing the floor, shower tray and walls, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. However, detailed information about the connection method is not always provided. However, in the case of a corner panel, it should not be difficult.
At the end of the pipes, we install shut-off valves, if the installation was temporarily closed with plugs. In some cases, a template is attached to the documentation to facilitate the fixing of fixing points, where you will need to insert the mounting pegs selected for a given material.
This task usually consists of screwing two brackets to the wall, on which the panel hangs. Before its suspension, it is necessary to connect the supply hoses, the length of which must allow connection with the ends of the installation pipes and the support on the brackets.
Two people will be needed for mounting – one holds the panel, the other one connects the hoses with the installation. Of course, before hanging the panel, we should, depending on the model, equip it with the necessary elements (massage nozzles, handset, holder, etc.).
If we decided to open the shower without curtain walls, the work ends there. In the case of creating a booth or a transparent partition with a sheet of tempered glass, we need to fit the handles and booms in the wall and in the floor and place the cover.