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I have only done one shower over the years. I am getting ready to do several with Broken Shackle Ranch.
We will be using 1/4 Mystera ( thanks Matt) for the walls.
Two quick questions.
What is the best shower pan taking into account durability and cost? 36″ X 48″
looking at cultured marble now. There are fiberglass options that are cheaper, but this needs to last another 25 years.
How do you stick the solid surface to the walls? Do you just use good %100 silicone?
Hi Chris,
I personally always liked the terrazzo pans. They are very durable, not too expensive and fairly easy to work with. There are now lots of adhesives to fasten the panels to the wall, but 100% silicone worked for me for years.And Kudos to you for all your work for those kids.
Acrylic molded pans with the lip around the walls will easily last 25 years. Fiberglass is not as nice but is perfectly fine.
I would stay away from anything that needs a hot mop. That stuff dries out over the years and leaks.
Install the pan, drywall or cement board leaving 1″ above the pan flange, use self sticking flashing membrane in the corners and bring down over the flange of the pan, silicone walls into place starting on the back wall, install side walls coming out pas the dam about 3″, apply a quarter round molding in the corner and silicone all joints with a nice small bead of silicone.
That is what I would do to make it last a long time.
The flashing membrane and quarter round are not required but are safety steps. You could actually just use a ton of silicone behind the corner but we don’t ever want to get that phone call saying the shower leaks.
I think Swanstone is the best bang for the buck with regards to shower floors.
We use the neoprene based panel adhesive (or positioning adhesive if you prefer troweling). We usually draw circles and place dabs of hot melt in the center of the circles for a quick hold. Tougher on a shower sheet than a wall sheet, you might not be able to do that in all cases.
Hey Tom,
What is the advantage of using panel adhesive over silicone? We have always used silicone but always looking for a better solution.
Andy,
Cost is a big factor, but the panel adhesive can be spread easier if you need it to. If you don’t need to use the hot melt, the same rule of pushing, pulling back to let air in and pushing back to the wall still applies.Part of it is simply history. It’s what we always did.
Moves air over a larger adhesive surface area to help with the curing. The solvents vent out better and quicker. Once the adhesive is squished more surface area is exposed.
Swan stone pans, yup!
I took the advice here on FN and started using “Fast grab” works great with less compression bracing.
For braces I now use adjustable shower curtain rods. What a time saver!
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