Curbless Shower Construction: Save $8000 in Eight Minutes

In this video, you will learn how to build a

curbless

shower

. Everyone deserves a safe

shower

.  And

curbless

or barrier-free showers are especially safe for the elderly or disabled. These showers are easy to access and also help caregivers.  This tutorial will show you the four-step plan for building a curbless shower that will make it last for decades. It is important to understand how curbless showers work. The idea is simple: there is no obstacle to jump.  And this allows people to get into the shower. Or get into the shower in a wheelchair.   In that sense, I recommend building the shower to suit the user.  For example, I always make the opening large enough for a wheelchair or walker.  And in terms of length and depth, you can make a relatively small rimless shower.  For example, in this bathroom I used a 32 x 60 inch slanted shower tray.  Thus, you could replace a bathtub with a shower without a curb.  But always keep the building codes in your area in mind.  My first step for this rimless shower involved the framing and plumbing.   My Schluter prefabricated shower pan had to be 32 inches deep and 60 inches wide to fit the existing space.  And I made sure the edge of the shower was 15 inches from the centerline of the toilet.  This helped me maintain local building codes.

The next step was to recess the shower floor.  And I did it without cutting the floor joists, which I don't recommend.  Instead, I removed the subfloor where the shower pan would be installed.  I then inspected the floor joists to see if they were level.  Fortunately, the beams were level from front to back and side to side.  I then attached new 2x4s to the old floor joists using 3”

construction

screws.  I scaled the screws every 6 to 8 inches along the length of the 2x4.  I have new 2x4's along the entire perimeter of the shower area.  And they are 3/4” below the floor joists.

I used a piece of 3/4” plywood to place the 2x4 brothers at the correct depth. At this point, I made sure my new 2-inch shower drain was centered in the area. I used a temporary riser to help me center the drain. And that is always important.  Once the drainage was in place, I added new 3/4” plywood over the 2x4s.  This allowed me to embed the new 3/4" subfloor panels. I used 2" screws with

construction

adhesive to secure the new subfloor panels. And ideally, the screws should go into the 2x4s at least 1 inch. Additionally, I added screws every 4 to 6 inches along the perimeter.

And 6 to 12 inches in the field according to the American Plywood Association. For the end panel of the subfloor, I created a 5" hole for the drain. This 5" hole is the maximum diameter Schluter allows for the shower drain. Now my entire curbless shower area is recessed, but is level with the floor joists. The goal here is to have a level substrate that won't sag. move. And that's very critical for any previously sloped shower pan like the Schluter pan I'm using. Now here's a step that some people skip and that is inspecting the stud walls. I placed a level along the studs. to see if they were plumb and level.

This is important for the shower wall support board. So for example, I'm using cement board, but even if you're using foam board, it's important to inspect these. bolts. Once I inspected them and fixed any issues I installed the shower valve. I highly recommend installing a valve that has a shower wand and normally that requires a separate valve. So in this case it is a Delta diverter valve. It is especially important for elderly or disabled people. And using PEX A along with these Delta shower valves made this process a breeze. My next step was to waterproof the shower walls.  I normally use KERDI-BOARD but in this shower I used cement board.  Then I waterproofed it with KERDI membrane.

The only reason I did this was because   KERDI-BOARD was out of stock. I prefer to waterproof the walls first and then install the drain. For me, it is very important that the drainage is level. And it's very easy to do this without the shower tray in place. So, once the drain is installed, I place the shower tray in a thin mortar. Sometimes the shower tray is slightly higher than the bathroom floor. And that's okay because I added DITRA-XL, which is 5/16 of an inch. And what that does is raise the floor of the master bathroom and in turn keeps the floor of the master bathroom even or slightly higher than the shower pan.

The reason this is important is because it keeps the water in the shower area. Waterproofing is vitally important for curbless showers. And this is how I do it.  First, I waterproof the pan against the drain. This circular piece from KERDI comes with the pan.  Then I waterproof the inside corners of the shower with KERDI-KERECK.  I follow that with KERDI-BAND. And then I install KERDI-BAND so that it overlaps the corners by 2 inches. It also overlaps the shower tray and walls by 2 inches.  And that's a really important principle for the Schluter shower system. I extended the KERDI-BAND outside the shower.  And I used a long piece that goes from the shower to the door.  And the last step is to add the KERDI membrane to the pan and DITRA-XL.  Extends 6 inches into the shower and 36 inches out of the shower.  Schluter now only requires that KERDI or KERDI-BAND extend 2 inches into the shower area.  But I like to go above and beyond to ensure the pan is waterproof.  I also recommend removing the KERDI and checking your coverage.  By the way, I am using Schluter ALL-SET mortar and KERDI trowel to do all this waterproofing.  And I waterproofed the entire DITRA-XL with a KERDI membrane.  Here's a great pro tip for shower glass.

I use DECO-SG as a U-channel for the glass.  And I glue it to the ground with ALL-SET and KERDI-FIX.  And I make sure it's equidistant from the main shower wall.  I then install the vertical DECO-SG using the same method.  It is very, very important that the vertical piece is plumb.  Now this U channel will accept the shower glass.  And the advantage is that it does not require screws that can puncture my waterproofing. And be sure to choose the DECO-SG based on the thickness of your shower glass and also the size of the tile.  After waterproofing the shower, I began installing the tiles.   And I always get questions about the tile installation sequence.  I like to install the shower tile floor first.

And the reason is that I can leave a small expansion joint between the tile and the walls. And that will be covered by the tiles on my wall.  I walked out of the shower towards the bathroom door.  And then I let everything be ready for a day.  And then the next day I started tiling the shower walls.  And I used a 12 x 24 vertical porcelain tile.  I really liked this porcelain.  It was easy to cut. And I think it's very nice for a large mosaic.  I started laying the tiles on the largest wall.  And I used a half pattern offset as per my client's request.

And I also used a tile leveling system to keep the grout joints even. And reduce the edge of the tile.  Then I installed the side wall on the left.  And I finished the tile on the plumbing wall.  By the way, I covered the tiles with a black metal profile.  I'm Schluter JOLLY. And then my last step was to tile the shower niche. I really like how this niche turned out.  I used a black metal profile for the perimeter of the niche.  And a glass mosaic at the back of the niche. I like how it turned out.  It really makes the shower niche stand out.

And the black shower shelf I used also matched the shower drain and metal profiles because they are all from Schluter.  By the way, I tilted that shelf slightly so the water would drain into the shower.  And then my last step was to grout the shower.  I like to use Laticrete Spectralock 1, which is a premixed grout but has similar properties to epoxy. I like this grout because it makes any touch-ups or repairs very easy for me or the client - they can do it themselves.  Plus, you never need to seal it. And that is always an advantage.  I used the same color of grout on the floor as on the walls.  And then I applied Latasil silicone between the shower floor and the wall tiles.  I also used this in the corners because it's a plane change.  So anywhere there is a plane change, you need a flexible sealant.  I am pleased with the final look and so are my clients.  And the curbless shower design, porcelain tile, and grout selection made this shower clean, safe, and functional.

I hope this video helps you save time and money when installing a rimless shower. If you are remodeling a bathroom like this and want more tips and tricks, visit homerepairtutor.com today. Thanks for watching this video and I'll see you in the next one.