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Guide

How to build a walk in shower step by step

douches céramique

Are you tired of your little yellowed plastic shower? Do you want a custom shower that will enhance your bathroom? Why not build your own ceramic tile walk-in shower!

Building your own shower offers several advantages: a multitude of styles, personalized and adapted dimensions, choice of materials and type of shower, etc. The walk-in shower is distinguished by its level base, i.e., on the floor, without a ledge.

You can therefore create the illusion that the room is larger by installing glass walls and a ceramic floor identical to that of your bathroom. This type of shower works well in all types of bathrooms, especially smaller ones.

 

The tray

 
The tray, or base of the shower, is used to collect and drain water. Unlike traditional showers that have a tray with a rim, walk-in showers are on one level.
 
You can find prefabricated trays for this type of shower in stores, but it is also possible to build your own shower base. Here are the main advantages and disadvantages of both methods:
 

Prefabricated shower base


Advantages:
 
  • Installs easily
  • Offers many sizes, materials and shapes
  • Ensures a very good watertightness
  • Provides slope for water drainage
Disadvantages:
 
  • Rarely exceeds 72 inches, unless you have it custom made
  • Doesn't create a larger room effect since the shower tray is not like the floor covering of the room

Handmade shower base


Advantages:
 
  • Offers endless possibilities in size and design
  • Makes the bathroom look bigger

Disadvantages:
 
  • Requires slope for the drain during installation
  • Requires extra attention to waterproofing the bottom of the shower

 

The drain


The installation of a walk-in shower requires that the base of the shower be at the same level as the bathroom floor. So, if you want to change your old conventional shower for this type of shower, you may have to make relatively significant changes to the room.

  • Make the screed: if you opt for your shower tray design, you will have to make the screed, which is the layer of mortar applied to the floor. This means you'll need to have a hole deeper than your bathroom floor, install the drainage system and pour the bottom of the concrete receiver.
  • Place the drain at floor level: the trap and the pipe must be embedded, which requires some depth. This means that you will either have to tear up the existing flooring or raise the floor everywhere. The proper height will depend on the shower base or the slope needed for the drain. If your bathroom is in a basement with a concrete floor, Simplex Equipment Rental has the equipment to demolish it to make room for the drain.
  • Raising the shower: If you don't want to change the floor of your bathroom, you can raise the floor of the shower. There will be a step before entering the shower, but you will have the necessary space to install the drain with its slope and the evacuation system without breaking your floor.

A little trick: the linear drain. It is possible to avoid the four-sided slope of a central drain by installing a linear drain. This type of drain requires a single slope and allows the installation of all types of ceramic tiles, regardless of their size, in addition to preventing the accumulation of water on the floor. Linear drains are easily concealed and therefore help to create a floor extension effect in the shower.

 

Waterproofing

 
 
Above all, to avoid water infiltration, the walls and floor of your shower must be completely waterproof. This is an essential step! The necessary elements can be found in most home renovation stores and are easy to use and install.
  • Waterproof fiber cement or gypsum board: these materials are water resistant and therefore ideal for your shower walls.
  • Waterproofing membrane: This is installed over the fiber cement or gypsum panels and provides additional waterproofing. For a handmade shower tray, the membrane is also installed on the concrete floor.
  • Epoxy grout: the grout spreads over the ceramic tiles and provides waterproofing for the gaps.

 

Ceramic tiles

 
If you want a true walk-in shower, the ceramic tiles of the shower tray must be the same as those of the bathroom floor. However, this is not a requirement; you can decide to use a completely different ceramic tile without any problem.
 
Using ceramic tiles to design your shower is a wise choice since this material is, among other things, inexpensive, durable and easy to maintain and install. It is also available in a wide variety of colors and patterns, both in tile and mosaic. In addition, in the event of a breakage, ceramic tile is easily replaced by following a few simple steps.
 
However, here are a few points to consider:
 
  • Ceramic tiles are slippery when wet: since we are talking about using ceramic tiles as a floor covering for the shower, we must avoid this problem by using non-slip tiles. Some products are also available on the market to make them anti-slip. However, ceramic tiles on walls can be slippery.
  • Tiles to use depending on the drain: a central drain will require small ceramic tiles to follow the slopes of the drain, which will require more handling and precision. A linear drain will allow you to use large tiles, since it requires a single slope.
  • Tile installation: floor tiles should be installed before wall tiles, as the latter will be supported by the former.
  • Leveling the tiles: in order to give a beautiful appearance, the ceramic tiles must all be at the same height. To make your work easier, Simplex Equipment Rental offers laser or optical levels.
  • Cutting ceramic tiles: in order to cut your ceramic tiles properly, whether for walls, floors or to pass through plumbing, you will need specific equipment such as a ceramic saw with a diamond blade. Don't worry; you don't need to own such a tool, you can simply rent it at Simplex Equipment Rental!

 

The walls


The walk-in shower allows you to configure your walls in different ways:
  • A single ceramic wall
  • Two ceramic walls and one glass wall
  • Three ceramic walls and a glass door
Glass elements bring light into your shower and visually enlarge the room. However, glass requires more maintenance than ceramic, since water can easily leave marks.
 
With all this information in hand, you will be able to make the right choices for your ceramic tile shower!