How to Lay a Concrete Shower Base
- 1). Cover the floor where the shower is being installed with a piece of 3/4-inch plywood. Cut a hole in the plywood for the drain pipe.
- 2). Nail boards to the wall studs at the base of the framing for the shower walls. Use three 2-by-4 boards on the wall where the door is being installed, and a 2-by-10 board on each of the other three walls.
- 3). Lay roofing felt over the plywood and staple it into position.
- 4). Lay mesh over the plywood and roofing felt and staple it into position. Cut a hole through the felt and mesh over the drain hole in the plywood base.
- 5). Slide the bottom flange of the drain assembly into the drain hole.
- 6). Mix a batch of concrete, following the instructions on the packaging.
- 7). Apply the concrete on top of the base with a trowel. Use more concrete along the edges of the base and less towards the drain hole. This makes it easier to slope the concrete in towards the drain.
- 8). Drag a 2-by-4 board across the surface of the concrete to smooth it, sloping it down towards the drain hole. Make the concrete around the perimeter of the shower about 1 1/2 inches higher than the concrete near the drain. Allow the concrete to set for four to five days.
