Parts for this step · tap one to find it
A tiled walk-in shower in a 3 × 5 ft corner alcove: a curb, a linear drain, a sloped mortar bed, cement board, a bonded sheet membrane, a tiled niche and one fixed glass panel. Every part is below, in the order the steps use it. Thinset, grout and screws are not listed.
≈1½–2 weeks of work, plus glass lead time
This guide shows one waterproofing method: a sloped mortar bed with a bonded sheet membrane over it. Others work too, such as a traditional pan liner over a pre-slope, foam trays and boards, or liquid membranes. Whichever you use, follow one maker’s instructions start to finish. This is a typical example, not a design.
With the old finishes out, the studs and floor get checked for rot, plumb and flat. Then blocking goes in for anything that will hang on the wall: grab bars, the glass panel and the niche.
≈½ day after demo · Studs 16 in on center · blocking about 32–39 in above the finished floor
Parts: 4 × Grab-bar blocking, 2×8; 2 × Niche sill & header, 2×4; 1 × Glass-line blocking, 2×4 × 8 ft
California’s residential code calls for grab-bar blocking in new homes; on a remodel it costs little and saves opening the wall later. The floor also has to be stiff enough for tile, so fix any sag or bounce now. A 2×4 at the glass line gives the panel’s channel something solid to fasten to.
A licensed plumber sets the valve, the supply lines, the pipe up to the shower arm, and the linear drain body. The work is tested and inspected before any wall is covered. This guide doesn’t cover the plumbing itself.
≈1 day, plus inspection · Valve ≈48 in, shower head ≈80 in above the floor (typical)
Parts: 1 × Shower valve body (rough-in); 1 × Supply lines & shower-arm riser; 1 × Linear drain body, bonding flange
California’s plumbing code calls for a pressure-balancing or thermostatic valve, limited to 120 °F. The drain height sets the whole floor, so it gets checked against the slope before any mud goes in.
Three 2×4s laid flat and stacked make the curb across the front, wall to wall. Each layer is nailed to the one below and the bottom one to the floor framing.
≈1 hr · 3 layers · 4½ in rough height
Parts: 3 × Curb, 2×4 × 8 ft, cut to 5 ft
The finished curb has to stand at least 2 in, and no more than 9 in, above the top of the drain; check your local plumbing code. Some membrane systems use a preformed foam curb instead of lumber.
A sand-and-cement mortar bed (deck mud) is packed over the floor and screeded in one flat plane, from the curb down to the linear drain, at ¼ in of fall per foot.
≈½ day, then cure · ≈2⅔ ft run · ≈⅔ in of fall · 5 bags
Parts: 5 × Deck mud (sand mix), 60 lb bag
Plumbing code allows up to ½ in per foot. How thick the bed must be at the drain, and whether it bonds to the subfloor or floats over a cleavage membrane and wire lath, come from the drain and membrane maker’s details. (The model runs the right wall down to 1½ ft so you can see in.)
Cement backer board is screwed to the studs, the curb and the inside of the niche, with the screws and spacing its maker specifies.
≈½ day · 7 sheets, 3 × 5 ft · wall tile area to 7 ft
Parts: 7 × Cement backer board, 3 × 5 ft × ½ in
The board isn’t the waterproofing; the membrane over it is. Some bonded-membrane systems also allow drywall or foam board. Use a board your membrane maker lists.
The sheet membrane is bonded to the board and the mortar bed with thinset. It laps at every seam, wraps the curb and the niche, and bonds into the drain’s flange. Corners and pipes get the maker’s preformed pieces.
≈1 day · ≈115 ft² · seams lapped per the maker
Parts: 115 × Bonded sheet membrane, ft² (ANSI A118.10); 6 × Preformed corners (4 inside, 2 outside at the curb; niche per the maker); 2 × Pipe seal, from the membrane maker
Look for ANSI A118.10 on the product. Lap width, thinset type and cure time are the maker’s call. Many makers want the membrane at least as high as the shower head; this one runs to the top of the tile.
Once the thinset has cured, the drain is plugged and the floor filled with water to just below the curb top. The level is marked and left; 24 hours is typical.
≈24 hr · Water ≈2½–3¼ in deep · ≈24 hr
Parts: 1 × Flood-test water, drain plugged
The inspector, local code and the membrane maker may each set the test. Ask before you fill. Any drop gets found and fixed before tile goes on.
Wall tile is set in thinset over the membrane, row by row from a level layout line. With 12 × 24 in tile, each row’s joints are offset no more than a third of a tile.
≈1½–2 days · ≈47 tiles, 12 × 24 in · joints offset ⅓
Parts: 47 × Wall tile, 12 × 24 in porcelain (≈93 ft²)
Many setters start one row up on a temporary ledger board and set the bottom row after the floor. Leave the inside corners and the joint at the floor open for sealant, not grout.
Small mosaic tile follows the slope down to the drain, the curb gets its top and faces, and the grate drops in. Then it’s all grouted, and the inside corners and the floor joint get flexible sealant instead of grout.
≈1 day, then cure · 14 sheets · grate flush with the tile · 2 tubes of sealant
Parts: 14 × Floor mosaic, 2 × 2 in on 12 × 12 in sheets; 1 × Linear drain grate; 2 × Silicone sealant, 10 oz tube
Corners and changes of plane move a little, and grout there cracks; the tile industry’s movement-joint guidance (TCNA EJ171) calls for sealant. Pitch the curb top slightly into the shower.
The glass is measured after tile and made to size. It sets in a channel on the curb and the wall. The plumber installs the valve trim and shower head.
≈2 hr to set · 1 panel ≈30 × 72 in · ≈28 in walk-in opening
Parts: 1 × Fixed glass panel, ⅜ in tempered; 2 × U-channel, per the glass supplier; 1 × Valve trim & shower head
Glass in a shower enclosure must be safety glazing (tempered here). Some panels also need a support bar to the wall; the glass supplier will say. Allow for the glass shop’s lead time.
That’s the shower, framing to glass. Look it over: a flat, even slope to the drain, straight grout lines, sealant at every corner, and glass plumb in its channel.