Installing shower pan liner

Installing shower pan liner is not for the faint of heart! We often use the phrase to describe the entire preparation of a shower floor to receive tile. It can be done yourself and if you can do it properly it could save you A LOT of money.

But please be aware if you do it wrong it could easily cost you 3 times what it would have cost you to pay someone to do it for you. Our recommendation is to be VERY thorough.

Remember a professional tile setter can easily charge $1500-$2500 for the labor to do an "average" shower so if you are brave (or if you are cautious and follow our advice you can save bunches of money by doing it yourself.

The first thought we have is to attempt to make doing it yourself easier is by using the Schulter Kerdi Shower System. It will cost more in materials but save you tons of grief in labor and potential costly mistakes! We strongly suggest you carefully compare this installation method (view video demonstration) with the traditional installing shower pan liner and mudset installation method.

Once you are completely familiar with both methods only then can you make a good choice as to which is best for you. As we hope you have already viewed the kerdi installation video that Schluter is kind enough to supply, you should also "see first hand" how a mudset shower system is done. Our friend Randy Davis has been a top notch tile setter for over 25 years and we suggest before you risk making a VERY EXPENSIVE mistake that you make the small investment to download and view his video that shows the traditional method of installing shower pan liner with a mud bed. This is priceless information! Thank you Randy!!

Please do NOT continue until you have viewed both of these videos and are very familiar with both installation methods!

OK now you need to look at your individual skills, and confidence level and decide which method you prefer. Both are accepted and IF you choose to do it the old fashioned way we recommend you also apply a coat of gold coat or an equivalent trowelable waterproofing membrane to your shower area before you begin installing tiles.

One more point...

You should also know that recent research has revealed that moisture vapor that escapes into our walls on tile showers has become a danger for mold growth. The Kerdi shower system addresses this problem as well by creating a moisture AND vapor proof barrier. We hope this information was useful in helping you decide if you are ready to tackle installing shower pan liner with a mud bed or if you or if you prefer the kerdi system or if you have thrown in the towel and decided to pay a pro. in any case if you are doing it yourself please send us your feedback on how the project went..we would love to hear from you! Good Luck! and be sure to not take ANY shortcuts a tile shower project is nothing to take lightly!