The Shower Pan

Earlier in the week, Nate was here to start on the tile in the master bath.  In particular, the tile in the shower.

When we first met him, we talked about various options for the backer and pan.  I'd heard from some other old house owners (shout out to folks at wavyglass.org) about a couple of different systems: Schluter and Wedi.  I'd done a little more research on the Schluter system and Nate was more familiar with the Wedi one.

After some thought about doing a traditional mortar pan, Nate decided to try the Wedi system and he got the regional rep to come help on the installation day.

The first two photos show the parts of the system.  The large horizontal gray sheets are the backer for the shower walls.  The upright black piece on the right is the curb.  All are extremely lightweight. especially compared to cement board or drywall.

The box in the second photo contains the shower pan.  It's the same material as the backer sheets.

The third photo shows the installed pan and backer on some of the half-walls.  I was here to watch, but I think the pan is adhered to the sub-floor using thinset.

The panels are attached to the walls with screws and washers, similar to how you'd fasten drywall to the studs.

Then the curb is set and all the seams and penetrations are waterproofed.