Prefab Shower Pans – Pros and Cons

If you’re remodeling your bathroom, that remodeling process most likely involves updating your shower. What you may not realize is that there’s much more to a shower than meets the eye!

What lies beneath a shower is extremely important to its functionality. In fact, you could say that the visible portion of a shower is just the tip of iceberg!

There is a support structure beneath the visible portion of a shower than will make it or break it. This component is crucial for proper shower drainage and leak prevention.

The All Important Shower Pan

So, what exactly is this all-important shower component we’re talking about? The shower pan. The shower pan is not the tiled shower floor, but actually what lies beneath the tiled shower floor.

A shower pan is a sloped, waterproof structure that serves as the base for a shower floor. This sloped, waterproof structure guides water toward the drain in order to facilitate proper shower drainage and reduce the potential for leaks.

Improperly Installed Shower Pans

If your shower pan is not installed properly, your shower may fill up with water while you shower. When you turn the shower off, all the water on the shower floor may not drain away and puddles could remain. These puddles of stagnant water are unsanitary, and can be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria.

Additionally, an improperly installed shower pan could leak! If your shower floor is tiled, eventually the grout between those tiles could deteriorate and become permeable to water. If water permeates the grout and the shower pan underneath either isn’t truly waterproof or doesn’t redirect that water toward the drain, you will be in a world of hurt. Water that is trapped beneath a shower floor can cause severe water damage and compromise the structural integrity of your installation and home.

Types of Shower Pans

Now that we’ve established the importance of shower pans, you’re probably wondering how to choose a good one.

There are two types of shower pans: prefab shower pans and mudbeds. “Prefab” is short for “prefabricated.” This means the shower base has already been fabricated, or manufactured, prior to its installation in your home bathroom.

You may also see prefab shower pans called “preformed shower pans.” This term is used interchangeably with “prefab.”

Conversely, a mudbed is a hand-laid cement mortar or mudbed shower base.

The Benefits of a Preformed Shower Pan

Prefab shower bases are quick and easy to install when compared to the time required to install a shower pan by hand. If you’re handy, installing a prefab shower base is a no brainer.

Prefab shower bases are also constructed of waterproof material. Traditional concrete shower bases need to be waterproofed after installation and can crack over time, losing their water impermeability.

Additionally, preformed shower pans are guaranteed to have a consistent slope toward your drain with no flat sections. This is always a risk when opting for a hand-laid concrete shower base, as imperfections in the slope are hard to avoid.

If saving time and effort while simultaneously reducing the risk of error is something that interests you, then save yourself the hassle of installing a mudbed and opt for a prefab shower pan.

Just remember – prefab shower pans are best! Order a top-quality prefab shower pan on Tile Pro Depot’s website today to get the job done!