Build my own cabin - DIY projects

 Shower Demolition

Shower demolition is one of the first steps to any shower remodel.  In most cases, you will want to strip the shower walls down to the studs and take the shower floor out completely.  If your shower smells like mildew all the time, never quite dries out, or shows any amount of mold along the corners there is a very good chance that more water and mold is trapped below your tile floor and you'll never remediate this without starting with a properly constructed shower floor.

removing shower floor

tile-shower-done-wrong   

The shower remodel shown throughout this website started because the original contractor completely failed at his job.  The shower eventually started leaking through the ceiling in the room below.  Once I started popping off the wall tile I noticed large gaps where the hardie backboard was not seamed at all in the corners - Fail #1.  Any water that made its way through the grout was free to drain down the corner and not into the shower pan. After that I busted out the floor where I noticed the shower liner in the corner was cut all the way to the floor instead of just being folded in the corner - Fail #2.  In the first picture above notice how the shower pan liner was placed directly on top of the sharp wire mesh - Fail #3.  This could easily cut through the liner and cause leaks.  Also, the shower liner was installed flat on the floor with no pre-slope, this is Fail #4.  Doing this allows water to be trapped under your shower floor and creating mold and mildew that never dries out. And lastly, the shower pan liner was not extended up and over the shower curb but rather folded up with a bunch of thinset in the form of a curb - Fail #5.

A small sledge hammer and pry bars will quickly allow you to knock out the existing shower tile and floor. Be sure to remove any glue, nails, or screws that are left behind so that the new wall will lay flat.  When you are pull the existing shower liner out just cut around the drain. The next section will cover replacing the shower drain.   

Step 1: Shower Demolition

Step 2: How to Replace a Shower Drain

Step 3: How to Make Shower Deck Mud

Step 4: How to Build a Shower Floor 1 (Curb and Pre-slope)

Step 5: How to Build a Shower Floor 2 (Liner, Drain, Final Slope)

Step 6: How to Install Shower Backerboard

Step 7: How to Build a Waterproof Shower Bench

Step 8: How to Tile Shower Floor

Step 9: How to Tile and Grout Shower Walls