If you have a half bath and want to make a full bath, or a bathroom with a tub and want to replace it with a walk-in shower, you can do it with a little persistence and a lot of planning and work. A walk-in shower adds to a house's value when it changes a half bathroom into a full bath. You can build a walk-in shower in a couple of weekends.
Instructions
1. Draw the plans for your shower. Work the shower around any drain you already have if possible. You'll need a plumber to rough in the area if you're putting a new drain in for the shower. Build the framework for the shower but don't hang the backerboard.
2. Measure the distance from the center of the drain to the edge of the wall. You'll need this to calculate the slope for the shower. Use the scale of 1/4-inch drop for every foot. So if your shower is 3 feet from the drain, the concrete by the edge of the shower should go up to the level of 3/4 inches and drop to zero in the center of the drain. Mark the line all the way around the walls with a straight edge and use a level to check it. Put the drain clamp ring in but don't clamp it.
3. Lay roofing paper on the floor of the shower, overlapping the seams. Top the roofing paper with wire mesh and nail it to the floor. Mix three to four parts of sand with one part Portland cement. Make it a dry mixture.
4. Start at the outer edge and build a 2-inch concrete column up to the mark on the wall all the way around the shower. Put a thin layer of mud around the drain flange. Then fill in the area between the wall and the drain flange. Use a board to smooth the area and check it for slope with the level. Let dry overnight.
5. Use a gypsum core backerboard with an exterior fiberglass mesh for the waterproof wall liner to line the entire area of the shower and form a protective water barrier. Check the walls to make sure they're level. Then use galvanized screws to secure the backerboard to the walls.
6. Coat the mud bed with a layer of thinset; while it dries, lay the rubber membrane on the floor and transfer the measurements to it. The membrane should go up the wall a minimum of 2 inches higher than the threshold. You will need to cover the threshold, so make allowances in your measurement. Cover the corner gussets and the joints with waterproof tape. Install the membrane.
7. Take off the drain cap and secure it to the drain using plastic cement, then put the cap back in place but this time lock it down to seal the membrane. Staple the membrane to the walls at the very top of the membrane. Create tight corners using the hospital-sheet fold. Seal any seams and make sure that you cut extra pieces to seal the seams at the threshold.
8. Fill the shower base with 1 to 2 inches of water and leave it overnight. In the morning, check for leaks. If there are no leaks, drain the shower and let it dry.
9. Wrap the threshold with wire mesh and apply concrete backerboard to the outside of the threshold. Wrap the outside of the curb with wire mesh and attach concrete backerboard. Insert the drain barrel and adjust for final height. Lay an inch of concrete and top it with a layer of wire mesh. Put the final layer of concrete on the bed. Fill in the mesh for the threshold. Pack down the concrete. Use a board to smooth the area and allow it to dry.
10. Install the fixtures for the shower. Finish by adding tile, paint or other decor.
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