Shower Trays

Shower Trays, otherwise known as a shower base or shower pan, can vary in size, from compact square shapes to spacious rectangular models and 5-sided designs and are made from a variety of materials such as acrylic, glass, ceramic, wood and stone. The type, size and shape of tray you go for will depend entirely on the space you have available and the size of your budget, but choose the largest you can so that your showering experience is as comfortable as possible.

Install the shower tray

Place your tray where it's going to be installed and draw a pencil line onto the hardboard floor to mark the position. Decide where the drainage pipes will be installed and cut out a small section of hardboard to make space for them. Remember to check there's adequate room on the outside edge of the tray to have an access hatch to the pipes. Underneath the edges of the hole you've made, nail pieces of batten and then cut out a piece of hardboard to fit the hole and place it on top of the batten.

Attach the waste outlet to the shower tray. It's important here to double check there are washers or gaskets fitted on each side of the waste opening to make sure there's a watertight seal surrounding it.

Using 4 parts building sand to 1 part cement, in your bucket mix up some mortar to a firm consistency. Spread the mortar in sections on the floor where the tray is going to be fitted. Move the tray into position, letting it bed down into the mortar. Use a spirit level to check that it's level from all angles. You might have to remove the tray and adjust the mortar beneath before you get it perfectly flat.

The final step is to connect up the trap to the waste outlet and join it to the waste outlet pipe. Shower traps are fairly shallow, as a deep trap makes it harder to get enough space or height for a good run on the outlet pipe.