Bathroom Home Improvement - How to Install a Leakproof Shower

All home remodeling projects require patience and attention to detail. Unlike most jobs, though, shower installation is a project that leaves virtually no room for error. Even the smallest leak behind the wall or under the floor can lead to insect problems and hundreds of dollars in repair bills. If you’re not willing to commit to doing the job right, then hire a professional to do it for you.

Most people that do it themselves will be replacing or remodeling an existing shower, rather than doing all of the plumbing from scratch. This is considerably easier, but great care must still be taken to prepare the existing materials properly.

It’s not critical to remove every spot of glue and caulking after removing an old shower. However, in order to ensure the new components fit properly, make sure all connectors and pipes are properly prepared.

We’ll start with the drain pipe. This pipe should be as clean and smooth as possible for at least the first inch. All of the white, chalky calcium buildup should be removed, as well as any rust. Be sure to inspect the pipe for corrosion. If replacement is required, contact a professional.

Use some insulating material when attaching a copper pipe to a galvanized one. This will help prevent corrosion that would occur otherwise, due to electro-chemical activity between the two. The use of plastic pipe will eliminate this possibility. On threaded joints, be sure to use plenty of Teflon tape or pipe sealing compound.

Once you have all surfaces and connections properly prepared, you can then place the shower pan or unit into place. You’ll need to use silicon caulking to seal the line around the base of the shower pan and doors. Although they are expensive, pre-made tubes of caulking that do not require guns are available at most hardware stores.

Carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions, and connect the flange to the pan hole. Once you have everything lined up correctly, you’ll need to seal the connection using some type of caulking or sealing compound.

Let the assembly dry for at least an hour, then you can check for leaks. One way to do this is to build a temporary dam around the flange using some type of non-absorbing material. After stopping the drain, you can pour in a cup of water and watch for leaks coming through.

It may take some doing to get it leak proof, but you’ll be glad you did the work now instead of finding out later on that you have to tear everything apart.

After the flange is fitted and leak proofed, and the shower unit is in place and sealed, you can then add any additional shower door hardware.

Although they are not disastrous in this area, you will still want to keep leaks to a minimum. Water leaking onto your bathroom floor will get annoying after a while. Seal all exterior surfaces when installing door tracks, rails and handles.

This will allow whatever water that does build up to drain back into the tub. Moisture that accumulates inside the small crevices will also be able to evaporate more quickly. This will keep the risk of mildew buildup at a minimum.

If you’ve followed the instructions listed above, you have just successfully installed your first shower.