You should have a smooth and consistent slope UNDERNEATH your membrane. That results in your membrane being sloped.

Max slope is 1/2" per foot, minimum is 1/4" per foot.

Doing a mud pan isn't terribly difficult, but it needs to be fully researched so you know the step-by-step process before you start mixing your mud. When you have an uncentered drain a mud bed is normally the easiest approach.

Never used Quick Pitch.

Thanks for the response Mongo.

I have seen books about doing the shower pan with the consistency and ingredients for the mud (5-1 or 7-1 sand & portland cement). I saw one video on You Tube, and the guy was using Quick Pitch guides on top of the liner to get the slope right. I see that you don't like that product.

I have gotten an estimate for mudding the whole shower to make it tile-ready. It is quite expensive. If it's not too terribly hard, I'd like to try to do it myself.

It's not that I don't like Quick Pitch, it's that I've never used it. It may very well be a great product.

Here's a "how to" by Harry Dunbar. I never use admix in deck mud, but I don't feather the bed down to 3/8" at the drain ether.

Mongo

OK...I use a "Quick Pitch" whenever I can. Works great....and for $35...it's worth it. HAving said all that, it's ESSENTIAL that you do a Pre-Slope UNDER the liner before the Quick Pitch Kit is installed. Any questions, post them here.....

Check out the website below (if you haven't already done so). One thing I read there that I never would have thought of on my own.... test runs! Make a little 'faux-pan' and mix everything up for your pre-slope UNDER the liner.... install it, take it out and do it again a few times. (before it dries, of course!)

By the time you do your real shower in your home, your skills will be much better.

btw-the mud mix is around 20 bucks... something I'd gladly spend to make sure my shower is perfect.

Here is a link that might be useful: John Bridge Tile Forum

Thank you everyone for your responses! I love the idea of practicing! Also, thank you for the links.

I want to learn as much as I can about building a shower. If nothing else, at least I will know how it's supposed to be done, so that if someone else does it, I know it's done right. I really want to try to do it myself.

So, Lazarususa, you do like the Quick-Pitch. I saw where someone else really liked using them too.

I think I need to buy a book with step-by-step deatails of the process. I did read that the tiles are going to need to be flush with the drain when they are laid.

The plumber installed the new copper pipes for my body sprays and then told me that he went ahead and put in the new liner and drain. He did that without a pre-slope being done. What should I do now? I saw a product called Proslope that will cut-to-fit and fit around the drain. Can I use that and then lay the liner back down on top of it? Or do I need to remove the liner and drain and start over? I didn't know the plumber was going to install that. The floor underneath it is level and then just drops off around the drain.

This shower wasn't done right in the first place by the builder. When it was torn out, it became evident that the tile was set right on top of sheetrock.

It will be wonderful to have a shower in my master bath again!

I am doing one thing at a time. I also have a separate tub in the master bath. But it's just a regular porcelin tub on a wooden platform. I would like to remove it and add a jetted tub after I tackle the shower issue. :)

Shasta,

Try reading this through a couple of times.

There are several areas that you really need to be familiar with before you start.
-Basic framing of the shower, to include blocking between the studs at the floor level.
-Possibly having to notch your studs in the corners to accommodate the added thickness from the corner folds of membrane.
-How to fold the membrane in the corners.
-How to set the height of your drain.
-How to build your curb, how to drape the membrane over the curb, how to not puncture the membrane except for on the outside wall of the curb.
-how high the membrane needs to go up the walls.

Again, those are just for starters. Read through the article, to me it's one of the best ones out there. My difference wit Byrne is that mesh is not required within the layer of mud. No need for it in my opinion.

But it's a great article with great photos.

Mongo

Check out the website below (if you haven't already done so). One thing I read there that I never would have thought of on my own.... test runs! Make a little 'faux-pan' and mix everything up for your pre-slope UNDER the liner.... install it, take it out and do it again a few times. (before it dries, of course!)

Rather than using actual mortars, though, for the practice, pick up some sand, wet it down, and use that. Then you don't have the stress of using it before it hardens, and you can do it over and over again at your leisure.

Great article Mongo! That is the first time I've seen a demo where someone did the wall tile first and then went back and did the floor mud!

I am thinking about buying Michael's book along with "Tile Your World" to read and use as references.

Bill, I love the idea of practicing with sand! That would save a lot of mess that would have to be thrown away after a some practice runs!

It's been well over ten years, maybe 12, that I've been tiling the walls before the floor. To me it's easier, faster, and more foolproof.

Same here.