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One-piece shower pan vs. tile floor

8 years ago

I’d like to remodel my small (5 x 8) master bath, keeping
the layout but replacing everything. The KD I used for my guest bath remodel
has retired but I’m considering using the wonderful GC who did my bathroom,
using most of the same finishes. I just need to consider all my options and
make some decisions even before I contact him.

I have an alcove shower that’s approx. 60x32. It’s
going to remain a shower. I plan to retile the walls.
Currently it has a builder’s grade shower base. I think it’s fiberglass with a
coating, rather ugly. That needs to go. I also have bypass glass shower doors and I don’t
want glass doors anymore, having rediscovered the joy of light, washable
curtains. A shower curtain needs a minimal curb or threshold to nestle behind.

I’ve read lots of unhappy stories here about tiled shower
floors and wonder if I should stick with a base. I visited the local plumbing supply
store yesterday and learned my options are cast iron (Kohler), acrylic (MTI),
and stone composite. Not sure of brand, looks and feels luscious but suspect it’s
pricey. It seems that only the acrylic has a high enough curb (about 4”) to
work with a curtain.

Or I could have tile base and create a curb to suit. I do know
I don’t want curb-less or a wet room. The folks who did the shower and floor
tile in my other bathroom did excellent work, so I’m reasonably confident they
will do good work on a shower floor. Plus, no large format tile for me. Walls will be white subways. There are a lot more looks available with tile.

Thoughts/suggestions?

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Comments (5)

chispa
8 years ago
I think most of the unhappy stories about tiled floors are due to the use of Marble and not the fact that they used tiles. If you have a a good GC and tile person, there should be no problems with a tile floor. My current 14 year old showers have tiled floors and have had no problems. All my new showers will have tiled floors.
Bunny thanked chispa
sjhockeyfan325
8 years ago
I agree that tiles aren't inherently a problem, but had I had the choice (I didn't, due to size), I'd have used the Kohler Cast Iron (loved the color, ease of maintenance, built-in proper slope, etc.
Bunny thanked sjhockeyfan325
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Thanks all for the replies. I hadn't really thought about the issue of flatness for the shower door. Our current door (and we're intending to reuse for the new shower) is a metal framed slider, but we've talked about the possibility of putting in a frameless door in the future, so maybe it does make sense to go with the solid stone piece. Now to find something that goes with the existing tile, and the new tile that we've picked out. It's always something!
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Hi tmnca! One thing to think about with the Kohler shower pans is whether you may ever be using a shower stool with legs. If you were to get a longer shower bench, the Salient may cause problems because the oval really does have quite a bit of "curb" to it, as shown in Badgergal's photo of her son's shower. With a small shower stool set in the center of the shower, it is fine. If you ever need a longer shower stool, the Bellweather gives you a surface not impeded with the raised oval. I does, however, have a slant to the overall shower floor, so that must be taken into account. I have seen the Bellweather in person. It is a non-slip surface. It almost felt like a surface that would make me trip - catching my foot if I did not pick it up and step. Like if I dragged the foot, it would catch and I would trip and fall. It was a funny feeling to the bottom, and I wondered how it would feel when wet. It was NOT going to feel slippery, though! As for tile in a shower floor, the other reason to have small tiles (besides the grout lines giving traction), is that the small tiles allow the tile layer to better cope with the slant toward the drain. Larger tiles only allow you to slant in one direction. The smaller the tile, the better it is for following contours on a floor that is flowing to a drain from all directions.
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Bunny
Original Author
8 years ago
chispa, thanks. Good to hear. I think most of the unhappy stories also had bases poorly prepped with the wrong materials, marble, and/or lippage due to large format tile.
Bunny
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
sj, so what did you end up using? I saw a nice Kohler yesterday, but I don't think the curb was high enough. I was not thrilled about the acrylic's very shiny pebbly texture. I have an acrylic tub and don't care for the restrictions on cleaning substances.
cat_mom
8 years ago
FWIW, we used a cast iron Kohler shower receptor (pan) in our guest bathroom. It not only looks nice, but feels solid underfoot, and is definitely watertight.
Bunny thanked cat_mom

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