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My floor was about 1/16” off level so the plumber said he couldn’t set the tub into a mortar bed. The tub is acrylic. He sprayed a can on great stuff foam on the subfloor then set the tub on top of that and used shims on the side to bring it up to level. I’m really nervous that this will fail over time. He assured me that it wouldn’t.

I’m debating whether I need to tear down the cement board I just installed and uninstall the tub, reinstalling with a mortar bed. This would obviously be a setback and I’m not sure how well I’d be able to set the tub myself again. Wondering what y'all think I should do.

Niko
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2 Answers2

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Perfectly common modern technique.

You should relax, and keep the plumber's number handy in the not-very-likely event that it "fails."

Me, I use plaster, but I have nothing against foam done correctly. I have a great deal of nasty things to say about people that don't bed tubs, though. I've seen the resulting failures.

It is possible to bed a tub without removing it, by coming in through the back or end wall (and then patching that wall.)

Ecnerwal
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The manufacturers state that mortar must be used, yet you see every excuse to avoid using it. It's cheap and you only need a five gallon bucket and a paddle with a drill to mix up a bag or two and slap it down. I just did this and my shower pan is rock solid. I personally would be expecting it to creak over time, but what are you going to do now? Pull it up and reset it? If others have their own experiences with foam, I imagine that you just let it ride and see if it passes the test of time.

Evil Elf
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