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I'm remodeling my bathroom and I'm installing a fiberglass shower pan into a mortar base. The floor tile + cement-board in the bathroom sits 5/8 of an inch off the subfloor.

My first question is whether I should put material under the shower pan to raise it up so the floor tile will meet right at the bottom lip of the shower pan, or if I should just leave it on the subfloor so that the floor tile will sit 5/8 of an inch above the lip.

My second question is whether I should use plywood or cement-board for the material underneath the pan.

isherwood
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Clayton
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1 Answers1

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This is somewhat discretionary. I like to keep the pan low for a couple reasons:

  • It makes a lower stepover.

  • It keeps the shower floor closer to the finished floor level.

  • It allows for future flooring which isn't as high, should that ever be necessary.

  • It saves effort and materials.

There's no reason to wrestle with cement board since the area under the shower should never be wet. If it is, the subfloor and framing are also in jeopardy. Plywood is fine.

However, if you're using a mortar base, why would you install another layer in the first place?

isherwood
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