Installing a shower pan membrane can be a tricky business if you do not know what you are doing. What is a shower pan membrane you might ask? well in simple terms a shower pan membrane is simply a piece of waterproof membrane which you place at the bottom of your shower underneath the tiles, so that it will direct water into the drainage hole in the shower floor.

The secret to a good shower pan membrane installation is to ensure that you have enough slope so that the water will run into the drainage hole. To accomplish this you should lay on a mixture of mortar to the unfinished shower floor and starting from the edge of the shower wall begin to create a small slope and continue moving down until you have ended up at the drainage hole.

Purchasing a good shower pan is important as you want a pan that will last for years to come so go ahead and invest in a good shower pan. Actually there are some very nice plastic shower pans available on the market today and they come with instructions which makes them quite easy to install.

Using the proper type of shower pan membrane is very important and CPE waterproof membranes are amongst the best type of membranes for any type of waterproofing. They are soft and very flexible and comes in various thicknesses and are very easy to install.

To install your shower pan membrane you simply lay the shower pan membrane on the bare shower floor and fold it into the shape of the shower floor. Then continue laying it out and as you reach the sides of the shower frame you can begin to secure the shower pan membrane to the sides with special nails designed for this purpose.

Now that you have your shower pan membrane securely in place you can begin to cut out a hole in your shower pan membrane for the drainage hole installation. At this point your are ready to install your cement backer board to your shower walls, for this you will need some adhesive and nails for a secure installation.

Now you should start installing your ceramic tiles but before you do this apply another coat of mortar to your shower pan membrane and when it is completely dried you can start installing your ceramic tiles. When they are all installed you can let them settle and then begin installing your grout lines.

Let your grout dry and harden for at least a day before you apply some sealant on it to prevent water from getting into your grout and causing it to crack and develop leaks.

Make any necessary adjustments to your drainage installation to ensure that it is even with the shower floor and that's it you are all done.