A Guide to Choosing Shower Pans

You may have never had to see one since they’re usually covered with additional layers, but shower pans are one of the most important components to a bathroom. Without them, you would likely be dealing with bathroom floods just about every time you took a shower. Let’s take a brief look at the world of shower pans.

To make a long story short, a shower pan sits as the foundation of a shower and acts to facilitate the effective drainage of all water. Without a functional shower pan, you’ll likely witness rising water levels, and bathroom floors can often flood.

When choosing a shower pan, there are certain considerations that you’ll want to keep in mind. Namely, the shape of the shower pan will play into whatever you end up choosing. This is due to the fact that your shower pan should take on the shape of your shower.

There are a number of shapes that you can consider using as well. From the standard rectangle to more abstract forms like the pentagon, you’ll have plenty of options when it comes to shape.

Whatever your situation looks like, you’ll want to choose a shower pan base that suits the style of your bathroom and shower. Remember that you’ll be placing another layer on top of it, so it’s more about getting the shape and size right than about getting a shower pan that looks good on the surface.

There are a few more considerations that will go into choosing shower pans. A shower pan liner is one of those things that not all shower owners use, but something that might keep your shower holding up well for a longer time frame.

You’ll need to choose the composition of your shower pan too. Whether you decide to go with acrylic fiberglass or something more traditional like ceramic, this will largely dictate the price of your shower base, in addition to the expected life span of whatever you buy.

Setting up shower pans is likely the most difficult part of the overall process. While there are DIY guides online, you may want to consider hiring someone to install your shower base if you’ve never done something like this before. Get a few quotes before going with someone, as you’re likely to find a better price this way.

Learn more about shower pans and bathroom shower liners now.