The shower floor is where waterproofing is most critical and where the most custom work happens. Two methods handle most residential shower floors: mud pans and foam pans. Both work. Here is how to decide between them.
Mud Pans (Traditional Sloped Mortar Bed)
A mud pan is a mortar bed formed over the shower floor to create the slope toward the drain. It has been the standard method for shower floor construction for decades. We build mud pans with KERDI membrane on top, using Schluter drains.
The advantages are durability and flexibility. A mud pan can be shaped to any floor configuration, including irregularly shaped showers and those with multiple drains. The mortar bed creates a very solid, stable surface for tile.
The trade-offs are time and labor. A mud pan needs to cure before the waterproofing membrane and tile go on. On a tight schedule, this adds time to the project. Mud work also requires skill. A poorly formed pan that does not slope correctly will pool water.
Foam Pans (Pre-Sloped Foam Base)
Foam shower pans are pre-sloped foam bases, typically made from XPS or EPS foam, that are manufactured with the drain location and slope built in. Go Board makes a foam shower pan that pairs with their wall panels. Schluter KERDI also makes foam trays.
Foam pans install much faster than mud pans. There is no curing time. They are lightweight and cut easily to fit most standard shower configurations. For a rectangular shower with a standard drain location, a foam pan is a straightforward, reliable option.
The limitations are configuration flexibility. Foam pans come in standard sizes and shapes. A custom-shaped shower or one requiring an unusual drain location may not have a suitable foam pan option, in which case a mud pan is the right call.
Which We Use and When
For standard residential showers with typical configurations, a foam pan is faster and gives you a reliable result. For showers that need a custom shape, require a specific slope, or where the drain location does not match a stock pan, we build a mud pan with KERDI membrane and a Schluter drain.
Both methods, done correctly, will hold up for the life of the tile. We walk through the options during the estimate visit based on your specific shower layout.