How do I fix the pitch base of the shower?

Nina Simon
by Nina Simon

I have a shower in the basement and the contractor let the tile guy tile it before the plumber came and there is no pitch on the base and water stays in the base of the shower. What is a quick fix? Can o tile over it and pitch it with grout and tile? Or take it all down?

  8 answers
  • Kelli L. Milligan Kelli L. Milligan on Nov 06, 2018

    You'll need to remove it, but a good tile guy would have fixed it. They need to know how to mud set, not just glue down.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Nov 06, 2018

    I think you could go over it, you'd have to put concrete down first with pitch then tile over it,seal grout lines well. I think this would be the easiest,fastest, most economical fix. It should be anywhere from 1-2 inch pitch depending on shower size. It will raise floor a little so shower head may need adjustment too depending on how tall you are, you can get many types of pipe extensions for that.

  • William William on Nov 06, 2018

    Can't go over it. The tile and base will need to be removed. Can't tile over tile and no way to add a pitch. Would not work or last. Would not be waterproof and eventually fail. A bandaid fix is not worth the trouble. Best to do it right.

    • Nina Simon Nina Simon on Nov 07, 2018

      So there is no tile on the base just the plastic base of the shower the tile is on the wall, so your saying I can’t pitch the plastic base with cement and then tile it? So I would have to take the glass enclosure off and rip up the plastic base and put a new one there and pitch it? Also take the bottom tiles by the base row off too?

  • William William on Nov 07, 2018

    I doubt that concrete would grip the shower pan. The plastic base would act as a mold and the concrete would float, get loose, crumble, and even pop out in chunks. You can try Lynn Sorrell sugestion. Don't know if it will work.... lightly sand the plastic base to remove any gloss. Use a latex polymer modified concrete mix in the base and create the pitch. The polymers in the concrete should bond with the plastic. Good luck.

  • LorriB LorriB on Nov 08, 2018

    If you paid a contractor to look after that, he didn't do his job. Tell him to come back and fix it. If you haven't paid him completely, hold off until it's fixed. That's a major fail job.


    • Nina Simon Nina Simon on Nov 08, 2018

      Yes he was a bad choice! He is nowhere to be found and he’s paid already I got bamboozled! Now I have to fix it on the cheap! 😩

  • Oliva Oliva on Nov 08, 2018

    If you have the contractor's name and license number, contact the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General's Office, and post a warning to all on your favorite social media.

    • Nina Simon Nina Simon on Nov 08, 2018

      I did do that thank you ! I am just getting over the madness and just want to fix it myself..

  • Em Em on Nov 08, 2018

    Yes you can tile over tile. There is a product called Eco Prim. Just under $40 a gallon. You paint it on the existing tile and it forms a cement like texture so you can adhere the new tile to the old. Use new tile just like it was going on to wall board. Make the outer edge mastic much thicker and thinner towards the drain.

    • See 3 previous
    • Em Em on Nov 09, 2018

      I found it online and a local Lumber Liquidators had some at the store.

  • Oliva Oliva on Nov 09, 2018

    Hi, Nina,

    Is it possible to take this to the local news media (TV) to see if they could appeal to the public and local contractors who are capable of rectifying this for you, for free or at significantly reduced cost?