Handicap Shower Stalls | How To Install A Handicap Shower Base

How To Install A Handicap Shower Base

Swanstone Barrier Free Shower Tray BF-3060R. 30 x 60, Right side drain

Shower Pan 34 inch D x 60 inch W, 60 inch Barrier Free Entry with Integrated Left Hand Side PVC Drain

64 X 37 1 Piece ADA Shower Freewill White

Click here for more information on handicap shower stall pans

Providing a safe bathing environment for your disabled or handicapped family members does not have to be difficult.  Most times, you can perform a few simple searches on the Internet and get connected to quite a few models that would fit perfectly into your home.  However, if you are a contractor by trade, or have a do-it-yourself attitude, you are going to want to install the shower pan yourself, and allow for unlimited customizations later into the project.

Ordering an off-the-shelf handicap shower stalls may work for new construction, or commercial applications, but when your home has some age to it, you can’t just tear into the walls to begin replacing the shower.  Thankfully, with some patience, concrete, a level, and a trough, you can create a fully function handicap shower base on your own.  This is not a how-to guide, but instead, a basic primer on what you are going to need to expect throughout the project.  As with any major home renovation, if you are not comfortable, or confident that you can complete the project promptly, and properly, you will want to call a contractor to perform the work for you.

The first step that you’ll have to complete is the demolition and removal process.  If there is an existing shower, or tub basin, you are going to need to get it out of the house, and get the area cleaned up for your new handicap bathtub.

Next, you will have to move the drain from the existing plumbing to line up with the drain location on your new shower pan.  If you are dealing with a concrete floor, this could be substantially more difficult, and require the use of wet saws, as opposed to hardwood under floor.

Once the drain relocation is complete, you are going to need to prepare the cement to pour.  You will need to make sure it is a thick consistency so that you will be able to form it properly.  Some carpentry, and decent concrete skills are required to complete this portion of the project.

When the concrete has been prepared, you will begin pouring the base to the shower.  Showers for handicap people need to provide easy access, so consider how high off the floor that you need to build the ledge.  The higher you build it, the higher your family member must step to get over it.  These ledges are one area where injuries occur quite frequently.

You can find more handicap shower bases and information here

One way to build this water barrier into the shower pan, and still keep your family members safe, is to install or form a concrete ramp onto the base of the shower.  Since you will already be pouring the shower pan, you can form another section for the ramp, using angle cut 2×12” lumber.  It is best to form the pan and ramp at the same time to keep the appearance consistent.

After the ramp and pan have set properly, the shower cover will need to be mounted.  Most homeowners will use glass doors, but this is something that presents potential hazards.  Glass handicap shower doors shatter into hundreds of pieces when they break, and because falls are so common among handicap patients, you will want to use a fabric or nylon shower curtain over the enclosure.

After the shower pan has settled for a few days, you can begin test fitting your family member.  Determine the best placement for the grab bars, as well as the bench.  You can use fold-down style benches designed for disabled showers if there will be other family members using the enclosure as well.

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