Shower stall, shower pan re-tile question.

Got a shower stall on a cement slab (I live in Florida) with tile walls and floor that I just want to re-tile. No leaks with the shower pan, everything works, just want to update the tile on the walls and floor.

My question: Is it advisable and/or possible to just remove the wall tiles & cement board, and floor tiles (carefully, of course) without compromising the integrity of the shower pan. Then just install new cement board and re-tile from there. If possible, I would rather not have to re-build the entire shower pan because if it "ain't broke" I'd rather not fix it. However, I'm not sure if the shower pan liner, the mortar bed, the drain assembly, etc. would withstand the careful demolition process.

Almost everything I've read on the web and in books shows how to install from scratch but I have not seen anything about just a re-tile. Has anybody have any experience and/or thoughts? Thanks.

 

With careful, judicious demolition (don't use a sledge hammer) - you should be fine. A properly built shower pan is relatively "independant" of the adjoining walls and should take the minor stress easily.

 

You may be able to do what you want, but consider the fact the you are putting tile over an old pan that may still be functioning but may be on its way out. A properly installed pan will last a long time but not forever. How old is the existing shower and what do really know about what is under the tile.

 

Thanks thezster & HeresJohnny for your comments.

We had the home built in 1995 and so is 13 years old. Is that considered "old" for the lifetime of a shower pan?

You are correct in that I do not know what is under the tile. The only thing I recall during construction is that they used a liner (light green not gray material). If I remove the tile and examine the mortar bed and sides of the liner, is there a way to tell if it is all in "good" shape or not?

My other concern is the drain. In new construction, I think the drain assembly is typically fitted into the stub in the cement slab and PVC cemented. If I rip out the entire shower pan, I will have to remove the existing drain assembly by cutting out the cemented section. Will it be a problem to install a new drain assembly into the now shorter stub? Are there couplers or something to extend the stub to its original height in the slab?

Thanks.