The best shower base is the one that fits your footprint, your drain location and the entry you want. A one-piece prefabricated base is the simplest choice when a stock size lines up with the existing drain. A tiled floor over a bonded waterproofing membrane is built on site, so it isn’t tied to a stock size, and it can be paired with a linear drain that allows a single-plane slope. Either option has to be installed correctly, because the base is only as good as the work underneath it.
If you’re planning a tub to shower conversion in Pensacola, Gulf Breeze, Navarre or Milton, this guide compares the main options and explains what changes on a slab floor. It also summarizes permit points for unincorporated Escambia County, the City of Pensacola, Santa Rosa County and Gulf Breeze; in Milton or Navarre, confirm the rules with your local building department. Academy Construction specializes in tub-to-shower conversions, walk-in shower systems, tile showers and grout-free options built for Florida’s humid coastal climate.
What’s the difference between a shower pan, a shower base and a shower receptor?
These three words often get used as if they mean the same thing, but quotes don’t always use them the same way.
A quote may say “base” for a finished product like the Kohler acrylic base below, while Schluter describes a traditional tiled floor with a pan liner under the tile. When a quote says “pan” or “base,” ask exactly what that means. Are they referring to a finished prefabricated base, or to a site-built tiled shower base that must be waterproofed?
Schluter, a tile-system manufacturer, describes the traditional site-built pan as a sloped mortar pre-slope, a pan liner clamped into the drain, and a second mortar bed on top for the tile. In a bonded membrane system, Schluter’s membrane goes on top of the mortar bed and wall backing, and tile is set directly on it with thin-set.
What to check before you buy a prefabricated base
A prefab base is a finished product, so its spec sheet tells you most of what you need to know. Kohler’s spec sheet for its Rely K-8459 alcove base, dated 6-10-2024, shows what to look for. The sheet lists certification to CSA B45.5/IAPMO Z124, and it states that the subfloor must be within 1/2″ of level.
The listed standard matters. For prefabricated showers and shower compartments, the 2023 Florida Building Code, Plumbing revised Section 421.1 to allow prefabricated showers and shower compartments that meet ASME A112.19.2/CSA B45.2 and ASME A112.19.3/CSA B45.4. Before you buy, have the building department or a licensed plumber confirm that the exact base you choose is listed to a standard the current Florida code and your local building department accept.
This guide doesn’t rank acrylic, fiberglass, solid-surface and cast iron bases for durability, repairability or price. To compare them yourself, read each manufacturer’s spec sheet and warranty. Check the listed standard, the drain position, the threshold height and the subfloor requirement for each base.
Will a stock base fit where the tub was?
A stock base won’t always fit without plumbing changes. The old tub drain has to line up with the new base’s drain, or a plumber has to move it. The subfloor also has to meet the manufacturer’s level requirement. Mustee’s base instructions, for example, warn that an unlevel subfloor will cause drainage issues, which can mean floor prep before the base goes in.
Before you shop, measure the length and width of the space and the distance from the walls to the center of the existing drain. Then compare those numbers against the dimensions and drain location on each spec sheet. In Pensacola, moving a drain generally needs a permit, because the city’s adopted code exempts only plumbing repairs that don’t replace or rearrange valves, pipes or fixtures. The permit section below covers local rules.
Tiled floor option one: a mortar bed with a pan liner
The traditional site-built pan has three layers. Schluter’s handbook describes a mortar bed sloped to the weep holes in the drain, a pan liner placed over that “pre-slope” and clamped into the drain, and a second mortar bed on top that supports the tile and gives it a bonding surface. This means there are two slopes to get right. The pre-slope under the liner carries water that soaks through the tile toward the weep holes, and the finished tile floor carries surface water to the drain.
Schluter also describes moisture problems with this method. According to its handbook, the mortar bed can stay saturated, particularly if the pre-slope is skipped or the weep holes clog, which increases the potential for efflorescence and mold growth. That’s one manufacturer’s view of a competing method, but the mechanism is worth asking about. If a contractor proposes a liner pan, ask whether they build a separate pre-slope and how they protect the weep holes from clogging.
Tiled floor option two: a bonded membrane over a mortar bed
In Schluter’s system, the membrane goes over the mortar bed and the wall backing, tile is set directly on it with thin-set, and the drain connects to the membrane at the top of the assembly rather than below the mortar bed.
Tile isn’t automatically better than a well-made prefab base, and neither tiled method is the right answer for every shower. The better choice depends on your size, entry and drain, which the last section matches to common situations.
Choosing the drain: location and size
Schluter says its KERDI-LINE linear drain accommodates a single-plane slope and large-format tile, and can be installed along a wall or partway across the floor.
The grate you see is not the pipe that carries the water away. Schluter’s KERDI-DRAIN, for example, has an adjustable square grate but comes with either a 2″ or 3″ outlet, and the outlet is what connects to the waste line.
Before you settle on a drain, ask a licensed plumber to size the drain line and trap, and ask your local building department (inside Pensacola city limits, the City of Pensacola enforces the Florida Building Code, Plumbing) which code requirements apply to your shower.
What a curbless shower takes , especially on a slab
A curbless shower involves structure and drainage, not just style.
The floor usually has to drop. A 2003 installation guide from NC State University’s Center for Universal Design says custom-built curbless showers must be recessed into the floor, usually 1-1/2 to 2 inches and possibly more for large showers, with the top of the drain set below the room’s subfloor. On a concrete slab, it says the recess changes the slab’s structural behavior, so the slab must allow for any extra reinforcing and joint requirements.
That guide assumes the recess goes in when the slab is poured. It doesn’t cover cutting an existing slab, or what that costs and how long it takes. The actual recess depth also depends on the drain, tile thickness, waterproofing system, required slope and shower size, so treat the guide’s range as a starting point. Before you commit to curbless in a slab-on-grade home, ask your local building department and, if needed, a structural engineer.
Planning a shower for aging in place
Whether or not the 2010 ADA Standards apply to your home, they give useful targets if you’re planning for a wheelchair or walker. A standard roll-in shower is at least 30 inches wide by 60 inches deep inside, with an entry at least 60 inches wide and a clear space at least 30 by 60 inches in front of the opening. Its threshold can be no more than ½ inch high. A transfer shower is 36 by 36 inches inside, with an entry at least 36 inches wide and a 36 by 48 inch clear space measured from the control wall. The Standards allow a 2-inch threshold only for transfer showers in existing buildings where a ½-inch threshold would disturb the slab’s structural reinforcement.
Permits and inspections in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties
In unincorporated Escambia County, the building services FAQ cites Chapter 1 of the Florida Building Code and section 553.79(1), Florida Statutes. Under those provisions, anyone who installs, alters, repairs, converts or replaces a code-regulated plumbing system must get a permit first. The county’s permitting page lists a Plumbing Fixture Permit for relocation of any fixture or replacement of a bathtub with a shower, whirlpool tub, or shower pan.
Inside the City of Pensacola, the prevailing code is the Florida Building Code, Plumbing, and all permitted work must be inspected. The city lists three plumbing inspections: Rough-In, Stack Out before the walls are closed, and Final, and that list doesn’t include a separate shower-pan inspection. The city’s FAQ, revised November 16, 2023, says an Alteration Permit is required for bathroom remodels in which all cabinets and plumbing, gas, and/or electrical fixtures are being removed, or if sheetrock will be removed to rough in subtrades.
Santa Rosa County lists plumbing among its permit types. In Gulf Breeze, building projects also need a Santa Rosa County building permit. Academy Construction is licensed and insured. On our projects, plumbing permits are pulled and the work goes through county inspection.
Flood testing, leaks and insurance
A flood test fills the waterproofing with water before tile goes on, so a leak shows up while it’s still easy to fix. Schluter strongly recommends a water test before setting tile, at least 24 hours after the membrane installation is complete, and it tells installers to check local plumbing codes for specific requirements. Ask the building official whether your permit requires one, and ask every contractor whether their quote includes it.
Preventing leaks matters because insurance may not cover them the way you expect. For example, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s form changes for policies effective on or after February 1, 2021, added an exclusion for constant or repeated seepage or leakage of water or steam to its HO-3, HO-6 and DP-3 forms, plus a $10,000 limit on that coverage and on accidental discharge of water or steam for the HO-3 and DP-3 forms. Your own policy decides what’s covered, so read its water-damage sections before you assume a slow pan leak is insured.
What drives the cost of a shower base
This guide doesn’t quote local price ranges, but it can show you what moves the number. The base or waterproofing system is only one line item. Moving the drain to match a new base adds plumbing work; the permit section explains how local rules treat it. A curbless entry may require recessing the floor, and replacing a failed pan can mean repairing whatever the leak damaged. Once those items are added, the cheapest base can end up as the more expensive project.
Academy Construction provides a written scope with itemized pricing and a realistic schedule before demo day, so you can see each of those items on paper. For installs with grout-free materials, we typically sequence a standard conversion across 3–5 working days, and we communicate the schedule before demo starts.
Which option fits your situation
Once you know your footprint, drain location and entry, the choice usually narrows to one of these:
- If you want the simplest path and a quick swap into a standard alcove, consider a prefab base whose size and drain position match your existing layout, keeping in mind that a mismatched drain means plumbing work.
- If your footprint is an odd size, consider a tiled floor over a bonded membrane, which can be built to fit the space but involves more site-built waterproofing work than a prefab base.
- If you want a linear drain or large-format floor tile, consider a tiled floor with a linear drain such as Schluter’s KERDI-LINE, which Schluter says allows a single-plane slope.
- If you’re planning for a wheelchair or walker, consider a curbless design or a low threshold, using the 2010 ADA Standards’ roll-in threshold limit described above as a target, and plan the recess, the drain and the wall reinforcement before demo.
- If your home sits on a slab and you want a curbless entry, settle the slab-recess question with the building department before you choose a base.
The walls are a separate decision from the floor. Academy Construction offers grout-free options, but check that the specific system is compatible with the base or tiled floor you choose. Choose the floor for fit and function first, then pick walls that work with it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a new base or tile go over an old shower pan that failed?
Don’t plan on covering it. In a traditional mortar-bed-and-liner pan, you can’t see what’s underneath until the old assembly comes out. Have the old pan opened, find out why it failed, repair any damage, and install the new base or waterproofing over a substrate its instructions allow. The building department can tell you what the replacement permit requires.
Which shower floor surface is most slip-resistant and mold-resistant?
For slip resistance, look for a textured floor and ask the manufacturer for any slip-resistance test results. For mold, the surface material isn’t the whole story, because soap scum and skin cells that collect on shower surfaces are food for mold and mildew. In a humid coastal bathroom, that makes regular cleaning part of mold control, whatever surface you choose.
What warranty should I expect on a shower base or waterproofing system?
Warranty terms, and the installation conditions that void them, vary by manufacturer. Read the manufacturer’s warranty before you buy, and ask your installer for written warranty documentation that covers their labor, along with the manufacturer’s paperwork.
Before you collect quotes, measure the space and the existing drain location, decide between a curb, a low threshold and a curbless entry, and find out whether your bathroom sits on a slab. Then ask each contractor to name the specific base or waterproofing system, show the permit and inspections in the quote, and, for a tiled floor, say whether a flood test before tile goes on is included. Quotes that answer those points are easy to compare side by side.
