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Short Summary
Main recommendation: The TILE REDI shower base is presented as a strong, pre-sloped, lightweight DIY shower pan with an integrated drain and built-in curb that is manageable for a single DIYer to install. The video walks through checking floor-joist clearance, cutting the drain hole, bedding the pan in thinset, and leveling it.
Key Points
- The base is described as strong and pre-sloped, with a drain system and built-in curb already attached, and it is large but light (about 20 pounds by the speaker's estimate).
- Before installing, the presenter checked the joist clearance: the base's thick cone section requires less than 9 1/4 inches of space; his joists measured 8 7/8 inches, and measured from the back wall he actually had 8 3/4 inches, giving him about an eighth of an inch clearance.
- The floor height was planned so a silicone joint can be placed at the tile edge; separately, the drain is a 2-inch ABS drain.
- The speaker prefers a linear drain option, with a stainless steel insert that sits inside the base, and plans to tile around it.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Pick up or have the base delivered to a store if you are not home for delivery.
- Measure the floor joist depth against the base's thick cone section (about 9 1/4 inches) before cutting, measuring from the back wall; if clearance is short, strips of leftover plywood can be laminated on the joist to build up the floor.
- Locate the drain center, then cut the drain hole in the subfloor with a jigsaw. Mark the joist centerlines for reference, cut from the top side, and cut slightly oversized on purpose.
- Use a bushing on the 2-inch ABS drain and connect plumbing directly to it; the speaker plans to do plumbing from underneath through the open skirt.
- Mix Schluter All Set thinset slightly thicker than normal for grip, and apply heavy coverage with extra product on the right and left sides for a rigid cure.
- Set the pan in the thinset, level it front to back and side to side, then lift and re-set to create ridges that ensure full contact.
- Add extra thinset under the front of the curb, which lacks a solid structural point, so the pan has support there.
- Bring the wall panel down so it is at least flush with the inside of the base.
- The base is about 20 pounds, so it is manageable for one person to handle.
- The speaker noted a slight front-high tolerance is acceptable as long as the pan is level from back to side.
Bottom Line
The TILE REDI base suits DIYers who can handle careful subfloor prep and leveling, but success depends on checking joist clearance before cutting and bedding the pan thoroughly in thinset.
