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natural building

Ideas for a natural shower pan?

Mike Haasl

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I'm contemplating a shower in a tiny home. The owner wants the whole build to be natural (metal allowed). I'm struggling to find good options for a natural shower pan to collect shower water and keep it from rotting out the naturally insulated floor. They might be ok with a fiberglass shower base but they're fairly expensive these days.

All I can think of is a metal container of some sort that can be repurposed. Some options are:

- Galvanized wash tub
- Pros are it's pretty water proof, would keep a shower curtain contained and could be hauled outside to dump if a drain isn't included.
- Con is that it's kinda high to step into and not likely big enough for comfortable shower dancing (24" dia).

- Galvanized square stock tank
- Pros are that it's water proof, would keep a curtain contained and is shower sized (34" on a side)
- Cons are that it's $170 so a bit pricier than the alternatives

- Water heater leak catch pan
- Pros are that it's flat bottomed, water tight, cheap and has a side drain hole
- Cons are that it's flimsy, may not keep a shower curtain inside it, is only 28" diameter, and has a side drain hole

- Washing machine drain pan
- Pros: Has a drain, beefy, 32x30 is borderline size, rectangular
- Cons: Fiberglass, won't keep a shower curtain inside it

- Duct drain pan
- Pros: didn't know it existed in the world, leak proof, cheap, square
- Cons: Only 24", need a better threshold, shallow, probably flimsy

- Big piece of galvanized metal and bend it into a pan shape
- Pros: likely cheap and within my abilities, customizable to fit the shower space, custom threshold height
- Cons: don't know where to get a piece of galvanized sheet metal that big (48" square?)

Any other ideas or thoughts? Thanks!

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Christopher Weeks

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I’d be looking at tadelakt with a drain, but given what you’ve said about prices, it’s hard to imagine anything really working. Steel mesh over a dry well would be too expensive.

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R Scott

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There are no cheap new options these days.

The last one I built was from a new base I found at a habitat restore.

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John C Daley

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I have had a drain trough folded and welded for a shower floor, with the shower floor sloping into it to fit an existing house.
In your case the same could be created.
See the entry below for additional information

shower-floor-drain-2.jpeg

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John C Daley

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From the above image, this becomes the start of the shape, one long edge is extended up to form the lower part of the wall, the ends are also folded up and the other long edge
is folded to slope across the floor pan area with a folded lip to suit the other lips.
Then two strips are welded in the missing parts to form a sloping floor to a drain trough.
A competent sheet metal worker can do this.
The socket dropping down is made to fit standard plumbing bits.

Carla Burke

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I would look for a local hobby metal worker. A sheet of metal, folded & welded to your specs might be less $$ than you think.

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William Bronson

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Is cement acceptable?
Before plastic liners, I believe a thick mortar base was used under tile floors.
You could build such a base,tile it and waterproof it with a water glass based sealer.

I think you also could form an all concrete shower pan and waterproof it with a water glass based sealer.

I've been able to create a waterproof finish over a wood countertop with hydraulic cement.
I stapled window screen to the wood, then applied the cement..
This is akin to stucco, flying concrete or ferrocement, but ultimately it is none of these.

I have used this as the counter around my sink for years now, with no signs of decay.

If cement is not ok, what about silicone?
It's rather neutral and can even be found in food safe varieties.
It could be used to seal a tile shower floor, or even a cedar floor.

If there is a waterproof varnish that meets with your natural criteria, cedar dog-eared fence pickets are rather cheap.

It would be an odd choice, but largish mirrors and glass can be found for pretty cheap or even free.
To avoid drilling the glass, install it with a tiny slope,make curbs around it in another material and put the drain in the downslope curb.

PVC is the cheapest drain material, but it is plastic.
For your drain, stainless steel, or copper are all costly.
Chrome plated brass, preferably 1 1/2" , should be pretty affordable, and from there you can transition to cast iron.

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William Bronson

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One more thing.
If you can find a stainless steel table for sale, you can invert it and remove the legs.
It will have some kind of rim all the way around, thus forming a wide flat shower pan.
I see them for about 100$ used , if they are dinged up.

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Mike Haasl

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Thanks everyone!! I guess I hadn't thought of the naturality of the drain. I'll have to look at options but I'm guessing those will end up being pvc.

I like the upside down SS table idea William! It reminds me that I should go to the surplus/refurbished kitchen supply warehouse and see if they have anything like that. Or anything else that might work... We are trying to avoid cement.

I also like the tadelakt idea but I'm guessing I wouldn't be able to get it to actually work.

I don't know any hobby metal benders but I can ask my network.

I am thinking of using the cheap fake metal roofing sheets that they use for wainscoting as the shower walls...

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Carla Burke

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Maybe? 30"×50"

https://www.amazon.com/DiversiTech-6-M3050-Drain-Pan-Metal/dp/B014GZCSZO/ref=mp_s_a_1_13

Benjamin Dinkel

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Hi Mike,
what about a recycled old shower pan? Or bathtub?

I would highly discourage anyone from using tadelakt or polished plaster in horizontal areas where water remains for extended periods. Also a floor is subject to abrasion. It can potentially work with constant upkeep but it’s not user friendly.

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Anne Miller

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If I wanted a natural shower floor, I would do that with the conventional material, like the membrane (don't know what it is called.

Then use a rock floor with mortar (or what is usually used).

Damage to the floor from water is too expensive not to do it the right way.

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Nancy Reading

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Around here I would look for a large diameter oak whisky barrel and cut it down. They sell them online for planters for not a huge amount, or we have someone that sells them locally - I used one to make two planters for my shop.
This one I found on ebay for £40 is only 2ft diameter at the base, but I think there is a larger size which is less commonly available. Since the Scotch whisky often reuses bourbon barrels they ought to be available stateside too I expect.

whiskey-barrel-planter.jpg

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Kevin Olson

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I have been noodling on installing a shower pan in our little shed, so the various ideas in this thread are great. I, too, had looked at appliance pans, but these all seem a bit shallow. A pan could be formed up, from sheet copper to meet requirements, with soldered seams, but that would be spendy if acquired new.

On a peripherally related subject, my son was contemplating rubber tramping (vehicular nomadic living) in the American Southwest during the difficult days of the C-19 lock downs. In helping him to think through how to manage the basic necessities, including sanitation, I'd found this video, which described a method of recirculating shower water using fairly standard RV/marine water system parts - relatively inexpensive and ubiquitous, at least here in the US:

His shower pan idea for tent campers (trash bag lining for a hinged wooden curb frame), wouldn't work for your client. But, what about a painted canvas liner? Painted canvas was used for boat decks and hatch covers, for the outer waterproof cover of canvas canoes, etc. Linseed oil based paint may qualify as "natural", depending on the formulation. Whether sufficiently durable in this application, I don't know.

Personally, I experienced a flush of limerence seeing the Behlens square stock tank. I think there'd be enough depth to put a wooden grate on the bottom, Will this infatuation fade? And then there's the drain plumbing...

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

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bruce Fine

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a small cattle tank can also double as a tub

Kevin Olson

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bruce Fine wrote:a small cattle tank can also double as a tub

And as a baptismal font (having grown up among full immersion Baptists in the Mountain West)!

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Jill Dyer

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a metal pan bent & soldered to fit - choices stainless steel, brass, copper, aluminium. Possibly shaped to fit those wooden slattes sauna? panels to make it foot friendly. Also it may be worth checking out what is available for caravans - spares or recycled via a wrecking yard. They can't all be plastic, surely? Another possibility to tile the floor in a shaped square/rectangle shape, sunken down enough to tile the "wall" with narrow rectangular tiles. Waterproof grout is available, but no idea how 'natural' it might be.

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Matt McSpadden

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There are some great suggestions here that I am going to keep in my mind for the next time I need to redo a bathroom.

You mention tiny home, but not whether it needs to be movable or not. If weight was an issue, I think one of those tanks is probably your best bet. If not, I really like the idea of tadelakt for the walls and a natural tile floor.

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Kevin Olson

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Behlen also makes triangular plan stock tanks, which would fit nicely into a corner:
https://www.behlencountry.com/products/farmstead-triangle-stock-tanks

As best I can discern, these only comes as a pair, one slightly larger than the other, nested together telescopically.

So, that might provide additional options for close quarters. Floor space trades at a premium in our little shed, but the smaller 30 gallon size might just fit. The 12 inch (30-ish cm) depth tanks would have plenty of freeboard to accommodate a wooden grate and still contain the lower edge of a shower curtain. Careful shaping of the pipe rail to suspend the curtain could provide some elbow room.

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Kathleen Sanderson

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I looked up the triangular stock tanks, because they might work for something I need, and the 1' tall 30 gallon one appears to cost $170. Which may seem like a lot for a shower pan, but before you give up on the idea, I'd check shower pan prices on Amazon (or elsewhere). Plastic ones are cheap, but anything of decent quality is going to cost around that or more, I think.

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