Shower pan cracking

[buckmaster27012]

shower pan is cracking and i think its due lack of support from where have stood taking a shower for long, is there any easy repair i could do to it or am i going to have to bit the bullet and go out and buy a new pan? only looking for about 5 more years in this home and just trying to save every i can. thanks

[ponch37300]

Personally I'm not a believer in "quick fixes". I know they make some stuff that is supposed to "fix" cracked shower pans. But if it is from lack of support most likely anything you use will crack again because every time you step in there it will flex. If it was me I would plan on replacing the pan, but then again I like remodeling!

[buckmaster27012]

well finally getting time to replace this now, is it possible to replace the shower pan without having to remove the walls of the shower looks like it might would could work it under the walls to get it out. my walls are all together and dont form together. just dont want to get to far into project then have to step back and start over

[ponch37300]

Most pans have a lip that the walls overlap. To do it correctly the walls go on after the pan is in. This also allows you to nail or screw the pan to the studs so it won't move. You nail thru the lip and then the walls cover that lip and nails.

[JeffInFL]

getting it out is the easy part .. you could just cut the shower pan into pieces with a sawzall (assuming it's fiberglass or something) and remove it piece by piece, pulling the overlapping wall away just enough to unscrew or remove the nails holding the shower pan in place. Assuming the shower pan is like every other one I've been looking at, the lip that goes behind the wall is actually screwed or nailed to the studs. Mine was done with screws, and most were rusted to the point where they were breaking when I tried to unscrew them.

Putting a new pan might be more difficult, though. The new pan would need to be the same dimensions as the old pan, in order for the walls to fall back into place properly.

[Greg]

Basic shower walls are around $100, how much is your time worth TRYING to save the wall? You may find a nice one on closeout in the same price range.

Greg