Warning: don't use self-leveling compound on a sloped shower floor

Helped a buddy redo his master bath last month and he insisted on pouring self-leveler to fix the pitch. Three weeks later water was pooling by the drain instead of running to it. Has anyone else seen this mistake cost someone a full redo?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_hunt712d ago

Oh jeez, that's rough. The thing is self-leveling compound isn't really meant for wet areas like showers because it can trap moisture underneath and cause mold or tile failure. Your buddy probably should've used a pre-sloped shower pan or built the pitch with dry pack mortar instead, it's way more forgiving and lets water drain through. I've seen guys try to fix flat floors with leveler too and it always ends up cracking or pooling just like you described.

mark_chen622d ago

Wait, for real? Spongy leveler? That's insane. I've seen some janky fixes in my time but leveler turning into mush under a shower floor is next level. Dude must be pissed he has to rip all that tile back up.

jessem592d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, no kidding. Self-leveler in a wet area is just asking for trouble. I've pulled up tile jobs where the leveler was basically a sponge underneath, soaking up moisture and turning to mush. Dry pack is the only way to go for shower floors, it's way more durable and lets water drain like it should.