How to Install A Fiberglass Base Over Concrete

Plumbing and drain connections for basement bathrooms

By the experts at The Family Handyman

From The Family Handyman

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Q: I’m ready to frame up the walls for my lower-level bathroom. There’s a 2-in. pipe sticking up through the concrete floor. How do I position my fiberglass shower bay and connect it to the drain?

A: Sounds like your bathroom plumbing is already roughed in, although a call to the plumber or contractor who did the work will confirm it. The 2-in. pipe is typically the shower or tub drain. Line it up exactly with the drain hole in the bottom of your shower bay. This position determines the location of the stud walls around the shower. The supplier may be able to provide a dimensioned drawing of the shower bay, so you don’t actually have to put it in first.

If the existing 2-in. drainpipe isn’t where you want it, you’ll have to break up the concrete and replumb the drain.

Make sure the drainpipe extends at least an inch above the concrete. If the pipe is too short, you’ll have to break up the concrete and extend it. Also, you’ll need at least a 1-1/2 in. space between the pipe and the concrete to accommodate the drain assembly (see photo below). If there isn’t, carefully chisel out the concrete around the pipe.

TIP
If you’re considering a single-piece shower bay, make sure you can get it into the new bathroom space. You may have to bring the unit into the space before framing the doorway or walls. If access is a problem, check out multiple-piece units that will fit through doorways more easily.