Can I lower shower floor by grinding it to requirement?

[atmatic]

Hi Everyone, please be gentle as this is our first time doing owning a house, and doing a reno for that matter. Personally, I can handle myself with some powertools, and have done some DIY with our cars (i.e. upgrading radio, installing dashcam and rear parking senors, etc.). Replaced a few window and door handles. DIy installed 8ch Swann NVR CCTV. And also was an apprentice on louvre window blinds for a few years. But it seems I have never done anything to this scale, not yet anyways 🤣

Attached image below of our bathroom, that needs refreshing:

The requirements would be:

• replace tiles
• remove shower lower "wall" and lower shower floor bed
• put wall brick between shower and vanity

I was hoping to lift the tiles, get rid of the lower "wall" and grind the screed (instead of fully removing it...?) of the shower floor to requirements (10mm lower than the height of the rest considering tiles installed). Then waterproof the whole room, then tiles (my wife did want floor to ceiling tiles).

I had googled quite a bit on some processes and how-to's on shower reno, but I guess I would like to ask if my idea will work?

I still need to work out how to properly put the brick wall after.

[Jason]

Hi @atmatic,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're pleased to have you join us and look forward to seeing how you can transform your bathroom. Please don't hesitate to post anytime you need a hand with any project around the house or garden, and our community would also love to see any completed projects you tackle. 

Let me tag our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL as well as experienced members @Nailbag and @TedBear for their thoughts on your bathroom renovation plans.

Please let me know if you ever need assistance getting the most from the Workshop site. 

Jason

[EricL · Accepted solution]

Hello @atmatic 

Thanks for sharing your question about your bathroom renovation. Your plans are not too outrageous or over the top and are definitely achievable. Removing the tiles can be done using a hammer and chisel or by mechanical means. 

However, lowering the shower floor bed, now that's a challenge. A concrete grinder is often used for levelling and polishing. But reducing its level is a totally different matter. In order for you to reduce the level of your concrete floor by 10mm. It will be necessary for you to use an electric or pneumatic concrete breaker.

But there is also the option of going in the other direction. You can add 10mm to your existing flooring and blocking off your shower area. You can use self-levelling concrete to raise your bathroom floor. Please note that by raising your bathroom floor, the tiles you place on top will make it even taller and you'll need to adjust the bottom of your bathroom door.

I recommend checking your local council's rules and regulations regarding water proofing application. It will probably be necessary to engage the services of a trained and certified professional to apply the water proofing as it will need to be signed off.

Here is a link for ideas and inspiration: Top 10 most popular bathroom projects

I also suggest having a look at this guide - How to plan a bathroom renovation by @Adam_W.  

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[TedBear]

Hi @atmatic 

If the idea put forward by @EricL isn't right for your situation, and assuming that this is a ground floor bathroom, then you will find it taking more time and trouble to grind the floor down than to just break it up and pour a new one. There is the issue of getting the drain to sit at the new floor height, which grinding won't take care of.  Break and re lay it will be faster and better, especially as you need to remove the tiles anyway, if building up the rest of the floor isn't an option. 

And given the need to get the waterproofing verified by a plumber, it may be also easier to not do that aspect as a d-i-y project. Bathroom renovation plumbers do this all the time and won't sweat it. (If one you get a quote from does find it a big deal, find a more experienced plumber.)

[atmatic]

Hi all,

apologies for the late reply, currently got my hands full with reno other parts of the house, i will post them or rather ask about them soon.

Thank you all for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

Assumingly, the new tiles would be 600x600x9.5mm, so with the adhesive, it'll be 15mm high from the flooring (is this right?) . Which the old tiles are 350x350 which I believe is thinner than the new one to be layed, so the floor would definitely be higher that what it is. But I'm not too confident to DIY with this one.

I have decided to not risk the most integral parts of the reno, and to just get a professional to do the waterproofing and screeding, I'm hoping that I could just save some money for removing the tiles, then retiling afterwards. Going to get some quotes soon. Thank you so much all.

P.S.

I forgot to add that these are brick wall, and concrete slab flooring, if that makes a difference.

[EricL]

Hi @atmatic 

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing the start of your bathroom renovation.

Eric

[MitchellMc]

Once the floor tiles are tamped down @atmatic, the adhesive layer ends up being around 6mm. So, you're correct that the finished height of the new tiles will be around 15mm from the subfloor.

I'd suggest the best move forward is to consult with a tiler regarding compliance surrounding the removal of the shower hob wall. I think removing all the tiles, levelling the floor, and screeding in the required slopes of the shower recess would be the first step. You can then waterproof and re-tile.

Please let me know if you have further questions.

Mitchell