I have a fairly new home (2001) and the shower stall in the Masterbath has had a crack in the basin for some time. Recently, we experienced a leak into the downstairs while one of us was showering. I called a plumber and he said that the crack in the basin is the culprit and that it would need to be replaced. After trying to get someone to come and do it I have begun the removal of the basin myself. I have removed the lower tiling all around the sides to expose the lip that extends up behind the tiles. The basin is now 'loose' and moves however I still cannot get the basin out.:( How is it attached to the drain? What is the cleanest, easiest, and best way to remove this basin understanding that I will likely be installing a new one shortly? I appreciate any and all information that can be provided.

Thanks
JMV

What type of pipes do you have? Cast Iron? PVC or ABS? Other? I ask because different pipes use different drains and they each connect differently. Regards, Tom

What type of pipes do you have? Cast Iron? PVC or ABS? Other? I ask because different pipes use different drains and they each connect differently. Regards, Tom

Tom,

They are not cast iron, and I don't know what ABS is, they are big, balck drain pipes, I believe PVC. Let me ask you a question, would the waste pipes in the basement that eventually leave the house be off the same material? If so I can look to see what those are, if there are markings on them...

JMV

You don't have to look. You have ABS plastic, (PVC's white). Your drain's glued in place. It will have to be cut out. You may have to use a set of inside cutters to do this. One more thing. Since you will be cutting the trap raiser back you will have to extend the raiser back up before you can install a new drain. Good luck, Tom

You don't have to look. You have ABS plastic, (PVC's white). Your drain's glued in place. It will have to be cut out. You may have to use a set of inside cutters to do this. One more thing. Since you will be cutting the trap raiser back you will have to extend the raiser back up before you can install a new drain. Good luck, Tom

Tom,

So I guess my builder didn't do it correctly (this is not shocking as the list of things done incorrectly is long) because there was just a rubber gasket around the drain and once I removed it I was able to finagle the basin out. On a side question, the debate is now whether to install a new basin OR to tile the bottom. How difficult would you think creating a tiled floor for the shower would be? Do you know of any good books that show detailed step-by-step instructions to do this? I'm leaning this way but don't want to get in over my head.

TIA
JMV

To install a tile floor you must first install a flange type shower drain,(see image) and pan the shower with seamless plastic. My work stops with that and a tile setter takes over. If you've never installed a tile shower before I suggest you contract out the work. However if you still wish me to find instructions on the web I'll be happy to research it for you. Click on, Tile Showers How-To Information (http://www.thetiledoctor.com/howto/showers.cfm) to find detailed instructions. Regards, Tom