A preformed shower pan costs $700 to $1,800 installed, and a mud-set tiled pan costs $1,500 to $3,500. The pan is about 8 percent of a shower remodel budget and it is where most shower failures start, which makes it the worst line item to shop on price.
Everything above the pan is finish. The pan and its waterproofing are the only part of a shower doing structural work against water. We supply both types from our Derwood showroom and H&C Construction installs them, and the failures we get called about are almost never the tile.
What each type costs
| Type | Installed | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Acrylic or composite preformed | $700 to $1,800 | Standard sizes, fast schedules, budget jobs |
| Solid surface or stone-resin | $1,400 to $3,000 | Standard sizes with a premium look, fewer seams |
| Mud-set tiled, center drain | $1,500 to $3,000 | Custom sizes, tiled floor to match walls |
| Mud-set tiled, linear drain | $2,200 to $3,500 | Curbless or large-format floor tile |
Labor is 55 to 70 percent of each of those numbers. The pan material itself is rarely the deciding cost.
Why mud-set costs more
A preformed pan arrives already sloped and already waterproof. It gets set in mortar, connected and sealed, and the job is done in a day. A mud-set pan is built on site in layers: a pre-slope, a waterproofing membrane, a second mortar bed over it, then tile. That is three to four days of work with cure time between stages, and it is the only way to get a non-standard size or a floor that matches the walls.
The common failure is a mud pan built without a pre-slope, so water that passes through the grout sits on the flat membrane instead of running to the weep holes. It will pass inspection, look perfect, and smell wrong in five years. If you are paying for a mud pan, ask whether it is being pre-sloped. There is one right answer.
The three cost drivers
Size and shape. Standard rectangles are cheap because preformed pans fit them. The moment the shower is an odd size, a corner, or has a bench, you are in mud-set territory and the price roughly doubles.
Drain type and position. Reusing the existing drain location is free. Moving it means opening the floor, and on a slab, cutting concrete: $1,500 to $4,000. A linear drain costs $400 to $1,100 more than a center drain but allows large-format floor tile, because the floor slopes in one plane instead of four.
Waterproofing system. A sheet or liquid membrane system adds $400 to $900 over the older felt-and-liner method, and it is the single best money in the whole shower. Every system we would install has a warranty you can actually read.
For how the pan fits the whole budget, see walk-in shower remodel cost.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to install a shower pan?
$700 to $1,800 for a preformed pan and $1,500 to $3,500 for a mud-set tiled pan. Labor is 55 to 70 percent of either figure.
Is a preformed shower pan as good as a tiled one?
For a standard size, yes, and it is more consistently waterproof because it arrives pre-sloped from a factory. A tiled pan wins on appearance and on fitting non-standard shapes.
How long does a shower pan last?
A preformed pan lasts twenty years or more. A correctly built mud-set pan lasts as long as the shower. A mud pan built without a pre-slope can start to smell within five years.
Can you replace a shower pan without removing the tile?
Rarely. The wall tile sits over the pan flange, so the bottom two or three courses have to come off at minimum, and matching discontinued tile is usually harder than retiling.
What does a linear drain cost?
$400 to $1,100 more than a center drain, plus a slightly more expensive mortar bed. In exchange the floor slopes in a single plane, which lets you use large-format tile instead of mosaic.
Not sure what is under your shower floor? Bring photos and your dimensions to our Derwood showroom and we will tell you what kind of pan you have and what replacing it involves. Call (301) 939-0009 or book a showroom visit.