Concrete Bathroom Shower
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Materials you will need for a concrete bathroom shower
- Tub
- Cement Board
- Steel Mud Pan
- Putty Knife
- Drywall Screws
- Ardex
- RedGuard
Step #1: Let it begin!
After our Shower Demo
We pulled out the shower in an earlier post you can check out the details for that here.
Step #2: Drop the tub
I found this standard size tub 32″ x “60 off of Craigslist for $40. It’s super deep and was in excellent shape so we snatched it.
Step #3: Put up cement board
My wife originally wanted the whole entire shower and bath to be cement but as this was my first-time attempt at a cement bathroom I decided on buying a fiberglass tub with everything else cement.
I built a little support/sidewall out of 2×4’s to encase the tub and framed out a small niche. Then attached cement board to all the walls of the shower and the little sidewall.
Step #4: Seal seams
I then put fiberglass mesh on all the seams.
I then patched the seams to seal them with Quickcrete hydraulic waterproof cement.
Step #5: Apply Red Guard
Applied RedGuard. You can apply this with a roller, sponge or brush. I like how it went on with a sponge the best.
Step #6: Appy Ardex
Next, I mixed Ardex CP as instructed on the bag and then applied to all the RedGuard walls and side wall.
My wife wanted everything surrounding the toilet to be concrete because of all the boys with bad aim so I also applied the concrete to the wall and the cabinet side that was next to the toilet.
That dried for a day and then we moved on to the next step.
Step #7: Ardex TWP and sand
We then mixed the Ardex TWP to a pudding consistency and applied with a trowel. TIP: the mix dries really fast so don’t mix much more than a quart at a time. I applied two coats. It just needs to have a smooth consistency.
Once that dried, I did a light sanding.
Step #8:Seal
I wanted to make sure it was sealed and really shiny so I rolled on several coats (probably 13) of high gloss Valspar water sealer. Add replaced our hardware.
My wife was super happy how our concrete bathroom shower turned out. She is in love with how simple it was, how clean and industrial, yet elegant it looks.
Video
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I want to do this but for a shower only. Are you still happy with it and is it holding up well?
We are very happy with it. I am working on an update. We just did a video going over it and showing how it has held up so I should be posting that sometime this month.
Thanks for sharing your shower demo
Wow great job. That’s a big project.
We are due for a shower remodel as well. Your step by step photos are super helpful.
You feel free to come do my house next! That looks like a ton of work but came out beautiful.
That looks really good!
Neat project! Do you have to re-seal it regularly?
I have not had to reseal it yet. I want to keep the shine on it so I probably will one day, but as of now we haven’t had to.
It looks pretty nice!
The final product looks great!
this came out great!!
This looks good! and you make it look so easy! Thanks for posting all of the steps…I think I might try it!
Looks great! My dad is always doing projects like this at home too.
I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to tackle a project like this. The finished look is beautiful. Nice job!
I would love this… I can’t do it myself, but hopefully one day soon I can afford to do it!
Oh my goodness, this is so cool!! I definitely need to have our shower done at some point – this would be a great option! Thank you so much for this information.
Looks nice! What a great idea!
That looks pretty neat!
Interesting. I know a lot of people are doing this with their floors and counters. I have never heard of it in a shower. Thanks!
Wow, are you happy with how it turned out? Thanks for the information!
Extremely happy. Thanks
This turned out pretty awesome! Thanks for the tutorial!
Looks nice once it was completed.
That’s so cool and unique!
Bathroom remodels are such work! Thanks for such a great tutorial!
GREAT JOB, I was looking for ideas. Quick question, I am doing this in my basement. Can I do this directly on the concrete brick wall, or do I need to frame it in and use insulation first?
Yes, Ardex could be applied straight on a brick wall. However, you need to take into consideration…is this brick wall sealed on the other side? Will moisture be able to get through from the other side? If so it might compromise things. I would make sure if you are doing a shower to RedGuard for sure! If you’re just doing an Ardex cement wall to cover a brick wall then it may not be as important but might be a good idea. Best of luck on your project. We would love to see pictures.
Great job! It looks great.
Such a cool idea; it’s beautiful!
Never thought of concrete for a shower – very cool.
My uncle did a concrete shower and added a sitting area. I think it’s super cool but kinda dark. Maybe it’s just the lighting in their bathroom. I’m guessing it’s a lot easier to clean than a traditional shower.
Wow, what a cool way to renovate the bathroom.
We are going to do this with our shower soon. Do you by chance happen to remember how many bags of the ardex cp this took. From the specs on the website it looks like a bag only covers about 23 sq/ft
I believe we used two. Best of luck it was actually so much fun to work with.
I’m looking to do this in my 4 teenage boys bathroom but would like to stain it a different color any recommendations on the best way to do that? Also I would prefer a not so shiny finish is there a sealer that would work without the shine?
We are still fairly new to concrete. We have stained all our floors with concrete stain so if I wanted a different color I would do the same thing and buy the concrete stain and mix it in our Ardex mixture. We buy our stain from Cohills they are excellent at answering any questions. As far as the shine goes we just used extra glossy shine. I am sure you could do a matte sealer. My guess is it would be harder to clean. Since we were experimenting we really wanted it to be sealed and felt that extra gloss helped with that. It has held up very well and is super easy to keep clean.
Why did you mark through Redgard? Do you not need the red guard? Did you put the rough or smooth backer board facing you?
Yes, you need the Redguard that is very important step. It was crossed out because it was a link to Amazon that became unavailable. As far as the backer board goes we wanted a super smooth wall so we put the smoother side towards us.
Good to know and thanks for your response. I put the rough side facing out yesterday when we installed…but I’m looking for a more rough treatment. I just finished taping and putting mortar on the seams. I’m applying the Redgaurd later and hope to source Ardex locally tomorrow. I’m not using my area as a full on shower, we have a new self standing tub that will have exposed copper pipes and a shower curtain. I’m going to put the Ardex on all the walls in the bathroom so it is cohesive, we love concrete! Thanks for your help…it seems hard to find info on this type of treatment.
Best DIY Presentation. We did our bathroom and absolutely LOVE it
i love this, thank you! how long did it take you? we only have one bathroom, so we want to be prepared =)
Thanks! We took our time doing other jobs so we let it dry for long periods of time. It probably took us a month but certainly can be done much quicker.
This is awesome!! Why do you have to apply Ardex CP and THEN Apply Ardex TWP?
I used the Ardex CP because when I had asked around about doing the concrete shower several people had suggested it so I used it. However, I did find out later that, that step can be skipped and go straight to the Ardex TWP. Next time I do something like that I will skip that and just put several layers of the Ardex TWP instead.
Thank you! Another quick question for you since I’m doing my shopping at my local Home Depot. What product would you suggest in place of the Ardex TWP? I was thinking of using Henry Feather Finish Patch And Skim Coat.
What would you be using it for? I have used Henry Feather Finish and love it! It’s great to work with. We have used it on our countertops and floor.
I’m sorry I thought I had replied but guess I did not.
I was planning to only use Henry Feather Finish instead of the Ardex TWP. Do you think this is a good idea?
Will you be using this on a shower/bath? Will it be just the surround/ walls or the whole thing? I think that will make a difference. I did Henrys Feather Finish on my boys bathroom sinks and it’s held up fairly well considering how hard boys are and that they work on cars and are greasy boys. These sinks get some hard core use so with that in mind and its been several years I think the Henrys Feather Finish held up pretty ok. However, where they have dropped stuff it’s showing pockets and moisture is being held there. I am trying to figure out how to send a photo of it. So keeping in mind that a sink gets so many things dropped in it and so much more use then I think that if it was on the walls it would have held up so much better. I couldn’t get a photo on here for some reason so I posted on my FB page and Instagram if you want to go check it out. Date of 2/23/2022. Hope that helps.
What did you do for the gap between the walls and tub? A gray caulking? If so was that applied after the concrete was applied?
Thanks
We just used a high-quality paintable caulking (Locktite PL Max Premium caulking) and then we applied the final coat of cement over top of it.
Great Job
I love the Finish, I have been an installer for 25 years and always looking at new ways of working and moving trends.
I will be experimenting on my own en-suite before providing to a customer, so all advice would be welcome.
I notice that you plastered on concrete board which is important for wetrooms, is it imperative to plaster on concrete boards outside the wet area or can i plaster on green moisture resistant boarding, (outside the shower enclosure?.)
Yes, you can apply it to the green moisture-resistant OUTSIDE the shower. We also did that on the lower part of the wall outside the shower. Best of luck.
So five years in now, still holding up well? We did Ardex skim coat on our kitchen countertops five years ago as well and it could use a sanding and resealing. That said, we love it and it gets rave reviews.
Ours has held up really well. The sink area definitely needs to be redone. We are constantly drying pans and it seems to be wet all the time so I think thats why it hasn’t lasted as long. But we still get oohs and ahhhs over all of it. It’s still a huge conversation piece and people love it!