Ready-to-tile (you tile it)

A ready-to-tile system gives you a factory-made slope to the drain, and you finish it with tile, just like a traditional shower floor. The difference is you skip the hand-floated mortar bed. For example, the QuickDrain 48 x 48 curbless sloping kit is pre-sloped rigid foam that, per the manufacturer, "eliminates the need for traditional mud bed installations." You add a linear drain and waterproofing, then tile.

Best for: custom tile looks, odd sizes (the foam can be trimmed with a utility knife), and tile setters who want a consistent slope.

Ready-to-use (finished surface)

A ready-to-use base arrives with its finished, textured floor already on it. Set it, connect the drain, and build the walls. No tile on the floor. These come in two styles:

• Curbed: a raised lip at the entry. Simple and affordable.
• Curbless / barrier-free: a low, beveled or square entry you can roll or walk across.

Most of our ready-to-use bases are pre-leveled fiberglass or acrylic and are set with construction adhesive on a solid, level floor, with no mortar bed.

Best for: tub-to-shower conversions, accessible bathrooms, and anyone who wants the floor done in a day.

Solid surface

Solid surface bases are a dense, non-porous material made to look like stone. They're low-maintenance and resist moisture and mold, and they come in center, side and linear drain options.

Best for: a higher-end look without grout lines. Check lead times: some solid surface bases ship in 4 to 6 weeks.

This is the decision that matters most if anyone in the house uses a walker, a wheelchair or a shower chair, now or later.

• Curbed: a lip you step over. Fine for many people, but it's the step people trip on.
• Low-threshold / barrier-free: an entry somewhere around 3/4 inch to 2 inches, usually beveled so wheels and feet roll over it. For example, the Best Bath 60 x 32 curbless pan is offered with thresholds from 3/4 inch to 2 inches; our 60 x 30 barrier-free base has a 1-inch bevel; the Remodeler pan is 0.875 inch.
• Curbless: an entry that ends up close to flush with the bathroom floor.

How threshold height relates to the finished floor

Here's the part most people miss. Our prefab bases sit on the unfinished subfloor; you don't recess the floor or cut joists. Then the bathroom floor goes in. Most tile floors, counting tile, thinset and underlayment, come out about 3/4 inch thick. So a base with a 3/4-inch threshold usually ends up close to level with the finished tile.

That's also how the ADA looks at it: the 2010 ADA Standards (608.7) limit a roll-in shower threshold to 1/2 inch, measured against the finished floor. In a private home ADA isn't required, but it's a useful target. Measure your whole finished floor build-up, then pick the threshold that matches. Our guide to installing a curbless shower without recessing the subfloor walks through it step by step.

Shower pans are sold by outside size. If you're planning around the ADA, its numbers are inside sizes, so a base sold as 60 x 30 gives you less than 30 x 60 inches of floor inside. Pick your pan before you tear out the old tub, and frame to its spec sheet. Our ADA Shower Dimensions & Specifications Guide has every number in one place, and ADA Roll-In vs. Transfer Shower helps you pick the type.

• Prefab bases are Made-Upon-Order and can't be returned, so confirm size, drain side and threshold first.
• Lead times run about 5 to 10 business days on many fiberglass and acrylic bases, and 4 to 6 weeks on some solid surface bases; the product page lists each one.
• Inspect the delivery before you sign, note any damage on the bill of lading, and report it within 2 days with photos.
• Warranties vary by maker: for example, Best Bath bases carry a 30-year limited warranty, and EZ Able showers carry a 30-year warranty. Each product page lists its warranty.