The Pan Beneath the Tile
Liners, membranes, mud beds — the layer your shower stands on.
Not every floor job needs a pan rebuild — roughly half the Newington floors we open have sound liners worth keeping. This page explains how we test (flood test protocol, weep-hole check, slope mapping), the two rebuild systems we install (PVC liner + mud bed, or foam tray + sheet membrane), and why we photograph and flood-test every pan before it gets buried in tile again.
- Flood-tested diagnosis. Plug, fill, mark, wait — proof of pan integrity or failure.
- Two proven systems. Liner + mud bed (classic) or foam tray + membrane (modern).
- True pre-slope. Water reaches weep holes instead of sitting under tile.
- Clamped drains. Membrane mechanically locked at the drain, never just cut around.
- Photo + test record. You see the pan and the test results before tile covers them.
Newington notes
Half of Newington's tubs are cast iron worth keeping; the walls around them are not. Surround-only re-tile is the town's sweet-spot job. In Newington we flood-test free whenever ceilings below show staining: Original Newington tub walls are narrow — two short walls and a plumbing wall — which is why surround re-tiles here finish fast. The failure point is always the same: grout gone soft at the tub line and corners. A sound pan saves you $500–$1,000 — we prove soundness instead of assuming failure.
Pans that hold in Newington
Six Newington shower floors, from workhorse mosaic to spa pebble.
Porcelain 2x2
Slope-perfect standard.
Unglazed quarry
Old-school grip, sealed.
River pebble
Massage texture, sealed twice.
Mini brick-joint
Lines with traction.