For years, if you wanted a barrier free shower the only options were to either ramp up into the shower or significantly recess the floor by notching or cutting into the joists 2″ to 3”. The latter method is controversial and frowned upon by structural engineers. Cutting floor supports can cause excessive floor deflection, tile cracking and costly structural damage to your home. Is it worth the gamble?
The Better Barrier Free Shower Solution
The VIM Level Entry Shower System was developed as a solution to this problem. Now you can create a true barrier free shower without having to cut floor supports or ramp the tile into the shower. We achieved this by designing a thinner, stronger, pre-sloped shower pan that’s easy to install and doesn’t affect the structural stability of your home.
Our pan is created from a rigid, ABS plastic that resists deflection and compression unlike other pans created with expanded polystyrene (EPS). At only 7/8″ thick, we’ve eliminated the practice of cutting the floor supports. These images demonstrate how our system is installed.
Once the recessed area framing is complete, the VIM pan is installed in the recessed area. You can see in the cutaway drawing that the VIM pan will sit a mere 1/8″ above the top of the ¾” subfloor. The transition slope between the pan and the ¼” backer board is then filled with a quick drying, non-shrinking patch material.
This method allows you to maintain the proper slope of 1/4″ per foot towards the drain. Your framing supports are kept intact and are even strengthened by the blocking process. The rigid, compression resistant design of the pan also increases the load-bearing capacity of the floor system.
The VIM Level Entry Shower System™ not only removes the potential for structural failure caused by cutting and notching, it also provides a superior waterproofing process. We’re so confident that our system is the best choice for creating your curbless, barrier free shower, that we back it with a full 10 year system warranty.