Escondido · San Diego County
Hot mop shower pans, done right.
Ten years of doing one job well: waterproofing the shower floor before the tile goes in. Licensed, insured, and quoted from your pictures and measurements.
- 10 years in the trade
- CSLB License #1092967 · C-61/D-12
- General liability and workers’ comp
- Calls taken 6am to 9pm
What is a hot mop shower pan?
A shower pan is the waterproof floor under your shower tile. A hot mop pan is built with hot tar, mopped on with a fiberglass mop in layers, with felt between the layers.
Most homeowners have never heard the term. Tile setters and general contractors know it well. In our experience, it is the waterproofing method that lasts the longest.
The pan, in cross-section
What is under your tile
Every hot mop pan is built in the same order. This is what goes in, and what has to be ready before we start.
- 1
Blocking
Around the walls, typically 2x10 or 2x12. It has to be in before we start.
- 2
Curb
Also called the dam or threshold. A minimum of two 2x4s; three is recommended.
- 3
Drain
Set and flushed before we start. It has to be the correct shower drain.
- 4
Cement pre-slope
Laid so all of the water drains toward the drain.
- 5
Hot tar and felt
Hot tar mopped on in layers with a fiberglass mop, with perforated felt between the layers.
- 6
Fiberglass mesh
Yellow mesh in the corners and seams so they hold up longer.
- 7
Flood test
Water goes in to prove the pan holds. Then your tile setter sets the tile over it.
The proof
Fill the pan with water. If it has not leaked within 24 hours, it was done well.
We run the flood test ourselves, or your contractor does once the pan has dried.
How a job goes
From your call to a tested pan
Five steps. Most of the time between the first one and the fourth is a day or two.
-
You call or text
Send pictures, measurements and the address.
So we know the job is prepped the right way.
-
We quote by phone
You get the price over the phone.
Every job is different, so we quote each one.
-
We schedule it
If we quote today, often the next day or the day after.
We are flexible, and we keep the wait short.
-
We prep and build the pan
Pre-slope, hot tar and felt, mesh in the corners.
About two hours. We could go faster; we take the time to do it right.
-
The flood test
Water goes in to prove the pan holds.
Sometimes we run it; sometimes your contractor does once the pan has dried.
What we do
Waterproofing, and only waterproofing. We leave demolition and tile to the people who do them best.
Hot mop shower pans
Hot tar and felt, mopped on in layers over a cement pre-slope, flood tested. About two hours per pan.
See how we build one →Built for contractors, tile setters and homeowners
Most of our work comes from general contractors and tile setters, and we know what they need: the pan done right, on schedule, with the space left clean. Homeowners call us too, usually once the demolition is done.
For contractorsServing San Diego County
Based in Escondido. Pick your city, or call and tell us where the job is.
Straight answers
Can you just patch a leaking shower pan?
We can, but it depends on what has already happened. A lot of the time people call after the tile is already in, hoping the pan can be sealed from the top. It does not work like that. It depends on how the pan was built and where the failure is actually coming from.
To give you a straight answer, we need to see pictures first, to know whether a patch is even possible or the whole pan has to be redone.
How long until I can tile?
Usually within the next day. A pan is normally dry enough to step on about two hours after we finish, and that is when the flood test can be done.
Are you licensed?
Yes. CSLB License #1092967 · C-61/D-12. We carry general liability insurance and workers’ comp.
Call or text for a quote.
Send pictures, measurements and the address so we know the job is prepped the right way.