Shower Base or Tiled Shower Floor: How to Choose

When a shower is being replaced, one of the first decisions is what goes on the floor. You can install a shower base (also called a shower tray) — a single moulded unit with the fall and the waste outlet built in — or you can form a tiled shower floor on site, with a screed shaped to fall towards a drain and tiles laid over a waterproof membrane.

Neither option is always better. Each has strengths, and each fails in predictable ways when it is done badly. This guide explains the trade-offs so you can decide what suits your bathroom.

What a shower base is

A shower base is a prefabricated tray that sits on the floor or is recessed into it. The walls are tiled or lined down to the base's upstand, and the joint is sealed.

Common base materials include:

• Acrylic, often reinforced — light, warm underfoot and inexpensive. It needs full, even bedding underneath or it can flex and creak.
• Polymarble or cast mineral composite — heavier and more rigid, with a stone-like finish. It feels more solid, but the extra weight makes installation harder in upstairs bathrooms.
• Solid-surface or stone resin — a premium, low-profile look, often available in textured or matt finishes for better grip.
• Enamelled or pressed steel — hard-wearing and rigid, though it can chip if something heavy is dropped on it.

Many bases are sold in standard sizes. 900 × 900 mm is very common, and 1000 × 1000, 1200 × 900 and 1200 × 1000 mm are widely stocked too, along with corner and rectangular shapes. Sizes are common rather than universal, so always measure the finished opening between the framed walls, and check where the waste outlet sits relative to the existing plumbing.

What a tiled shower floor is

A tiled floor is built in layers. The substrate (a concrete slab or suitable floor sheeting) is prepared, a sand-and-cement screed is laid and shaped so water runs to the drain, a waterproof membrane is applied, and then the floor is tiled. The drain can be a centre point waste or a linear (strip) drain along one wall.

A tiled floor can be any size or shape, can run on into the rest of the bathroom without a step, and can use the same tile as the main floor for a seamless look.

Falls and drainage

Water has to run to the drain and not sit in puddles. With a shower base, the fall is moulded into the tray at the factory, so as long as the base is level and properly bedded, it drains as designed.

With a tiled floor, the fall is formed by hand in the screed. That gives freedom, but it relies on the skill of the person forming it. Too little fall and water ponds in corners; too much and the floor feels steep and large tiles will not sit flat. Tile format matters too: a centre waste needs the floor to fall from every side, which suits smaller tiles or envelope cuts, while a linear drain allows a single-direction fall that suits larger tiles.

The minimum falls and the way water must be contained are set out in the building rules for wet areas — AS 3740 and the NCC set wet-area requirements — so have the design checked by a licensed plumber and waterproofer rather than relying on a rule of thumb.

Waterproofing is needed either way

A common misunderstanding is that a shower base removes the need for waterproofing. It does not. Water still runs down the walls, splashes past the screen and collects at the joint between the base and the wall. The walls inside the shower, the base-to-wall junction and, in most cases, the bathroom floor outside the shower still need a compliant membrane, and the base must be installed so any water that gets behind the wall lining is directed back into the shower.

With a tiled floor, the membrane sits under the tiles and is dressed into a puddle flange at the waste. That detail is where many older showers fail, so it is worth asking how it will be done and whether you will receive a waterproofing certificate at the end.

Side-by-side comparison

When a shower base makes sense

• Rentals and second bathrooms, where fast installation and easy cleaning matter more than a bespoke look
• Small showers in standard sizes, where a base drops neatly into the space
• Timber-framed floors, where a rigid, well-supported base can reduce the risk of movement cracking grout
• Households who dislike scrubbing grout, since a base has few or no joints
• Tight programs, because a base avoids waiting for a screed to cure inside the shower

When a tiled floor makes sense

• Walk-in and step-free showers, especially where the tile runs on from the bathroom floor
• Odd shapes and sizes that no standard base fits
• Large-format tile designs paired with a linear drain
• Accessible bathrooms, where a level, continuous floor and a generous shower area are the priority
• Feature bathrooms, where the floor tile is part of the design

Questions to ask before you decide

1. What is the finished size of the shower opening, and does a standard base fit it without awkward infills?
2. Is the floor a concrete slab or timber, and does a step-free design need the floor set down?
3. Where is the existing waste, and will the new base or drain line up with it?
4. How will the base-to-wall junction or the puddle flange be waterproofed, and will you receive a certificate?
5. How much time are you prepared to spend on cleaning grout?

Talk it through before demolition

The shower floor is decided at rough-in, long before the tiles go down, so it pays to settle it early. We can look at the room, the floor and the plumbing and tell you which option suits it. For the whole-room picture, see our main bathroom renovations and waterproofing pages. Costs depend on size, layout and finishes — see our cost guide or book a quote for a price on your job. If you are in the Penrith area, we can measure up and give you a fixed written quote.