Finishing a Basement Bathroom - Part 2

Finishing a Basement Bathroom – Part 2

This is Part 2 of how I finished a basement bathroom. Click here for Part 1.

Fixture Layout

The next task is to decide where the bathroom fixtures – sink, toilet and shower stall will go. The builder had already roughed-in the plumbing so I didn’t have a lot of choices, but it’s necessary to measure and mark these items to guide the work.

I verified the toilet rough-in dimension (distance from the wall to the soil stack) because this is an essential measurement for ordering the right toilet. In my case, it was a standard 15 inch rough-in.
I discovered that the builder placed the shower drain rough-in too close to the soil stack, meaning the toilet would be too close to the shower. The shower drain would have to be moved.
The width of the shower stall is limited to 3 feet due to the placement of the soil stack and clearance for the toilet.

I measured and marked the dimensions on the cement floor as shown here. Click on the photo for a full size image.

Floor Blueprint

The shower drain was off center and had to moved by several inches beyond the rim of the existing hole in the cement floor. In this photo, a hammer drill is used to make holes for a knockout to recenter the drain.

Drilling Holes for the Knockout

After drilling several holes to weaken the cement, a brick chisel and sledge hammer are used to make the remaining cuts and shape the sides. Be sure to wear your safety glasses because cement chips fly everywhere.

Cutting the Knockout with a Brick Chisel

Here’s the finished cut in the cement floor for the shower drain:

Finished Cut for Shower Drain

The PVC drain pipe is dry fitted before gluing.

Dry Fitting the Drain Pipe

The PVC pipe and drain base are glued together. The shower drain clamp ring, adjustable barrel and strainer are shown here.

Shower Drain Components

The hole is then filled with fine foundation rock.

Filling the Hole with Foundation Rock

The bathroom walls are painted while there’s no worry about drips on the bare floor. The Wagner Paintmate Plus roller is my favorite for painting walls.