I ran into my first bathroom remodel where it made sense for me to trade in the old school ways of building a shower floor and try a new method using a preformed polystyrene high density foam shower base. In other words, I tried foamboard on a job! I really don't doubt that these new methods are reliable because they have been around a while and are sold by a number of companies. There are a lot of advantages to using the foamboard over the old school ways primarily in that they are so lightweight and easy to work with. The biggest disadvantage is cost which is substantial when compared to buying materials to build a traditional shower floor. But people make the point which is legitimate that there is labor savings with the newer processes, so that is also something to consider.

After completing the job, I have to admit my reactions were mixed about how I felt about the foamboard materials. Probably not surprisingly, there were things I really liked about it and things I didn't. I can see a potential in my case for using the preformed shower bases with 1/2" Hardibacker on the walls if I can convince myself that the additional cost over a dry pack shower floor is really worth it. We'll see!