Replace Shower Pan Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide

If you have arrived here searching for “shower pan replacement cost,” you are likely looking for what is known in the UK as a shower tray, the base unit that sits beneath the shower enclosure and channels water to the waste. The term “shower pan” is standard American English; in Britain and Ireland you will hear shower tray, shower base, or (for fully tiled level-access floors) wet room former. The advice below uses UK terminology throughout.

A like-for-like shower tray swap, removing the old tray and fitting a new one of the same footprint, typically costs £380–£1,100 all-in (supply and labour), depending mainly on the tray material. If you are changing size, converting to a wet room, or the existing drainage requires alteration, expect to pay more.

What Drives the Cost?

Several factors determine how much you will pay:

• Tray material, acrylic is cheapest; stone resin and ceramic add cost but last longer and feel more solid underfoot.
• Tray size, a 700 × 700 mm tray is cheaper than a 1,200 × 900 mm version both to buy and to fit (heavier, more access disruption).
• Whether drainage needs moving, if the new tray waste aligns with the existing soil stack or branch pipe, installation is straightforward. Moving drainage adds plumbing time and potential floor work.
• Tiling, a like-for-like swap that reuses existing wall tiles is relatively quick. Any tile removal, re-tanking, or retiling adds significantly to the bill.
• Access and condition, ground-floor installations over timber joists may require cutting a joist bay to reach the trap. Upper-floor bathrooms can mean access from below as well.

Shower Tray Supply Costs (2026 UK)

Acrylic trays are the most widely fitted: lightweight, warm to the touch, and simple to replace. Stone resin trays are heavier and feel more premium, the solid, non-flex surface is less likely to creak or dip over time. A wet room former (sometimes called a tile backer tray) is a rigid foam board with a pre-formed fall; the installer tiles directly over it to create a seamless, level-access wet floor.

Labour Costs: Plumber Day Rates (2026 UK)

A plumber or bathroom fitter in the UK currently charges in the region of £270–£350 per day outside London and £300–£425 in London. The removal and fitting alone take one to three hours, but taking the enclosure off and refitting it, bedding the new tray and resealing mean most fitters price a tray swap as at least a day’s work, and sealant cure time means the shower is not usable until the following day.²

Expect labour for a straightforward swap to cost £300–£600, with the higher end applying to larger or heavier stone resin trays, older bathrooms where the existing tray is bedded in sand and cement, or cases where access is awkward.

Total Cost: Like-for-Like Replacement

For the most common scenario, removing an existing 800 × 800 mm or 900 × 900 mm tray and fitting a new one of the same size with no drainage movement:

Worked example: A homeowner in the Midlands replaces a cracked 900 × 900 mm acrylic tray with a like-for-like stone resin unit. The tray costs £280 supply. A local plumber charges £300 for a day’s labour (removal, new waste fitting, silicone seal, and test). Total: £580.

Full Wet Room Conversion Cost

If you are moving from an enclosed shower tray to a fully tanked, tiled wet room floor, the cost rises substantially. The floor must be waterproofed (tanked) to comply with good practice and to satisfy insurers; wall tanking behind the shower zone is standard best practice even where not explicitly required by Part H of the Building Regulations.

Converting the shower area to a wet room floor, with a tiled floor, drainage channel, and tanked walls but no new suite or full-room refit, typically costs £1,500–£4,000, depending on room size, drain type, whether walls need replastering before tiling, and tile specification.

Signs You Need to Replace Your Shower Tray

• Cracking or crazing, spider-web cracks on an acrylic tray indicate the base support has failed or the tray has been overloaded; cracks will worsen and eventually leak.
• Discolouration that will not clean, yellowing or staining that cannot be removed with standard cleaners suggests the gel coat has broken down; replacement is usually more practical than refinishing.
• Flexi-seal failure, if the silicone between the tray and wall tiles is lifting, cracking, or going black with mould repeatedly (having been reapplied more than once), it often indicates the tray is flexing on its frame. A rigid stone resin replacement or better bed support can solve this permanently.
• Leaking waste, a persistent drip through the ceiling below, or damp under the bathroom floor, often points to a failed trap or a cracked tray base that is directing water away from the waste outlet.
• Physical damage, chips and cracks from dropped objects may be cosmetic on stone resin but structurally significant on acrylic.

DIY vs Professional Installation

Swapping a like-for-like acrylic tray is technically within reach for a competent DIYer: lift out the old tray, place the new one on adjustable feet (or a mortar bed), connect the new waste to the existing trap, and seal around the perimeter. However:

• Drainage connections should be checked by a qualified plumber if there is any doubt about trap depth, pipe fall, or compliance with Part H of the Building Regulations. Approved Document H sets a shower trap at 40 mm diameter with a 50 mm depth of water seal, reducible to 38 mm only where the appliance discharges directly to a gully, and puts the flattest gradient for an unventilated branch discharge pipe at 18 mm fall per metre.³ Low-profile trays are where this bites: the shallower the tray, the less room there is under it for a compliant trap.
• Wet room formers require careful waterproofing to manufacturer’s specification, typically a tanking membrane bonded to the board and extending up the walls, before tiling. Skipping or rushing tanking is a common cause of concealed water damage.
• Heavy stone resin trays (some weigh 30–50 kg) require two people to handle safely and a fully prepared, level bed before positioning.
• If you are moving a waste outlet, that work falls under Part H of the Building Regulations and must be carried out to the required standard (and notified if it involves new drainage).

For most homeowners, the cost saving of DIY is modest relative to the cost of putting right a leak that has caused ceiling damage or structural dampness. A professional installation also gives you recourse if something goes wrong.

When to Retile vs Just Swap the Tray

If the wall tiles around the tray perimeter are in good condition, a skilled bathroom fitter can often remove the tray and replace it without disturbing the tiles, by cutting the silicone seal carefully and lifting the tray clear. This assumes the new tray is the same size and the tiles do not extend underneath the tray lip.

If the tiles are chipped, stained, or poorly adhered, or if you are changing the tray size, retiling is the better option. Budget for wall tiling at £25–£60 per m² for labour, plus tile supply costs.

Building Regulations: What You Need to Know

Replacing a shower tray like-for-like is typically not notifiable under Part H, provided no drainage layout is altered. However:

• Any alteration to the waste pipe routing, trap depth, or connection to a shared stack may require a Building Regulations application (Part H, Drainage and Waste Disposal). GOV.UK’s own list of notifiable work puts “install a bathroom that will involve plumbing” squarely in the approval column, so the moment a tray swap turns into a bathroom refit with new pipework, assume you are in the system.⁴
• Wet room conversions that involve new drainage channels connected to the soil stack should be discussed with your local authority building control or a registered building control approver, which is what the private route has been called since the 2024 building control reforms.⁵
• Waterproofing (tanking) is not a formal Building Regulations requirement for shower trays in its own right. The code to name in a specification is BS 5385-4, the part of the tiling series that covers tiling in special conditions including wet areas.⁶ It is also what most building warranties and any competent installer will expect to see.
• Where the work is in an upstairs bathroom above habitable rooms, good waterproofing practice is especially important: even minor seepage can cause significant damage to ceilings and joists below.

Choosing the Right Tray for Your Bathroom

A 900 × 900 mm stone resin tray is the most popular upgrade choice for homeowners replacing a worn acrylic unit, it offers durability, a solid feel, and a relatively straightforward installation. If you are converting to a wet room or want a linear drain and seamless tiled floor, a wet room former is the correct starting point.

For tight en suites, a 800 × 800 mm low-profile acrylic tray remains the most practical option: affordable, easy to fit, and widely available in standard sizes that align with existing enclosures.

Get Two Quotes

Because shower tray labour costs vary significantly by region and by whether the plumber is also a bathroom fitter (some plumbers will not tile; some bathroom fitters will not connect to soil stacks), get at least two quotes, and check whether each quote includes the waste fitting, silicone, and any access panels required to reach the trap.

The rules in this note are those that apply in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own building standards and permitted development rights.