A shower floor has to slope toward the drain, usually 1/4" per 12" of run. Setting that slope by eye and with a level takes time and is easy to get wrong. Pre-Pitch and Quick Pitch are two tools that build the slope in for you. They sound alike but work at different points in the build.
Pre-Pitch: under the pan liner
Pre-Pitch is a stay-in-place screeding tool that goes underneath the shower pan liner. It is the first product installed, and it creates the sub floor pitch (1/4" per 12" run) that directs water toward the weep holes in the shower drain. With a pitch under the liner, water that passes through the mud bed goes to the weep holes instead of sitting between the mud bed and the liner. Trapped water is where many mold and mildew problems start.
- Sticks have holes in the vertical web for reinforcement and cut easily with a hacksaw, PVC cutter or dry diamond blade.
- On wood subfloors, screw or nail the sticks in place. On concrete, use two-sided tape.
- The subfloor must be level, sound and properly prepared first.
The Pre-Pitch Standard Kit (PPK-201) is for standard shower areas with a centered drain, or custom areas where the drain is within 36" of each wall. It has 6 sticks that taper from 1/8" to 7/8" and are 36" long, with screws and tape included. When walls are more than 36" but less than 72" from the drain, add the Pre-Pitch Extended Kit.
Quick Pitch: guiding the mud bed
The Quick Pitch Float Stick System helps you build the finished sloped floor without a level. A center ring sits on top of the drain flange bolts, and tapered float sticks attach to it in any of 24 slots. You screed to the sticks and get the correct 1/4" per 12" slope. Because the ring sits on the flange bolts, it does not add to the pan liner preslope.
The Quick Pitch Standard Kit (QPK-101) includes one center ring and 6 standard float sticks, 36" long with a 1" to 1-3/4" taper. It works for standard 36" x 60" showers with a centered drain, or custom showers where the drain is within 36" of each wall, and for walls up to 6' from the drain. Add-ons cover bigger spaces: the Extra Float Stick Kit (XFS-101.2) adds sticks for screeding, and the Extended Float Stick Kit (EFS-103) is for outer walls more than 3' from the drain, up to a 12' x 12' room.
Which one do you need?
- Pre-Pitch sets the slope under the liner so water has a path to the weep holes.
- Quick Pitch sets the slope of the finished mud bed above the liner.
They do different jobs in the same shower, so many mud bed builds use both. Your building code, the tile setting standard you follow and the shower system manufacturer's instructions decide what your project needs, so check those first. See our drains and grates for the drain and grate that finish the job, and read about choosing a tile trowel notch size for the tile step. Contact us if you want help figuring out which kits to order.