Bathroom & Shower Tile

What the Work Actually Involves

When someone's shower starts leaking behind the wall, it's usually not because the tile failed. It's because the waterproofing underneath was skipped or done poorly. Every wet-area tile job we do — shower surrounds, tub enclosures, shower floors — starts with a proper waterproof membrane applied to the substrate before any tile goes up. We use sheet-applied systems like Schluter Kerdi or liquid-applied membranes like RedGard depending on the substrate and configuration.

After the waterproofing cures, we set the tile in a modified thinset appropriate for the tile size and type. Large-format tile (anything over 15 inches) gets back-buttered as well, so there are no voids behind the tile that could trap moisture or cause hollow spots. Grout joints are sized based on the tile and the look you want — and we use a grout appropriate for the joint width and application.

Floor tile in a shower gets a different treatment than wall tile. Shower floors typically use smaller tile (mosaic or 4x4 and smaller) to accommodate the slope toward the drain without requiring excessive cuts. The floor is sloped at roughly 1/4 inch per foot toward the drain — not a number most homeowners would know, but it's the standard that keeps water moving the right direction.