The shower is built behind the tile, not on it
Everything that makes a tiled shower last is invisible in the finished room. The waterproofing membrane, the slope of the pan toward the drain, how the membrane is lapped at the corners and turned up the walls, whether the niche was formed and sealed before it was tiled — these are the shower. The tile is a hard-wearing decorative surface applied on top of a waterproofing system that is doing the actual work.
This matters because tile and grout are not waterproof. Grout is porous by design, and even well-sealed grout lets moisture through over time. In a properly built shower that moisture reaches the membrane, runs down it and exits at the drain, which has weep holes for exactly this purpose. In a badly built one it reaches the substrate, and the failure shows up years later as a soft spot outside the shower, a musty smell, or tile that has started to sound hollow.
It is also why a cheap shower and a good one look identical on the day they are finished. You cannot tell them apart in a photograph, only in about year six. That is where the time on our shower work goes, and it is why we would rather build one properly than four quickly.
- Waterproofing membrane, correctly lapped. Turned up the walls and lapped so water running down it keeps running down.
- Pan sloped to the drain. Consistent fall across the whole floor so nothing stands. Measured, not eyeballed.
- Niches formed and sealed first. A recessed niche is a hole in your waterproofing until it is properly formed — it gets built and sealed before any tile.
- Benches built solid. Framed, waterproofed and sloped very slightly so water runs off rather than sitting on the seat.
- Large format and mosaic. Marble-look porcelain, mosaic accent bands and hexagon or square mosaic floors, cut and laid so the lines run through.
- Glass fitted properly. Sliding or hinged doors set square to a shower that was built square in the first place.
How we build a custom shower
Layout before anything is ordered
Where the bench goes, which wall takes the niche, where the controls sit so you are not reaching through cold water, and how the tile is going to be centered. Setting out the layout first is what stops the mosaic band dying into a corner at a half tile, which is the detail that separates deliberate tiling from tiling that happened.
Strip out and inspect
Old showers are where water damage hides. Once it is out we can see the framing and the subfloor, and if there is rot or an old leak we tell you and price the repair before we build over it. This is a common find in bathrooms and it is much better discovered now.
Substrate and waterproofing
Backer board, then the membrane system, lapped and sealed at every corner, change of plane and penetration. The pan is formed and sloped to the drain. This is the day that decides whether the shower is still sound in ten years.
Tile, cut to the layout
Set out from the layout agreed at the start so full tiles land where the eye goes and cuts land where they are least visible. Mosaic bands run level and continue through corners rather than stopping at them.
Grout, seal, glass and silicone
Grout, then silicone rather than grout at every change of plane — corners move, and grout in a moving joint cracks on schedule. Then the glass goes in and gets adjusted.
Why homeowners choose us for this
The membrane is the job
We spend the time on what is behind the tile, because that is the part that fails and the part you are actually paying for.
The layout is set out first
Where the cuts land and whether the accent band runs level are decided before a single tile is fixed, not discovered halfway up a wall.
Silicone in the corners, not grout
Every change of plane moves. Grout there cracks and lets water in behind. It is a small thing that betrays how the rest was built.
We show you what we found
If the old shower had been leaking, you see the framing before we cover it up again.
Custom Shower Questions
Usually somewhere around a week to ten days of working time, and much of that is waiting rather than working. Waterproofing has to cure before tile, mortar has to set before grout, and grout has to cure before silicone and glass. Anyone offering to do a tiled shower in two days is skipping one of those cures, and that is the shower that fails early.
Yes, and it is one of the most common versions of this job. The considerations are the drain position, which usually has to move, the floor structure, and whether the household needs a bath at all — if it is the only tub in the house and you may sell to families, that is worth a thought. We will raise it rather than just doing what was asked.
A niche, yes — almost everyone regrets not having somewhere to put shampoo other than the floor or a suction caddy, and it costs very little while the wall is open. A bench is more personal: it is genuinely useful for shaving legs and invaluable if anyone in the house may struggle standing, but it takes floor area from a small shower. We will tell you if your footprint can carry one comfortably.
It is possible and it looks superb, but it depends entirely on the floor structure, because the pan has to be recessed into it to get the fall without a curb. In some houses that is straightforward; in others it means significant structural work. We will look at what is under the floor before saying yes.
Grout is porous, so a poorly ventilated bathroom will grow mold in it whatever we do. Two things help most: an exhaust fan that actually vents outside and gets used, and silicone rather than grout in the corners, since that is where water sits. Sealing grout helps and is worth redoing periodically. Nobody can sell you grout that never needs attention.
Bring us a spare tile or a good photograph and we will tell you honestly whether a close match still exists. Tile ranges change frequently, and a near-miss usually reads worse than a deliberate contrast. Often the better answer is a complementary tile in the shower and a clear line between the two areas.