Shower Remodel in Los Angeles, CA

Shower replacement, conversion or walk-in: which project is yours?

“Redo the shower” can mean four quite different jobs. Naming yours early keeps bids comparable, because each one involves a different mix of trades.

In a 1950s or 1960s San Fernando Valley house, the original shower often sits on a mortar bed over a hot-mopped pan. Those can last decades, but once the tile comes off, a pan that has failed has to be replaced, not tiled over.

When a shower needs more than new grout

• Tile near the floor or valve sounds hollow or moves when pressed.
• Grout crumbles, or darkens again days after a scrub.
• Paint bubbles or drywall feels soft on the wall behind the shower.
• A ceiling stain appears below a second-floor shower.

What goes behind the tile in a shower remodel in Los Angeles?

Grout soaks up moisture and tile edges let it by, so a shower stays dry only because of the layer hidden underneath. A sound shower is built in this order:

1. Framing and blocking for the valve, niche, bench and any future grab bars.
2. A sloped shower floor that pitches toward the drain, commonly about a quarter inch per foot.
3. The pan or waterproof membrane, either a traditional liner under a mortar bed or a bonded sheet or liquid membrane rated to ANSI A118.10.
4. Cement board or foam backer on the walls, with seams and screw heads sealed where the system calls for it.
5. Thinset, tile and grout, followed by flexible sealant at inside corners and the change of plane at the floor.

Choosing shower wall and floor tile

Walls and floor do different jobs, so they rarely use the same tile. The shower tile and mosaic tile displays let you lay them side by side with a grout sample before deciding.

• Walls: large-format porcelain means fewer grout lines to clean; subway, arabesque and handmade-look tile give pattern and texture.
• Floor: small hexagon, penny or 2-inch mosaics follow the slope to the drain and give feet more grip than a big, smooth tile.
• Natural stone: marble and travertine look soft and warm but need sealing and gentle cleaners. See natural stone tile for care differences.
• Niche and trim: a recessed niche lined in the wall tile, with a stone or quartz shelf, reads cleaner than a corner caddy.
• Grout color: a mid-tone grout hides soap film better than bright white in a well-used shower.

Curbless shower and glass shower doors: the details that decide them

A curbless shower looks open and is easier to step into, but the floor has to drop so water stays inside. In a wood-framed house that usually means cutting down or reframing joists, which is structural work for a general contractor and requires a permit. On a slab, the concrete may need to be cut. A linear drain along the back wall makes the slope simpler and lets you use larger floor tile.

Glass comes in framed, semi-frameless and frameless versions, as hinged doors, sliders or a fixed panel. Shower glass must be tempered safety glazing, and a frameless enclosure is typically measured after the tile is installed so it fits the finished walls. Leave that measurement to the glazing contractor rather than the tile drawing.

Planning a shower at the showroom

1. 1

   Sketch the shower

   Width, depth, ceiling height, window location and where the valve and drain are now. Note whether the house is on a slab or a raised foundation.

2. 2

   Choose wall tile first

   It covers the most area and sets the style. Hold it under the showroom lights and near a window to see how it reads in daylight.

3. 3

   Match a floor mosaic and grout

   Pick a floor tile that coordinates with the wall and a grout that suits both.

4. 4

   Decide on niche, bench and trim

   Locate the niche in a stud bay away from exterior walls, and pick the shelf material and edge trim.

5. 5

   Share dimensions with your plumber and builder

   Confirm the valve height, drain type and any framing changes before tile is ordered.

6. 6

   Order with overage and book installation

   Order extra for cuts and breakage, keep a box from the same lot for future repairs, and schedule tile installation if you want it.

What changes the cost of a shower remodel?

• Moving the drain or valve, which adds plumbing labor and a permit.
• Pan type: a prefab base costs less than a tiled floor built over a membrane, and a curbless floor costs the most.
• Tile size and pattern: mosaics, herringbone and arabesque take longer to set than large format tile.
• Wall height: tiling to the ceiling uses more tile than stopping at 7 feet.
• Niches, benches and stone shelves, each with its own framing and finishing time.
• Glass: frameless panels with heavier glass cost more than a framed slider.
• Surprises behind the wall: rot, old galvanized pipe or a failed mortar bed in an older house.

Permits, licenses and who to verify

In the City of Los Angeles, LADBS generally requires a permit when plumbing is altered, which covers replacing a shower pan, moving a valve or drain and converting a tub to a shower. A like-for-like retile of walls with no plumbing change is a different scope; ask the department if you are unsure. Homes in Glendale, Burbank or other cities follow their own building division. For the people doing the work, look for a C-36 plumbing license for pans and valves, a C-54 tile license for setting tile, a C-17 for glass, or a B general building license when the job includes framing, and verify each one through the CSLB website.

Why Adcom for shower tile

• Porcelain, natural stone and mosaic tile on display together, so wall, floor and niche tile are picked as one set.
• Patterned tile in person. Google reviewers describe hexagon marble shower floors and arabesque walls sourced here.
• Help with harder-to-find tile, which reviewers say the team tracks down when it is not in stock.
• Installation of the tile you buy, on request, after the plumbing and pan are done.

Shower projects come in from Glendale, Santa Clarita, Calabasas and neighborhoods across Los Angeles. If the shower is one part of a tight bath, see small bathroom remodel ideas, and pick the counter for the vanity on the vanity tops page.