Boise, Ada County
Shower Waterproofing in Boise, Idaho
The membrane, pan and detailing work that decides whether a shower lasts five years or thirty.
Short answer
Boise is where we find the most genuinely failed showers in the valley, because much of the housing is old enough that the original waterproofing has aged out and been tiled over at least once. When we open a Boise shower, we expect to find a previous remodel rather than original construction.
- Idaho contractor registration RCE-57919
- $5,000,000 liability insurance
- 1 year workmanship warranty
- 26 customer reviews
What shower waterproofing includes in Boise
- Tear-out to framing so the assembly can be seen and documented
- Moisture readings before rebuild, and drying time if the framing is wet
- Replacement of damaged subfloor, plates and studs
- Bonding-flange drain matched to the membrane system
- Continuous membrane across pan, curb, corners, seams and walls
- Flood test before tile — the only stage where a pan can be proven
What we find in Boise homes
- Mortar-bed showers with a shot pan liner — or occasionally no membrane at all — turn up regularly in pre-war and mid-century Boise homes.
- The tell in a Boise bungalow is often a stain on a first-floor ceiling or a soft spot in the hallway floor outside the bathroom, not anything visible in the shower.
- Galvanized and cast-iron drain lines are common here. Replacing the stub while the floor is open costs a fraction of doing it after the tile is set.
What moves the price
Waterproofing work is priced by what the demolition exposes. A pan rebuild with sound framing is predictable; wet plates, a rotted subfloor or a drain that has to be replaced are the variables.
- How far the water travelled before anyone noticed — that decides the repair footprint
- Drying time before rebuild, which we hold rather than shorten
- Drain replacement, which is frequently required to match a bonded membrane system
Systems and materials we use
- Bonded sheet membrane systems with banded seams and corners
- Liquid-applied membranes with reinforcing fabric
- Waterproof foam board wall and curb systems
- Bonding-flange drains, never a clamping-ring assembly under a bonded system
How the project runs
- 1Walkthrough and measurement in your bathroom, not over the phone
- 2Written estimate with scope, materials and the assumptions behind it
- 3Material selection — tile, pan, valve, glass and trim
- 4Permits confirmed with the local building authority where the scope requires them
- 5Scheduling, protection and dust control
- 6Demolition and inspection of what is behind the old shower
- 7Framing, plumbing and substrate corrections
- 8Waterproofing, with a flood test on the pan before tile
- 9Tile, grout and trim
- 10Glass templated to the finished walls, then installed
- 11Final silicone, cleanup, walkthrough and a written care summary
Permits in Boise
City of Boise Planning and Development Services
Permit and inspection requirements for shower work are set by the local building authority and change over time. Plumbing changes, drain relocation and electrical work commonly require a permit; a like-for-like surface replacement often does not. We confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before scheduling, and we pull the permits our scope requires. For Boise addresses, that is the City of Boise Planning and Development Services.
Shower Waterproofing projects in and near Boise
Tub-to-Shower Conversion — Boise North End
A 1920s North End bathroom where the original cast-iron tub came out and a low-curb tiled shower went in, inside the same 60-inch alcove and the same tight floor plan.
Read the case study
Leaking Shower Pan Rebuild — Nampa, Idaho
A stain on the ceiling below the bathroom traced to a mortar-bed pan with no usable membrane. The wet area was stripped to framing and rebuilt as a fully bonded system.
Read the case study
Guides worth reading first
- Seven signs your shower is leaking behind the tileHow to tell whether a shower is leaking behind the tile: hollow tile, recurring grout cracks, efflorescence, ceiling stains and musty smells.
- Shower waterproofing systems, explained plainlyBonded sheet membranes, liquid-applied membranes and foam board systems compared, plus pan slope, corners and pre-tile flood testing.
- What a curbless shower actually requiresWhat it takes to build a curbless shower: recessed subfloor, slope, linear drains, wet-zone sizing and containment without a curb.
- What changes the cost of a tub-to-shower conversionThe specific items that move the price of a tub-to-shower conversion: drain relocation, framing at the old tub deck, waterproofing height, door versus panel.
Other shower work we do in Boise
- Shower Remodeling in BoiseReplacing a tired, leaking or dated shower with a new wet area built on a complete waterproofing system.
- Tub-to-Shower Conversions in BoiseRemoving a tub nobody uses and rebuilding the space as a full-size, properly drained shower.
- Walk-In Showers in BoiseLow-curb and curbless showers with the slope, drainage and blocking planned for long-term use.
- Shower Tile Installation in BoiseLayout, setting and detailing — the part of the shower you look at every day.
Prefer the statewide overview? Read about shower waterproofing across Idaho.
Shower Waterproofing in Boise — questions
- Can a leaking shower be repaired without a rebuild?
- Once the pan has failed, no. Everything above it sits on the failed assembly, and re-grouting buys weeks rather than years. Wall-only failures are occasionally repairable, and we will tell you when that is the case.
- How do you know the framing is dry before rebuilding?
- Meter readings, taken daily. If the numbers stay high we run air movers and hold the schedule rather than seal moisture into a brand new assembly.
Nearby service areas
Request a shower waterproofing estimate in Boise
Tell us what the room is doing today and what you want instead. We follow up to arrange a walkthrough and a written estimate.