Shower service
Shower Remodeling
Replacing a tired, leaking or dated shower with a new wet area built on a complete waterproofing system.
Short answer
A shower remodel removes the existing shower down to framing, corrects whatever is found behind it, installs a continuous waterproofing system, then rebuilds the pan, walls, valve, drain and glass. In Idaho homes the trigger is usually a failing pan, cracked grout lines that keep coming back, or an alcove that is simply too small for how the household actually showers.
What a shower remodel actually includes
A shower is the wettest square footage in a house, and almost every shower failure traces back to something invisible from the bathroom door. That is why our scope starts at the framing rather than at the tile. Once the old enclosure is out we can see the sill plate, the subfloor around the drain and the studs behind the valve wall, and we correct what is wrong before anything is closed up again.
- Dust control, floor protection and removal of the existing shower or surround
- Inspection and repair of framing, subfloor and blocking around the wet area
- New mixing valve, supply and drain connections where the existing ones are past their life
- A single, continuous waterproofing system across pan, curb, corners and walls
- Sloped mortar bed or pre-formed pan set to the drain
- Tile, slab panel or acrylic wall finish with the niche and bench detailed in
- Glass, door or screen measured after the walls are finished, not before
- Final flood or moisture check, silicone at every change of plane, and a written care summary
Grout is not waterproof and never has been. It is a wear surface. Whatever sits behind it — sheet membrane, liquid membrane or a foam board system — is the part that keeps water out of the framing.
Signs a shower needs replacing rather than repairing
Not every shower needs a rebuild. Regrouting and resealing are reasonable when the substrate is sound. These are the conditions where patching only buys a season or two.
- Tile that sounds hollow when tapped, or a floor tile that flexes underfoot
- Grout that cracks in the same corner within months of every repair
- A soft or discolored patch on the ceiling or wall of the room below
- A musty smell that returns after cleaning and stays after the fan runs
- Efflorescence — chalky white mineral deposits — pushing through grout lines
- An acrylic pan that visibly deflects when you shift your weight
Choosing between tile, slab panel and acrylic
| Finish | Best suited to | Trade-off to know |
|---|---|---|
| Tile | Custom sizes, niches, benches, curbless entries | Grout lines need periodic sealing and cleaning |
| Large-format slab panel | Minimal grout lines and fast cleaning | Fewer layout options; seams must be planned precisely |
| Acrylic or solid surface | Straight alcove replacements on a tighter budget | Limited sizes; the pan defines the footprint |
Material choice changes the look and the cleaning routine far more than it changes the durability. Durability comes from the waterproofing layer underneath and from the slope of the pan. A well-built tile shower and a well-built acrylic shower both last; a badly waterproofed one fails regardless of what you can see.
How the work runs, day by day
- 1Walkthrough, measurements and photographs of the existing wet area
- 2Written estimate listing the scope, the materials and what is excluded
- 3Selections confirmed and materials ordered before the first day of demolition
- 4Tear-out, framing repair, blocking for grab bars, benches and the niche
- 5Plumbing changes and inspection where the jurisdiction requires it
- 6Waterproofing installed and tested before any tile is set
- 7Setting, grouting and curing, then glass measured to the finished walls
- 8Punch list walkthrough with you in the room, then cleanup
Shower remodels — questions
- How long does a shower remodel take?
- Most single-shower projects run one to two and a half weeks on site, driven mostly by curing time for waterproofing and mortar and by the lead time on glass, which is measured after the walls are finished.
- Can you keep the existing shower footprint?
- Usually yes, and staying inside the existing walls and drain location is the least disruptive version of the project. Moving the drain or a wet wall is possible but changes the scope, and in a second-story bathroom it depends on joist direction.
- What does a shower remodel cost in Idaho?
- It depends on the size of the wet area, what is found behind the old tile, and the materials you choose, so we quote after seeing the room. We put the number in writing before any work is scheduled.
Shower remodels by city
- Shower Remodeling in MeridianMost Meridian shower remodels we quote are subdivision-era master baths from the late 1990s through the 2010s: an unused corner garden tub, a narrow shower beside it, and a fiberglass or acrylic base that has started to flex. We rebuild the wet area to framing, correct what the tear-out exposes and put in a tiled shower on a bonded waterproofing system.
- Shower Remodeling in BoiseBoise has the widest range of shower conditions in the valley, so a Boise shower remodel is scoped rather than templated. A 1910s North End bathroom and a Harris Ranch master are the same service and almost nothing else in common.
- Shower Remodeling in EagleEagle shower remodels tend to be larger master baths in custom or semi-custom homes, where the shower is already a decent size and the goal is a better-built, better-detailed version of it. That shifts the work toward substrate, detailing and glass rather than rescue.
- Shower Remodeling in StarStar's housing is dominated by recent subdivision construction, so most shower remodels here are not repairs — they are upgrades out of builder-grade one-piece fiberglass units into tiled showers built on a proper waterproofing assembly.
- Shower Remodeling in NampaNampa shower remodels sit at both ends of the valley's housing range: mid-century and 1970s homes where the shower is genuinely worn out, and newer Canyon County subdivisions where it is simply builder-grade. We scope those very differently.
Shower remodels case studies
Related shower services
Tub-to-Shower Conversions
Removing a tub nobody uses and rebuilding the space as a full-size, properly drained shower.
Read about tub-to-showerShower Waterproofing
The membrane, pan and detailing work that decides whether a shower lasts five years or thirty.
Read about waterproofingShower Tile Installation
Layout, setting and detailing — the part of the shower you look at every day.
Read about shower tile
Shower remodels near you
Talk through your shower remodels project
Tell us what the room is doing today and what you want instead. We follow up to arrange a walkthrough and a written estimate.