Shower Tile Installation in Cromwell, CT

Often, yes. The most common gains come from absorbing a closet or shortening a double vanity; the shower then gets a bench, a niche and a linear drain. If the drain has to move more than a few inches the plumber handles it under a plumbing permit while the floor is open.

We follow the association's hours and access rules, protect the hallway and stairs, bag debris rather than carry loose material, and keep noise-heavy demolition to the middle of the day. For a shower above another unit we recommend the membrane run onto the bathroom floor and a 24-hour flood test before tile.

Two-inch porcelain mosaic or a small-format textured tile: it follows the slope to the drain and gives grip. With a linear drain, the floor can be a single plane and larger tile (up to 12×24) is possible. We recommend epoxy or a high-performance grout on the floor either way.

The tile is exempt from a building permit under the state code. Drain, valve or electrical changes are permitted through the Cromwell Building Department at 41 West Street (applications can be downloaded from the town site and submitted in person or by mail) by the licensed plumber or electrician.

We build the pan, then go over it with a bonded waterproofing membrane such as a Schluter-KERDI style sheet or a liquid-applied one where the geometry calls for it. The membrane runs over the pan, up the walls, around the curb, and over every seam, corner and valve penetration, and we hold a twenty-four-hour flood test before any tile goes down. If a drop moves, we find it while it is still inexpensive to fix.

Only sometimes, and only when the old tile passes the checks: solidly bonded everywhere when you tap it, flat, and structurally sound, with enough give at the outlets, counters and doors to absorb the added thickness. When it fails any of those, tiling over it locks the problem in. On a wet area we almost always take it down to the substrate instead.