Shower Tile Installation in New Britain, CT

Yes. It is the obvious conversion in this housing stock. The 60-by-30-inch alcove takes a tiled shower with a low curb and a glass panel; if the joists allow it, the pan can be recessed for a curbless entry. The drain generally moves from the tub location to the center or a linear drain at the back wall, which is work for your plumber under a plumbing permit.

Larger wall tile (12×24 or bigger) with few grout lines makes a small shower look calmer and is easier to clean, but it demands flat walls, which is why we fur the studs first. On the shower floor, 2-inch mosaic or a textured 4-inch tile gives the slope to the drain and the grip you need.

For a tub-to-shower conversion in an older home, count on about four to six working days from demolition to a shower you can use: demo and substrate repair, plumber's rough-in, waterproofing with a flood test, two to three days of tile, then grout and silicone. Silicone needs a day to cure before the first shower.

Tile itself is exempt from a building permit under the state code. Moving the drain or replacing the valve is plumbing work that your plumber permits through the City of New Britain's Department of Licenses, Permits and Inspections at 27 West Main Street; adding a light or fan is the same for the electrician. We coordinate the timing so inspections do not hold up the tile.

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.