Back in January, we had a leak in our kitchen ceiling. After cutting a portion out we discovered that the culprit was our master bath shower. We had wanted to replace the shower since we moved into our house about 6 years ago, but the expense of upgrading it was never in our budget. I wanted to wait until we had the money to get exactly what I wanted but that didn’t seem to be the case. Nothing like a leak to force your hand! 😉
We could have just bought another shower insert for a few hundred dollars but we felt like it would have been money wasted since we planned on tiling one day anyway. I got a bid from a contractor and the estimate was over $6000…really out of our budget!!
You know I’m a DIYer but this project seemed even bigger than I was capable of doing…since it was on the second floor and leaking had originally been the problem. I started doing some research and found a company called Schluter. They sell a complete shower system, with a waterproofing membrane and a customizable floor. Needless to say, it is very affordable and gave me the peace of mind about a COMPLETELY waterproof, non-leaking shower!
Also, be sure to check out my post: 4 INEXPENSIVE Tricks to Give Your Tiled Shower A Custom Look, if you’re starting your own shower renvovation!
I found it at Home Depot but I think Lowe’s has started carrying it as well. The complete Schluter Kerdi Shower system is around $500-$550 which included the waterproofing for the walls. I had priced out fabricated molds that I could tile for the floor and nothing was even close to that price!
We started by removing the old shower insert and all of the drywall, taking it down to the studs.
We hired a plumber to remove the old faucet and install a new one…plumbing is way out of my comfort zone!
Then we put up a concrete backer board and installed two 12×12″ Kerdi niches. They also sell a Kerdi board that would have probably been so much easier to install, but I found out about it after we had already started with the cement board.
The next step is adding the membrane to the walls. The important part of this step is to use NON-MODIFIED thin-set mortar. (Be sure to watch the video at the end of the post for full details about how to properly install the entire system.)
The membrane is easily cut using scissors.
Measure the floor to find the center for the drain, so you can make your cuts for the shower tray.
If your walls are not square (like mine) use a large square to figure out the difference. You can see from the next picture that my wall gradually gets bigger, so my shower tray was not a perfect square when we trimmed it.
To make sure we cut the tray correctly, we made a template out of cardboard first and used it to cut the tray and membrane for the floor.
The tray and step are made of expanded polystyrene foam so it’s easily cut with a hand saw.
The sloped shower tray locks together and makes the installation a snap! 😉
I won’t lie, it was a challenge at first figuring out the mortar. If it’s your first time working with a trowel it takes some getting used to.
After everything was waterproofed and set, we did a water test before we installed the tile. You can get a 2″ stopper from the plumbing section at most hardware stores.
After many hours of tiling (because I choose such a small tile…it took 80 boxes), I absolutely love how it turned out!
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Yes, I know flowers don’t go in a shower!! I needed something to break up all the grey for the pictures…AND they are pretty. 😉
BE SURE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO BEFORE INSTALLING!!
This post is so long but I still have more to share about the finishes, so go check out my 4 INEXPENSIVE Tricks to Give Your Tiled Shower A Custom Look!
Thank you for this informational post! I might let my husband do the shower reno in our new house now. Looks like it would save a lot of money and it looks fantastic! Did you have any problems with the mortar? When he has tiled before, his mortar tends to crumble and chip. I don’t know what he does wrong. Hence my hesitation to let him tile….
Your tile is either moving (could be the subfloor is moving, not enough thinset securing the floor, no room for expansion near the walls) or the space between tiles is too large for non-sanded grout)
Good job
Dealing with a bathtub from the 50’s
With plumbing as bad as it get
Trying to put a bathtub on top of it
There is a company who does that but forget name
D
That shower looks beautiful, Angela! I’m trying a project like that at my home, but I haven’t been very successful with plumbing. I think I’m going to hire a professional, so I can get the job done. You must be incredibly handy, if you can build a shower from scratch!
Alex Jennings |
Angela, great job on the shower. Could you please tell me what tile and manufacturer you used? I really like it, but can’t find one like it. Thank you.
The wall tile is a stock tile that I got from Lowe’s. The floor tile is also a stock tile from Home Depot. I’m not sure if all stores will carry it but if you took a picture to the store, I would think they could find it for you. I don’t have any boxes with the manufacturer on it anymore, sorry. 🙁
Hi Angela,
Just curious- I didn’t see anything in the post about a door. The shower is beautiful as is, but are you planning on putting in a door? Shower curtain? Or leave as is?
Katie, at the moment we just have a shower curtain but we plan to add a glass door eventually. 🙂
Just curious how much the whole project ended up costing?
I didn’t keep good track of the exenses but my rough estimate with the shower system and tile, is between $850 and $900 + new shower head. We got an estimate from a contractor for over $6000, so it was a huge savings! We haven’t purchased a door yet but it will still be significantly less than our quote. 🙂
Couldn’t find a way to comment on original post so I’m here. You could have further saved money by getting the schluter stuff from a tile shop. Lowe’s and Home Depot are not proper retailers and they buy from tile shops themselves then mark up. Also using concrete board behind kerdi is redundant. Regular drywall is just fine. Only other comment for others doing this is to waterproof floor first then walls. So the waterproofing overlaps the right way. OP is fine here with 1.5” overlaps but it’s just better practice the other way.
Would love more info on what norm was saying as prices are much higher now so saving any money I can would be awesome!
Question on your tiling. Did you tile the walls first starting at the boots? And then do the floors? Also did you caulk the seam where the floor tile and wall tile meet up or did you fill with grout only. And you had exisiting bathroom floor since you ripped out the old shower much like I will have. Did you just out the curb against the existing floor and tile over it and grout that joint as well? Any tips on the tiling process would be awesome thank you.
Amy,
I tiled the walls the first, then did the floor. I also just used grout where the wall and floor meet. We had to cut some of the existing floor tile to position the shower curb (it is sitting on our sub floor). Let me know if you have any other questions, I’m happy to help! 🙂
Gorgeous, I love it. Is the tile on the walls marble?
Michele, yes they are marble subway tiles. 🙂
I love this and your blog! Your projects are so classy and beautiful! We are about to install a new shower into our garage. I’m headed to go check out this system right now.
Thanks for sharing.
Janelle, thank you so much!! Good luck with your project! :
Looks gorgeous! How much did the whole project end up costing you? How much were those beautiful tiles?
Thanks!! It ended up costing around $1700 all together. We still are using a shower curtain, so that price doesn’t include the shower curtain. I don’t remember exactly how much the tile was, but I think it was around $6 for a small box?
I thought you said it cost around 900 ? This says 1700 $$.
Pam, I’m not sure why I said $1700 on this comment (this was 2 years ago, so I can’t remember)? The waterproofing system was around $500 and the only other things we spent money on were the tile supplies, plumbing fixture, and plumber. I think that was around another $500?
Thank you for this post. Your shower is beautiful. My husband and I are considering taking this project on as well. The estimates are rolling in at $2500 – $3000 for just labor for only 2 days of work. I want to make that kind of money! That would put our final shower project around $6000 (ours is an extensive remodel). What other sites did you use to research this process? Thanks again!
If you want to use the same shower installation that I did, here’s a lot of great informative videos: http://www.schluter.com/schluter-us/en_US/videos
I love your shower head. Can you share the make, model and price? Thanks!
Katrina, it’s by Moen but I’m sorry I can’t remember the name of the style. 🙁
I am so impressed! You did an amazing job. We have had the same estimates you wrote about; I know so many people that have done their own showers that I was convinced there is another way. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Your welcome! I’d love to know how your shower turns out!! 🙂
I’d love to rip out our prefab shower and do this. Your info has given me courage to look into doing it myself. I’ve always wanted a walkin shower with no curb. (Less work, I’m hoping, easy cleanup). Would that be harder? Heading to lowes to check out the schluter products. Thanks again.
Mindy, you’re welcome! I’d love to see your finished project and let me know if you have any questions along the way. 🙂
Wow this is seriously stunning. I’ve been trying to get a good shower and bathroom for myself but never really got it to be how i wanted it. This article will definitely help me. Thanks a lot!
By the way i’d recommend you to take a look at shower filters, because i see you have amazing skin, so you should be careful with chlorinated water and other similar things because they can seriously damage your skin.
Good luck and thank you again! 🙂
Beautiful!!!!
I wish I could talk my husband in to committing to a project like this!
Thanks, Teddi!! We love how it turned out.
Beautiful!! Can you please tell me the dimensions on this masterpiece??? I need to fit in a small shower so I am taking all kinds of notes on this one. Thank you!!
Brit,
It is about 34″ wide and 38″ deep. Hope that helps!!
Great post thank Kerdie system is great I found a better price at floor and decore
I am so impressed. We are having the same problem. I tried to talk my husband into doing it ourselves but no luck. And the quote to have it done professionally was $5000!!! With one kid in college and another to go that’s waaay out of my budget. I am totally going to check into this. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
Wendy, hope this works out as an option for you!!! 🙂
I just have a question when you were installing the schluter base you said to measure to find the center for the drain. Wasn’t the drain already there from your previous shower? I might be confusing myself but I really want to do this to our shower we have a prefab insert like you did, but I do not want to be moving plumbing around for it. Did you/?
Sorry about the confusion! We did not move any plumbing. Measuring the drain is just for when you are cutting the foam for the base of the shower. You will need the measurement from the center of the drain to the wall, so that your form will fit properly. Hope that helps!!
Very nice. I like how you detailed each step. I was wondering if the system call for sealing the seams? Did you install a glass shower door? From experience it’s important that you are working with plumbed walls and level sill. What would you differently?
Beautiful!! And we are seriously thinking the same project. My question is, where was the old shower leaking from & how did you determine that?? I think we have a leak too but I don’t know if it’s our master bath or guest bath. Hoping there’s an easy discovery process. We don’t have access panels for our plumbing.
Hi Angela,
Your system is quite creative and effective, based on the results you show, thanks for sharing it! I’m a professional in this field, and I have to tell you that the quality of your work is outstanding. Your shower looks excellent and professional, congrats!
Thanks so much for this post – your situation looks like ours only we haven’t experienced the leak so far ;). So happy to hear about this product and your experience with it. Looks terrific!
I absolutely love the tile I read you purchased it from Lowes do you have the name of it?
Iv’e looked at every tile on the Lowes website and just can’t find it anywhere. Any help I would appreciate soooooo much Thank you
Lisa, I’m so sorry I missed your comments. If you can’t find it Lowe’s here’s a similar one from Wayfair: https://rstyle.me/+g0YvXZ0MbJgaBUAze0PMcw
So beautiful
Is the tile in your shower 2x 4 or bigger?
I want to tear out my shower/tub combo and put in an overhead rainfall style shower with no door just a half wall and all tile. Does the same system you use work for larger projects?
Yes, you can make it as large as you want!
How did you fix the ceiling in the kitchen
That’s is what I was wondering.. I have read the article and all the questions but haven’t seen anything about tha.
We had to hire someone because the ceiling has texture. They had to re-texture our entire kitchen ceiling.
We had to hire someone because of the texture.
I have a window in my shower, will the system you used still work?
I’m doing a bathroom remodeling, I am thinking that maybe I should look into shower screens too. Thanks for the options you provided. In planning a style, I will follow your advice to consider the overall design of my new bathroom to complement its general appearance.
I’m curious about how you were able to cut the tile. Did you need a special type of saw?
Thanks to your post, I think I can do most of the things meself.
What a creative post! Thank you so much for sharing this.
I did got what I need, Thank your so informative and helpful post!
Your blog is one of the best I have come across on the internet. The way you present information is so engaging and informative. Keep up the good work!
I have been a regular reader of your blog for some time now, and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the effort you put into creating such valuable content. Thank you!
What an amazing shower renovation using a DIY system! The step-by-step guide and the use of the innovative system make it look so achievable. The before and after pictures are truly impressive. Kudos to the author for sharing this inspiring project and providing valuable information for anyone looking to renovate their shower.
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That shower looks beautiful, Angela! I’m trying a project like that at my home, but I haven’t been very successful with plumbing. I think I’m going to hire a professional, so I can get the job done. You must be incredibly handy, if you can build a shower from scratch!
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