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[maisiebrook]

We are thinking about having our walk in shower redone. I am interested in hearing comments about your experience, vendors, the process, etc.  

Our current shower is all tile, hard to keep clean, poor shower head, no grab bars in a house that is almost 25 years old.    TIA 

[Janey2]

How large is the bathroom? What does the rest of the bathroom look like? The reason I am asking is...will you be able to make it all flow by only doing a shower and leaving the rest?

[781Florist]

You apparently have a lot of company in considering a shower remodel.  I see more commercials for shower remodel companies than for Jardience or Medicare Enrollment plans.

[Bella8888]

This is some of what I learned over the years from five bathroom remodels, and may or may not be relevant for you.  One job ended up in small claims court which we won the maximum, plus legal expenses - so, I'm including some of that experience too.

1. Over the years I preferred having control and acted as the contrctor hiring a subcontractor.  No go between.  This requires having to stay on top of scheduling, procuring tile, showerhead, etc. throughout the job.   If you are good with someone else being the contractor, then make sure your communications are clear, concise and there are ongoing reports of what is happening, preferrably in writing (like in emails or texts - save those).

2. Present in writing what you want done and get multiple bids.  Don't take the cheapest.  Take the bid that reflects clear timely communications and demeanor.  Get references if you are unsure.  

3. Make sure the person who is ansering the bid is doing the actual work and not handing it over to someone else to do the actual job.  This happens often without anyone the wiser.

4. Go with your first tile choices, it is usually the right one.  Large tile choices reduce grout issues.  I prefer natural or ceramic stone over plastic paneling.  

5. But before even starting, look at lots of pictures and tile offerings.  Let yourself daydream about colors, etc.  Then get grounded, and ask yourself/others if your choice will stand the test of looking at that tile for a long time!  Get what you really love.

6. During the actual construction don't be shy to ask questions about the work in progress.  Make sure you are talking with not only the 'boss' but also the actual person doing the work.  Being friendly and expessing appreciation (when warranted) bolsters the person to want to do a good job for you.  Take any problems to the boss and let them correct the worker, follow the chain of command, so to speak.

7. Never pay in full in advance!  I learned to pay in thirds; first third upon signing contract, second third half way through the job and final third after inspecting the final work.   Pay on time, get receipts.  At the end, don't be shy to mention the little things you want corrected, after all it is your house.

8. You can speed things along for the contractor or subcontractor if you supply and have delivered the tile, shower equipment, etc.  They usually hate that part of the job, usually liking the actual tear out, plumbing, tiling, etc.

9. Put the pets in a safe place as afar away from the construciton noise/activity as possible.  Give the pets some extra treats, skritches and homepathic Rescue Remedy to help with the inevitable stress.

10. Cannot stress this one enough.  Make sure waterproof materials/backboard are used in all wet areas.  Make sure caulking is generaously used.  If there is any areas to be painted, add anti-mold products to the paint.  Make sure there is good ventilation/fans along with heat lamp/light fixtures to deter lingering moisture.

11. Does the contractor guarantee or warranty their work?  For how long?  What is the process of fixing something that breaks after 6 months or a year, for example?  Get that in writing.

12. If the job takes awhile, make sure the workers clean up their work space each day and throw away their trash.

13. If you really liked the work they did, give the worker a small tip of some sort; it is always appreciated.  Also be transparent and inform the boss how much and why.

14. Keep all receipts, etc.  You can write off all remodel expenses when you sell the house and have to pay tax on the profit (good to check with your tax person about this).  

Resource search and/or vendors:  Houzz dot com, Home Dept, Delta, Moen, Kohler, local plumbing suppliers (who do they recommend?), local tile shop visits, DH advice, good friend  networking is invaluable. 

Didn't mean for this to be so long!  Good luck!  Can't go wrong with an updated bathroom, adding equity to your home.

[cindyNC]

We got acrylic and I find it very difficult to keep clean.  Our shower walls go down to the bottom of the shower (the pan) which has a ledge that's attached to the walls by some sort of calk.  The water dripping down the walls pools on the ledge of the pan. 

I've been keeping it clean w/Wet it and Forget it, but have noticed the calk between the walls/pan is starting to look dingy.  Around 3-4 years old and replaced a very old worn porcelain shower. 

Acrylic CANNOT be steam cleaned.  The company that installed it recommended Scrub Free: spray it on, wipe it down using a sponge or mesh bath sponge, then rinse the walls/tub with a cup of water. 

Other recommended cleaners are Fantasik, non ammonia windex, 409 , vinegar in water or Scrub free.  Can't use harsh chemicals or abrasive brushes. 

I tried using several squeegees.......the one that worked the best was hand held (about 8-10 inches wide ) and labor intensive.  Right now I'm using microfiber towels purchased from The Rag Company.  Normally used to dry cars. 

Hope this helps w/your decision. 

[LizzieInSRQ]

@Bella8888 this one of the single-best posts I've ever seen written here regarding construction.  I work for a production builder and I think anyone contemplating having bathroom remodeling done should print your post out and follow it as a checklist.

It is very thorough and very generous of you. It seems you have learned from both good and bad experiences and is so valuable. 

Thank you. 

[haddon9]

When you talk about a "walk-in shower", do you mean where the floor of the bathroom goes right into the shower area with nothing to step over?

We had our main bathroom gutted and renovated almost three years ago.  At the time I asked my contractor about a seamless floor going into the shower with nothing to step over (not sure what it is called).  My bath is on the second floor.

After discussing this with the contractor, he claimed that there would be major work involved in changing the grade or level of the floor itself would would cost many of thousands of dollars just to regrade the floor so water wouldn't go out into the rest of the room and stay in the shower.

I decided just to have a water barrier or ledge with tile. So I have to step over the ledge that is several inches up but I had him install a large grab bar (I made him place in horizontally and not at an angle) and I just make sure that I carefully step in & out each time. We also had the shower space doubled with a built in seat.

I went to a tile showroom and with the help of a knowledgeable salesperson I choose large 12" x 24" tile for the shower walls (polished tile) & floor (not polished for safety) of the bathroom.  The floor of the shower is a coordinating tile but is small.  So far I have found it easy to clean. The larger tiles mean less grout lines plus he installed it so the grout lines are tighter or smaller than what I previously had.

I love how the bathroom turned out!  It is beautiful and I used a local contractor who would direct me to certain businesses for me to select things like tile, tub, toilet, quartz, cabinets, etc.

The contractor that I used came highly recommended and he does beautiful work.  He comes back to fix any issue even if its small and to him his reputation is very important.

I have used him several times by now.  I had him redo our hall bath as well as the powder room too.  As for a "tip", no I didn't do that.  He's his own boss and charged plenty!  This was an expensive project.  I also had him paint the main bedroom and add crown molding and molding around the windows too. 

ETA:  As for payment, the contractor would always give me a rough estimate which I knew as we went along that the price would go up a bit since I tend to add things over the time he is working. 

He never asked for any money up front but about halfway through asked me for 5K.  After the job was completed he gave me a detailed itemized bill and I had him stop by to pick up his check. (I don't like mailing large checks) Each project going forward he's done the same with giving me the bill after completing the job and would stop by to pick up a check.

[Ainhisg]

We just bought a house and had the bathrooms gutted except for the wood work and cabinets.  (As an aside, the wood work is throughout the whole house, and we had so many other things to spend our money on, that we just kept all the honey oak, although we did have the vanities raised.) Everything else is new.  We went with a product called The Onyx Collection.  It is a solid surface product produced in Kansas and custom made to your specs.  We used it for the counters and showers.  Our contractor was an independent dealer for it, so we got it at his cost.  The threshold to get into the shower is 2 or 2.5 inches--can't quite remember which one.  It is very easy to keep clean.  We spray it with Clean Shower after every shower, and I clean the shower once a week with Scrubbing Bubbles or Comet Bathroom Cleaner (spray)--something like that.  

We had the shower door custom made at a local glass place.  It was not cheap!  We like the door vs sliders, because there isn't any channel. We use a product on it similar to Rain-X and squeegee it after every shower. We bought Delta fixtures from a local plumbing company.  Do not get your fixtures at a big box store--there is a difference!  I also bought Delta grab bars, which also weren't cheap, but they look classy, and we reach for them without thinking when washing our feet or other things for which you need to brace yourself.  I researched how high to put the grab bars, and my contractors put extra bracing behind both of them before the shower system was installed.

[Bella8888]

@LizzieInSRQ 

Thank you so much for your kind response!  I had a few moments of feeling your appreciation and giggled with delight.  Yes, lots of experience with construction projects, learning a lot along the way.

[Mom2Dogs]

@maisiebrook   In my husband's bathroom his shower is a sold surface...ONYX.  It is a great product and very easy to keep clean.