Home / How we build
How we build
The part you will never see.
Showers fail behind the tile, not at it. This is how we build every one.
Behind the tileAnatomy of a shower
Every layer, in plain English.
This is what is inside a shower we build, from the floor up. Hover over a number, or tap it, to see what it does.
1Subfloor2Wall framing3Sloped shower pan4Waterproof wall boards5Sealed seams6Sealed corners7Pipe and valve seals8Drain9Curb (the entry step)10Thinset mortar11Tile12GroutCutaway: Schluter-Systems KERDI-BOARD shower assembly.
- 1Subfloor
The plywood floor under everything. It has to be flat, solid and dry before anything goes on.
- 2Wall framing
The studs behind the wall. We check them for rot, straighten them and only then board over them.
- 3Sloped shower pan
A foam-core base pitched toward the drain, so water always runs out and never sits.
- 4Waterproof wall boards
Orange KERDI-BOARD panels. Water is stopped right here, not inside your wall.
- 5Sealed seams
Every joint between boards is covered with waterproof tape (KERDI-BAND) bonded with thinset.
- 6Sealed corners
Corners are where showers usually start to leak. We tape and seal every one.
- 7Pipe and valve seals
Waterproof collars around the valve and shower arm, so water cannot follow the pipe into the wall.
- 8Drain
Connected to the pan with a sealed flange, so the drain is part of the waterproofing.
- 9Curb (the entry step)
Wrapped in the same waterproof layer as the rest of the shower.
- 10Thinset mortar
The mortar layer that bonds the tile to the board.
- 11Tile
The part you see and touch. By the time it goes up, the waterproofing is already done.
- 12Grout
Fills the joints between tiles. It is the finish, not the waterproofing, which is why the layers below matter.
Built as a complete Schluter system, the assembly is eligible for their 10-year limited warranty. Our own work is warranted for 12 months. Ask us to walk you through it →
Old way vs. our way
Why bonded waterproofing.
The old way
- Cement board with a rubber pan liner
- Waterproofing under a thick mortar bed, not under the tile
- Water passes through grout and stays in the bed
- Slope floated by hand on site
How we build it
- Schluter KERDI-BOARD, bonded directly under the tile
- Water stops at the surface; the wall dries between showers
- Seams, corners and penetrations sealed as one system
- Eligible for Schluter’s 10-year limited warranty when built as a full system
On the job
Real stages, real walls.
Warranty
12 months on our workmanship.
Manufacturer warranties on materials apply on top. We tell you exactly what is covered before we start.