Replacing and Tiling a Shower

Last week we began remodeling one of our bathrooms. The only thing we have completed so far is the shower which took us longer than we had planned. I will write another post once we are finished with the entire bathroom but I wanted to write about the shower in a separate post since there were so many steps.

Here is the before picture of the shower:

Before picture of the shower

Step 1 – Demo
We started by removing the shower walls and doors.

Step 2 – Replace plumbing and shower pan

New plumbing to the shower head

New shower pan

Step 3: Install cement board and niches

We installed 1/2 inch thick cement board around the shower walls. Then we cut out some of the insulation and added two tile-ready niches for built-in storage. Our goal is to no longer need those shower caddies that hang in the shower via suction cups.

Cement board and niches installed

Afterward, cement board joint tape and a layer of thinset mortar were used to seal the seams of the cement board.

tape and mortar applied to cement board seams

Then a water-proofing membrane was brushed on to the walls and allowed to dry overnight.

water proofing membrane goes on as pink and turns red as it dries

Step 4: Tile

Next it was finally time to tile! We decided on a classic white, 3×6 inch ceramic subway tile and a hexagonal-shaped stone tile in the niches. We used tile trim around the niches and 4×16 inch subway tile on the sides of the niches. This took about two full days (two half-days and one full day) to complete.

Step 5: Apply Grout

We used a light gray grout and applied it to the subway and hexagonal tiles. This took about 3 hours and then we let it set overnight.

Step 6: Buff tile, install fixtures, apply caulk, and install shower doors

We were able to complete all of this in one day, though it took about 12 hours. Buffing the remaining grout residue off of the subway tiles took longer than I had expected. I used a water bottle and a microfiber towel to do this. Then I used white silicone caulk on the back edges of the niches, the top of the shower, the bottom of the shower, and the joints of the sides of the shower. We also installed the fixtures.

Then we installed the shower doors and applied clear caulk on where the shower door frame attached to the shower tile.

Before and After:

We will resume working on the rest of the bathroom in a few days.