By Brad PleimannPart of Walk-In Shower Installation
The short answer
A custom tiled walk-in shower in Broward County costs $6,500 to $11,000 when it's the whole job: the old tub or stall out, a new waterproofed pan, tile to the ceiling, glass, a new valve and trim.
As the heart of a full bathroom remodel it's part of the $14,000 to $28,000 range, and a primary bath in marble with a curbless entry and a double vanity runs $28,000 to $55,000 or more. The numbers below are what I quote, not a national average.
Where the money goes in a walk-in
- The pan and waterproofing: a sloped mortar bed, cement board, a sheet membrane over everything and a flood test. The part nobody sees and the part that decides whether the shower is dry in year ten.
- The drain: a center drain is the least; a linear drain at the back wall for a curbless entry is the most, and on a slab it means recessing the floor or raising the room.
- Tile: large-format porcelain is the best value and the easiest to keep clean. Marble and mosaics add setting time and sealing.
- Glass: a fixed panel, a semi-frameless door, or 3/8-inch frameless glass with a return, in that price order.
- The extras: a bench, one or two niches, a hand-held on a slide bar, a rain head, a thermostatic valve.
Curbless or low-threshold
A low-threshold shower has a 2-inch tiled curb.
It keeps water in, it's easy to step over, and it works on any Florida slab, which is why it's the most common choice and the bottom of the range. A curbless shower has no curb at all; the bathroom floor runs straight into the shower and a linear drain at the back wall takes the water. It's the best-looking and the safest for anyone who'll age in the house, and on a slab it costs more because the floor has to be recessed or the room built up. I'll tell you which your house can take on the first visit.
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Tile and glass, and what each choice costs
- Large-format porcelain, 12-by-24 or bigger: fewer grout lines, fastest to set, easiest to clean. My recommendation for most showers.
- Marble or natural stone: beautiful in a primary bath; more cuts, more sealing, more money.
- Subway and handmade tile: classic, more grout, more labor.
- Mosaic on the floor or in the niche: grips wet feet, adds character, adds setting time.
- A fixed glass panel: least. A frameless hinged door with a return: most. Framed and semi-frameless sit between and are still honest options.
Kit or tile
A walk-in shower kit is a molded base and a plastic or composite surround.
It's cheaper to buy and about the same to install correctly, because the valve, the drain and the waterproofing behind it are the same work. It limits you to its sizes and finishes and it doesn't fix what's behind the old wall. I build tiled showers; if a kit is the right answer for your budget, I'll tell you and point you to someone who installs them well.