Guide · Greenville, SC
The tile is the cheapest visible part of a shower. What you are really paying for is everything underneath it.
The cost to tile a shower is decided mostly by what happens before the tile: how the pan is built, which waterproofing system is used, and what condition the framing and substrate are in once the old shower comes out. Tile format, niches, benches and curbless construction move it from there.
A complete shower tile installation includes demolition and haul-away, framing and subfloor inspection and repair, a sloped shower pan, a waterproofing membrane on pan and walls, tile layout and setting, grouting, sealing and silicone at every change of plane.
Any of those can be left out to reduce a quote. The two most commonly left out are the substrate repair and the waterproofing — and they are the two that decide whether the shower lasts.
The pan is the most technical part of the shower. It has to slope consistently to the drain across its whole surface, be sealed continuously into the wall waterproofing, and be wrapped around the curb on all three faces.
A pan built wrong does not announce itself. It ponds water at the edges, or it leaks slowly at the curb, and you find out when the drywall on the other side of the wall goes soft.
Yes. A niche is a hole cut into your waterproofed wall, so it has to be framed, waterproofed as part of the same system, sloped so it drains, and tiled so the cuts read intentional. A bench is the same problem at a larger scale.
They are worth it — a niche is the difference between a shower with nowhere to put anything and one that works daily. But they are real added work, not a detail thrown in.
Yes, because the slope has to be built into the subfloor rather than added on top of it. That means structural work below the finished floor level, decided before demolition rather than during it.
A curbless shower is the most accessible type there is and the one that most rewards being planned early. Retrofitting the idea after demo has started is where it becomes expensive.
| Element | What it involves | Cost impact |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition | Old shower or tub out, haul-away, protection of the home | Moderate; higher with a mud bed or cast iron tub |
| Substrate repair | Framing and subfloor inspection, rot and deflection corrected | Varies — unknown until the wall is open |
| Shower pan | Sloped build, drain set to finished height, curb wrapped | Significant; the most technical element |
| Waterproofing | Membrane on pan and walls, corners reinforced, to manufacturer spec | Significant; non-negotiable |
| Wall tile | Layout, setting, cuts around valve and niche | Driven by format and pattern |
| Shower floor | Small-format mosaic conforming to the slope | Higher labor per square foot than walls |
| Niche / bench | Framed, waterproofed into the system, sloped and tiled | Added per element |
| Curbless | Slope built into the subfloor structure | Highest; must be decided pre-demo |
Who does the work
Written by the team at Tile with Style, a family-owned tile installation business working in Greenville, SC since 2011. Work is carried out by Javier Rincón and his crew, in English and Spanish.
Updated:
Related questions
It is set by the pan construction, the waterproofing system, the condition of the framing behind the old shower and the tile format you choose. We give free written estimates after seeing the shower. Call (864) 205-3723.
If the pan and waterproofing are sound and only the tile has failed, retiling the walls can be the smaller job. In practice, once tile has failed the waterproofing usually has too, and a rebuild is the honest recommendation.
Yes. Large-format wall tile means fewer grout lines but demands a flatter wall and more careful setting. Shower floors need small-format mosaic to conform to the slope, which is more labor per square foot than the walls.
Most standard showers take the better part of a week from demolition to final grout. Waterproofing and mortar cure times set the schedule more than the tile setting does.
Keep reading
A shower remodel is priced on decisions, not on square footage. Here are the decisions that move the number.
Read moreSquare footage is the number people ask about. It is rarely the number that decides the estimate. Here is what a Greenville tile contractor is actually pricing.
Read moreSome of these are cosmetic and you can live with them. Three of them mean water is already getting where it should not.
Read moreFree Estimate
Estimates are free, written, and given after we have actually seen the space — not guessed from a square-footage number over the phone.
Free Estimate
Tell us about your project and we will get back to you within one business day with a free, written estimate. Prefer to talk? Call — we answer, in English or Spanish.
(864) 205-3723contact@tilewithstylesc.com