Category: Shower Installation & Repairs

The microscopic truth about slimy shower floors I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound. They think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I have spent 25 years on my knees with a moisture meter…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound because they think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I carry that same mindset into every shower and bathroom project I touch. When a homeowner calls me…

The fatal flaw of the flat subfloor A shower floor fails to drain because the installer ignored the mandatory quarter inch per foot slope requirements toward the drain assembly. Without this structural incline, gravity cannot overcome the surface tension of water, leading to pooling, mold growth, and eventually the total failure of the waterproofing system.…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound because they think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I carry that same obsession into bathrooms. I once walked into a luxury master suite where the homeowner…

I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor would not click like a castanet. That is the kind of detail most guys skip because they think the underlayment will hide the dip. It never does. I bring that same obsession to every part of a bathroom, especially when…

The sulfurous truth about shower odors The rotten egg smell in your shower is caused by hydrogen sulfide gas which originates from sulfur-reducing bacteria living in the biofilm of your drain assembly or a failed P-trap seal. This chemical byproduct indicates a stagnant water environment where organic matter like skin cells and soap scum decomposes…

I once walked into a house where a custom five thousand dollar tile job was ruined because the installer did not check the wall substrate before mounting a sliding bar. Most guys skip the leveling compound and they definitely skip the structural blocking. They think the underlayment will hide the dip or the tile will…

I once spent three days grinding concrete on a job just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. Most guys skip the leveling compound because they think the underlayment will hide the dip. It won’t. I bring that same blunt honesty to bathrooms. Last Tuesday, a homeowner called me because their expensive matte black…

The physics of the negative pitch Standing water in a shower niche occurs because of poor pitch, capillary action, and surface tension. To prevent pooling, the bottom shelf of a niche must have a downward slope of at least one quarter inch per foot toward the shower floor. Without this mechanical advantage, water stays trapped…

The hidden physics of failed shower pressure I spent three days grinding concrete on a job last month just so the floor wouldn’t click like a castanet. While I was there, the homeowner asked me to look at their brand new master bath. They had just installed a high end rain head. It was a…