Shower Waterproofing & Wet Room Systems | DMV

Full Shower Waterproofing

Tile and grout are not waterproof. Water passes through a grout joint the day the shower is first used, every day after that, and where it goes next is entirely decided by the system behind the tile.

The failures we get called to fix

Almost every rotted subfloor, stained ceiling below a bathroom and black mould behind a shower wall traces back to the same handful of shortcuts: cement board treated as if it were a membrane, a pan that does not slope to the drain, unsealed corners and pipe penetrations, or a mortar bed with no vapour management at all.

None of these show up in the first year. They show up in year five, and by then the repair is a demolition rather than a fix.

How we build a shower

Bonded waterproofing as a continuous system: sheet or liquid membrane across walls and pan, reinforced band at every inside corner and change of plane, sealed collars at mixing valve and shower head penetrations, and a bonding flange drain the membrane actually ties into.

The pan is sloped to the drain before waterproofing, not after, at the slope the drain manufacturer specifies. Curbless entries and linear drains get a recessed subfloor and a single-plane slope so the floor drains without a lip to step over.

Flood tested, then tiled

Before a single tile is set, the drain is plugged and the pan is filled and held. A flood test either passes or it does not, and it is far cheaper to find out at that stage than after the walls are finished.

Waterproofing that will be inspected gets photographed at each stage, so you have documentation of what is behind your tile long after it is closed up.

At a glance

Continuous bonded membrane, walls and pan
Reinforced corners, seams and valve penetrations
Pre-slope to the drain before waterproofing goes on
Bonding-flange drain tied directly into the membrane
Flood tested and photographed before tiling

Common questions

Isn't cement board already waterproof?

No. Cement board is a stable backer that does not rot, which is a different thing entirely. Water passes straight through it unless a membrane is applied over it.

Can you do a curbless shower on my floor?

Usually, but it depends on your joists and whether the subfloor can be recessed. It is a framing question as much as a tile question, and we will tell you at the estimate whether it is realistic in your bathroom.

My shower leaks. Can it be repaired without a gut?

Occasionally, if the failure is isolated to a caulk line or a fixture. If the membrane itself failed, patching over it just delays the same repair. We inspect first and give you the honest answer.