Postponed for over 5 years, the condo shower is finally getting the attention it needed.  It must run in the family, because an Aunt let her shower go for so long we had to rebuild the sub-floor and replace the entire shower pan.  Ours could have been that bad, and I was expecting the worst, but it turns out the tile issues were only grout deep.

However, that wasn’t determined until the entire shower door was removed and the first floor tiles lifted.  At this point we’d already ordered all new tiles, plumbing fixtures and fancied a new glass door, so there was no going back.

Originally we’d planned to do the demolition and install after our Cruiser Reunion and our out-of-town friends had departed, but an email from Joe & Helen saying they’d like to arrive early from California spurred other thoughts.  Joe’s speciality, among many other talents and professions, is remodeling kitchens and bathrooms. And best of all he, like most our friends, would rather work on a project than sit around jawing about old times or, in this day, Trump.

The shower stall was totally demolished before Joe arrived and in two days we were ready for tile.  I’d envisioned a much more complicated shower pan, however Joe determined that our curb-less shower stall wouldn’t need floor surgery, because the gipcrete floor (part of in-floor heating was removed to expose the subfloor) provided enough depth for our new design.

New plumbing was a snap with the deployment of Shark Bite connectors and PEX tubbing, so that Stanna will have that extra hand-held shower she’s envied every time we visit a Swiss hotel.  We even remembered to place nailer blocks in the studs for that grab rail we will soon be needing.

Insulation and vapor barrier went in before the vinyl pan liner and the DuraBoard walls.

The bench and wall niche rounded out the pre-tile chores so that all remaining was the sloped cement shower pan.  Joe decided we should knock the pan out, allowing it to dry overnight so in the advent of the tile arriving on-time on Monday  we could carry on this rapid remodel. Two days in, we’re ready for tile and the reunion.