Tiled Walk-In Conversion
Tiled walk-in conversion is the full-custom Handis bath path — every tile, every fixture, every niche placement, every bench size, every shower head (rain, body sprays, handheld, fixed), every mixed material chosen by you and installed by us. Mortar pan dry-packed in the existing alcove and sloped at 1/4 inch per foot toward the drain, waterproof membrane (sheet Schluter Kerdi or rolled-on RedGard/Hydroban), mandatory 24-hour flood test before any tile goes on, large-format porcelain or ceramic subway or natural stone (slate, marble, limestone) or glass mosaic at your selection, color-matched silicone in every change-of-plane joint per the TCNA standard, framed or frameless tempered glass enclosure. Ten to fourteen working days. From $8,000 for a standard 60-inch ceramic subway build with a framed enclosure to $15,000 for a top-end build with natural stone walls, custom niche layout, bench, body sprays, a rain head, and a frameless 3/8-inch glass enclosure. The right path for a primary bath you intend to live in for ten years.
Service
What the Tiled Walk-In Conversion Covers
The full tile build is the most flexible Handis conversion path — the alcove footprint stays the same (or expands if framing changes are part of the scope), but everything inside it is chosen by you. Tile material (ceramic subway, porcelain large-format, natural stone, glass mosaic, or any combination), niche count and placement, bench size and shape, fixture package (single shower head, rain head, body sprays, handheld), and enclosure style (framed or frameless). The licensed Washington L&I plumber handles the drain conversion and any valve repositioning. Permits go through the licensed plumber.
Tile Selection + Floor Slope Plan
The estimate visit walks through tile samples — ceramic subway (the longest installation track record, most affordable), porcelain large-format (modern look, dense and stain-resistant), natural stone (highest-end, requires annual sealing), glass mosaic (accent material). We confirm the tile selection, the niche count and placement (mocked up with painter's tape on the framing before any tile goes on), the bench dimensions, the fixture package, and the enclosure style. Tile orders lead 1 to 3 weeks depending on the selection — we order at contract signing so the tile lands before the pan is ready.
Tub Demo and Drain Cap (Plumber Visit)
Floors protected, adjacent rooms sealed with plastic, tub removed (cast iron broken up in the pan because of weight), surround down to studs. Licensed Washington L&I plumber arrives for the drain conversion (1.5-inch tub drain to 2-inch shower drain), valve reposition if requested, and any in-wall supply work. Plumber visit on a tile job runs 3 to 5 hours; they pull the Seattle DCI plumbing permit under their license.
Framing + Curb + Backer Board
Curb framed in pressure-treated lumber (typically 4 to 6 inches tall, 4 inches deep). Wall framing shimmed or sister-joisted true. Cement backer board (Hardibacker, Durock) or foam-core panel (Schluter Kerdi-Board, Wedi) installed on walls, curb, and any bench framing. Backer board joints taped with mesh and thinset; corners and seams bedded for the membrane.
Mortar Pan + Waterproof Membrane + 24-Hour Flood Test
Mortar bed dry-packed over the subfloor sloped at 1/4 inch per foot toward the drain (built from the drain outward, never from the high point in). Waterproof membrane installed — sheet Schluter Kerdi (heat-welded or thinset-bonded) or rolled-on RedGard, Hydroban, or Mapei at manufacturer-required mil thickness. The membrane wraps the curb on all three sides, carries up the walls 8 inches, and ties into any bench framing. Then the pan flood-tests for 24 hours. Non-optional.
Tile Install (Walls + Floor + Niche + Bench)
Wall tile, floor tile, niche tile, bench tile, and curb tile install after a successful flood test. Niches get framed inside the waterproof envelope before tile so the recess is dry. Bench tops get a slight slope (1/8 inch toward the back) so water sheets off. Mixed-material installs (subway field with mosaic accent stripe, large-format walls with mosaic floor) get layout-marked on the framing before any tile goes on. Tile thinset cure 24 hours before grout.
Grout + Silicone Corners + Glass Enclosure + Plumber Final Trim
Sanded grout in field joints (cement-based, color-matched), color-matched silicone in every change-of-plane inside corner per the TCNA Handbook standard (grout cracks in moving joints, silicone flexes for 5 to 7 years). Grout sealed 72 hours after install with a penetrating grout sealer. Framed or frameless tempered glass enclosure goes in after silicone has cured 24 hours. Licensed plumber returns for final fixture trim — shower head, rain head, body sprays, handheld, mixer handle, escutcheons.
How the Tiled Walk-In Conversion Works
Six sequential phases from tile selection to plumber final trim — the actual working sequence we run on every custom tiled walk-in, with the licensed plumber on two scheduled visits inside the timeline.
Tile Selection + Niche/Bench Mock-Up
Estimate visit walks through tile samples (ceramic subway, porcelain large-format, natural stone, glass mosaic), confirms niche count and placement, bench dimensions, fixture package, and enclosure style. Tile order lead time 1 to 3 weeks; ordered at contract signing. Niche positions get mocked up on the framing with painter's tape before any tile goes on so the homeowner sees the actual placement.
Tub Demo + Plumber Drain Conversion Visit (Day 1-2)
Floors protected, adjacent rooms sealed, tub removed (cast iron broken up in the pan and hauled), surround down to studs. Licensed Washington L&I plumber arrives day 2 for the drain conversion (1.5-inch tub drain to 2-inch shower drain), valve reposition if requested, and any in-wall supply work. Plumber pulls the Seattle DCI plumbing permit under their license.
Framing + Curb + Backer Board (Day 3-4)
Curb framed in pressure-treated lumber (4 to 6 inches tall, 4 inches deep). Wall framing shimmed or sister-joisted true. Cement backer board (Hardibacker, Durock) or foam-core panel (Schluter Kerdi-Board) installed on walls, curb, and any bench framing. Joints taped with mesh and thinset; corners bedded for the membrane.
Mortar Pan + Membrane + 24-Hour Flood Test (Day 5-7)
Mortar bed dry-packed sloped at 1/4 inch per foot toward the drain (built from the drain outward). Waterproof membrane installed (sheet Schluter Kerdi or rolled-on RedGard/Hydroban at manufacturer mil thickness). Membrane wraps curb, climbs walls 8 inches, ties into bench framing. Pan flood-tests 24 hours; no tile until the test passes. Non-optional on every Handis tile build.
Tile Install (Walls + Floor + Niche + Bench + Curb) (Day 8-11)
Wall tile, floor tile, niche tile, bench tile, and curb tile install after a successful flood test. Niches framed inside the waterproof envelope before tile; bench tops sloped 1/8 inch toward the back so water sheets off. Mixed-material installs layout-marked on the framing first. Tile thinset cures 24 hours before grout.
Grout + Silicone + Glass Enclosure + Plumber Final Trim (Day 12-14)
Sanded grout in field joints, color-matched silicone in every change-of-plane corner per the TCNA standard. Grout sealed 72 hours after install with a penetrating sealer. Framed or frameless tempered glass enclosure installed after silicone has cured 24 hours. Licensed plumber returns for final fixture trim — shower head, rain head, body sprays, handheld, mixer handle, escutcheons.
Tiled Walk-In Conversion Pricing
Final pricing depends heavily on the tile selection (ceramic vs porcelain vs stone), the niche and bench scope, the fixture package (single head vs multi-head with rain and body sprays), and the enclosure (framed vs frameless). The licensed plumber's portion and the Seattle DCI plumbing permit are included in every quote. Request a free in-home estimate for an accurate quote against your actual tile selection.
Tell us the tile selection and the design — niches, bench, fixtures — and we will quote the full custom build including the plumber's portion.
Why Homeowners Book Handis for Tiled Walk-In Conversions
A tiled walk-in is the conversion that rewards the longest install timeline of any path — 10 to 14 working days versus 2 to 4 for acrylic — with the most design flexibility and the longest service life. Done correctly with a flood-tested mortar pan, silicone in the change-of-plane joints, and a quality grout sealed at the right time, a tiled walk-in is good for 15 to 20 years before any rebuild conversation. Done incorrectly with a hand-built pan that was never flood-tested and grout in the corners that crack at year two, the same shower is a steady drip onto the subfloor by year five. The difference is process discipline at the pan stage and joint discipline at the grout stage — both invisible after the project is done, both load-bearing on the project's lifespan. We do not skip them.
Mortar pan built from the drain, sloped 1/4 inch per foot per TCNA
The TCNA Handbook standard for a shower pan slope is 1/4 inch per foot toward the drain. The correct construction sequence is from the drain outward — set the drain at the lowest point, mark the slope on the wall studs at 1/4-inch-per-foot rise from the drain, dry-pack the mortar to those marks. Building from the high point in is faster but lands the drain too high or too shallow. We build from the drain, every pan gets a level + slope-gauge check before the membrane goes on, and the slope is consistent across the field.
24-hour flood test before any tile — non-optional
The shower pan flood-tests for 24 hours before tile goes on — drain plugged, pan filled to curb height (or to a marked line on a curbless), left overnight. A pan leak that shows up at flood-test stage costs an hour to fix; a pan leak that shows up after the tile is up means the whole tile job comes off. The flood test is the single most important verification step in a tile build and we never skip it. We photograph the water line at the start and at 24 hours and text both photos to the homeowner.
Silicone in change-of-plane joints, sanded grout in field — TCNA Handbook
The TCNA Handbook (Method TCA Detail SR613 and related) specifies silicone in every change-of-plane inside corner of a wet area — wall-to-wall, wall-to-floor, wall-to-bench, wall-to-curb. Those joints are moving joints (the two planes flex independently as the structure moves) and grout in a moving joint cracks within a year. Color-matched 100% silicone flexes and stays sealed for five to seven years. We use silicone in every change-of-plane corner per the TCNA standard and we tell you on hand-off to re-caulk those joints every five to seven years as normal maintenance.
Niche layout mocked on framing before tile, bench sloped 1/8 inch toward back
Niche positions get mocked up on the framing with painter's tape before any tile goes on — we walk you through the location at eye height and shampoo-reach height, the size relative to the surround, and the depth before the framer cuts the recess. Once committed and framed, the niche is permanent. Bench tops get a 1/8-inch slope toward the back wall so water sheets off rather than pooling on the bench seat. Small details, easy to overlook in a kit-style install, and they each matter at year five.
Licensed Washington L&I plumber on two visits, permits via them + insured, background-checked, 30-day workmanship + 2-year tile/pan warranty
The drain conversion and any in-wall supply work subcontract to a licensed Washington L&I plumber on two scheduled visits (drain rough-in day 2, final trim day 12 to 14). They pull the Seattle DCI plumbing permit under their license. Every Handis carpenter and tile setter carries liability insurance and clears background screening. 30-day workmanship guarantee covers caulk joints, glass alignment, and any cosmetic finish. The 2-year tile-and-pan warranty covers grout cracking from substrate movement, pan leaks from waterproofing failure, and any tile that comes loose. The licensed plumber warrants their portion separately under their license terms. All warranties in writing at project close.
Estimate
Tell us the tile selection (ceramic subway, porcelain large-format, natural stone, glass mosaic, or a mix), the niche count and placement preference, the bench preference (yes/no, size), the fixture package (single head, rain head, body sprays, handheld), and the enclosure style (framed or frameless). We send back a clear estimate and a project timeline.
Customer Reviews
Tiled walk-in conversion reviews from real Seattle-area Handis customers.
Full tiled walk-in conversion with a custom niche layout, a corner bench, body sprays, and a frameless 3/8-inch glass enclosure. Fourteen working days for the build, exactly as quoted. The tile setter mocked up the niche placement on the framing with painter's tape before he committed — we adjusted one of the niches three inches lower because of where my wife actually keeps the shampoo. Worth every dollar.
Wanted natural slate walls in our primary bath. Handis ordered the slate (a 6 by 24-inch staggered pattern from a Northwest stone supplier), built the mortar pan with the rolled-on Hydroban membrane, flood-tested for 24 hours (sent us the photo of the water line still at the mark the next morning), and tiled the walls in three days. The slate gets sealed annually as a normal maintenance item — they walked us through the sealer and the schedule. Twelve working days total.
1932 Wallingford craftsman, second-story primary bath. Did the tiled walk-in with porcelain large-format walls, ceramic mosaic floor at DCOF 0.46 for slip resistance, two tile-in niches at staggered heights, and a corner tile bench. Eleven working days. The licensed plumber relocated the drain to center it properly (the original tub drain was off by 4 inches from where a shower drain should be). Permits pulled by the plumber, inspection passed first try.
Top-end build for the master bath remodel — mixed materials with porcelain large-format on the back and side walls, glass mosaic accent stripe at chest height, two niches, 18-inch deep corner bench, fixed rain head from the ceiling, two body sprays on the back wall, handheld on a slide bar, and a frameless 3/8-inch enclosure with a swing door. Fourteen working days. Came in at $14,800. Three years in, no issues at all.
We had been quoted by two big-box-store remodel programs at $18,000+ for what they were calling a tile walk-in. Handis quoted $9,200 for the porcelain large-format walls + frameless enclosure + one niche + tile bench. Eleven working days. Showed up exactly when they said, the plumber's two visits hit on schedule, the flood test got documented with the photo proof, the tile work looks like the spec photos in our pinterest board. Why anyone pays the big-box programs is a mystery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about tiled walk-in conversion — pricing, timeline, tile selection, niches and benches, and what to expect.