Custom Tile Shower
The 1990s fiberglass insert that has been on the punch list since the second-home tour and is finally coming out. The master remodel where the new shower has to be the design centerpiece because the rest of the room is a refresh and the shower is a full rebuild. The downstairs guest bath where a custom porcelain shower replaces a tub the family has not used in eight years. The Mercer Island remodel where the homeowner has been saving toward a honed-Carrara marble shower since the build started. A custom tile shower is the from-scratch shower build — substrate prep, framing checks, full Schluter KERDI or Wedi sheet-membrane waterproofing on every wall and the pan, mortar-bed pan or pre-formed KERDI tray sloped 1/4 inch per foot, niche and bench integration with the membrane wrap, every tile in the chosen material category, every grout joint matched to the layout, and the glass enclosure at the end. Five material categories — porcelain, large-format porcelain, natural stone and marble, subway, mosaic — each with its own page below covering the install detail and the price floor. From $5,000 for a subway-tile build at the budget-conscious end up to $18,000 for a custom natural-stone walk-in at the premium end. Handis self-performs every tile-trade and membrane step on every variant; the in-wall mixer rough-in on a from-scratch build subs to a licensed Washington L&I plumber.
Variants
What a Custom Tile Shower Build Includes
A custom tile shower is the from-scratch build — every step from demo of the existing shower (or new construction over bare stud) through the final sealer pass — self-performed by Handis with full Schluter KERDI or Wedi sheet-membrane waterproofing on every wall and the pan. Substrate inspection (studs for plumb and rot, subfloor for soft spots, framing for square). Cement-board or KERDI-BOARD substrate panels. Mortar-bed pan with the slope built in (1/4 inch per foot to the drain) or a Schluter KERDI-SHOWER-T pre-formed tray. Full sheet-membrane waterproofing with KERDI-BAND on every seam and inside corner. Niche and bench integration with full membrane wrap. Every tile in the chosen material category, set with the right thinset for the format and the trowel size matched to the tile. Grout matched to joint width and design intent. Penetrating sealer at the end. Five variants below, each at a different price floor and design intent.
Porcelain Shower
The versatile, low-maintenance, most common choice for a custom shower build in Seattle homes. Porcelain in standard formats (4x4 through 12x12) on the walls, slip-resistant porcelain on the shower floor (or a matched mosaic for the floor with a porcelain field on the walls). Set on Schluter KERDI or Wedi sheet membrane bonded to cement-board substrate, Mapei Ultraflex 2 or Custom Versabond thinset with a 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch notched trowel, sanded grout matched to a 1/8-inch joint width. Handles aggressive cleaners better than stone, holds the design intent for decades. From $5,500 for a small alcove rebuild up to $11,000 for a three-wall walk-in with bench and niche.
Porcelain Shower — versatile low-maintenance porcelain, Schluter KERDI waterproofing
Large-Format Tile Shower
Large-format porcelain (12x24, 18x36, 24x48) on the shower walls — fewer grout lines, cleaner sight lines, the modern walk-in look. Medium-bed LFT thinset (Mapei Ultraflex LFT, Ardex X77, Custom Versabond LFT) on a 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch notched trowel, back-buttering on every tile, and an MLT or Spin Doctor lippage clip system on every joint. Substrate flatness has to be within 1/8 inch over 10 feet before the first tile goes down — substrate prep is part of the scope. From $7,000 for a small large-format build up to $14,000 for a three-wall walk-in with floor-to-ceiling large-format and bench.
Large-Format Tile Shower — 12x24 through 24x48 porcelain, medium-bed LFT thinset, lippage clips
Natural Stone / Marble Shower
Honed Carrara, Calacatta, Statuario, travertine, or limestone on the shower walls and floor — the premium custom-shower material. Set with white Mapei Granirapid or Ardex X4 thinset to keep dark mineral lines from bleeding through translucent marble, unsanded grout to keep sand from scratching the polished or honed surface, and Miracle 511 Impregnator or StoneTech Heavy-Duty Sealer as the penetrating seal. Requires careful slab selection (every stone slab is unique; we walk the yard at Pental or Marble & Granite with you on the selection). From $9,000 for a small honed-Carrara alcove up to $18,000 for a three-wall walk-in in book-matched Calacatta with a curbless pan.
Natural Stone / Marble Shower — Carrara, Calacatta, travertine, limestone, white thinset, penetrating seal
Subway Tile Shower
The timeless 3x6 ceramic or porcelain subway in stacked, offset (50 percent or 33 percent), herringbone, or vertical-stacked layouts — the budget-conscious choice that reads as intentional and timeless rather than as a budget compromise. Standard ceramic 3x6 in white, gray, sage, or any kiln-glazed color from Daltile or Bedrosians. Set with standard thinset, sanded or unsanded grout depending on the joint width chosen. Full Schluter KERDI sheet-membrane waterproofing — the budget is in the tile material, not in skipping the waterproofing. From $5,000 for a standard alcove rebuild in white 3x6 subway up to $10,000 for a herringbone-pattern walk-in with niche and accent banding.
Subway Tile Shower — 3x6 ceramic or porcelain, stacked, offset, herringbone
Mosaic Accent Shower
Mosaic tile as an accent strip across the back wall, a feature wall around the niche, a full back wall behind the showerhead, or the shower floor in slip-resistant penny round or hex mosaic. Cost-effective way to get a premium look without going to full natural stone — most homeowners pair a porcelain or subway field with a mosaic accent. Glass mosaic, ceramic mosaic, marble mosaic, or pebble mosaic on sheet backing with a fiber-reinforced mortar set on a flat substrate. Sanded or unsanded grout depending on the mosaic-piece size and the joint width. From $6,000 for a porcelain field with a single accent strip up to $12,000 for a mosaic feature wall plus mosaic shower floor.
Mosaic Accent Shower — glass, ceramic, marble, pebble mosaic accents and floors
Custom Tile Shower Pricing
Final pricing depends on the variant chosen (porcelain, large-format, natural stone, subway, mosaic), the shower dimensions, the substrate condition, the niche and bench scope, and whether the project includes a new in-wall mixer rough-in (licensed-plumber sub). Each variant page below has detailed pricing. Licensed-sub fees pass through transparently with the line item named. Request a free estimate for an accurate quote.
Tell us the shower footprint and the tile or stone material you have in mind — we will quote the build with full Schluter or Wedi waterproofing as standard.
Why Handis for Custom Tile Shower Builds
A custom tile shower is the project where the design wants to be the focus and the build has to be the foundation under it. The five-figure shower that fails inside 12 years almost always had a waterproofing shortcut on the build — cement board treated as a membrane, a niche cut into a wet wall without wrap, a pan-to-wall inside-corner left un-banded — that no one could see behind the tile. Handis builds every custom shower with full Schluter KERDI or Wedi sheet-membrane waterproofing, every niche wrapped, every penetration sealed, every inside corner banded. You see the membrane assembly before any tile goes over it. The pretty tile is what the project is about; the membrane underneath is what makes it last 30 years instead of 12.
Full Schluter KERDI or Wedi sheet-membrane waterproofing on every build
Every Handis custom shower gets a real sheet-membrane waterproofing system bonded to the substrate before any tile goes up — Schluter KERDI orange polypropylene-fleece sheet on cement-board with KERDI-BAND on every seam and inside corner, or Wedi closed-cell extruded-polystyrene panels with Wedi 320 sealant on every joint. We do not treat cement board as waterproofing — cement board is a substrate, the membrane goes over it. You see the membrane assembly before the tile install starts.
Mortar-bed pan or pre-formed KERDI tray, sloped 1/4 inch per foot
Curbed showers get a mortar-bed pan with a sloped pre-pan over a PVC vapor-barrier liner and a deck-mud topping with the slope built in, OR a Schluter KERDI-SHOWER-T pre-formed tray bonded to the subfloor and KERDI'd over the top. Curbless showers get a recessed mortar pan with the slope cut into the deck mud below the surrounding bathroom floor level. Either way the slope is 1/4 inch per foot to the drain — verified with a 4-foot level before any membrane wraps over the pan.
Niche and bench integration with full membrane wrap
Recessed niches are built with pre-formed Schluter KERDI-BOARD niche panels foamed in place and seam-sealed, OR framed in a stud bay with cement board on every face and KERDI bonded over every surface (back, sides, top, bottom, lower lip). Niche floor is sloped 1/8 inch to the front so water sheds out. Built-in benches are framed and wrapped the same way — every face membraned, every inside corner KERDI-BAND'd. Brushed-nickel, chrome, matte-black, or matched-tile bullnose trim at the niche rim.
Thinset and trowel matched to the tile format
Standard porcelain on a 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch notched trowel with Mapei Ultraflex 2 or Custom Versabond. Large-format (12x24 and up) on a 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch notched trowel with medium-bed LFT (Mapei Ultraflex LFT, Ardex X77) and back-buttering on every tile. Natural stone on white Mapei Granirapid or Ardex X4 to keep dark mineral lines from bleeding through translucent marble. Mosaic on fiber-reinforced thinset for sheet-mounted mosaic. The wrong thinset under the wrong format is the most common reason an otherwise clean install develops hollow spots inside the first year.
Honest in-wall plumbing handoff, named on the quote
The in-wall mixer or shower valve rough-in on a from-scratch custom shower subs to a licensed Washington L&I plumber. Their hours and their portion of the cost are named line by line on the quote. On a re-tile project where the existing valve stays in place, no plumbing sub is needed. We tell you on the booking call which scope your build is.
Estimate
Tell us the shower footprint (width by depth by height), the material category you have in mind (porcelain, large-format, natural stone, subway, mosaic), the pan style (standard curbed or curbless), the niche and bench scope (none, single niche, niche plus bench, multi-niche), whether the in-wall mixer is staying or being replaced, and any known issues with the existing shower (active leak, soft floor, ceiling stain below). We send a clear estimate with full Schluter or Wedi waterproofing as standard and the licensed-plumber portion named line by line on any new-mixer scope.
Customer Reviews
Recent custom tile shower reviews from verified Handis customers.
Custom porcelain walk-in shower in our 1985 split-level master remodel. Handis demoed the old fiberglass insert, found rot in the sill plate from a slow leak we did not know about, repaired the framing, set Schluter KERDI on the walls and the pan, and tiled in 12x24 porcelain. The membrane assembly sat for inspection before tile went up — they walked us through every seam. Two years later, every joint is tight, the bedroom ceiling below is dry.
Honed Carrara marble walk-in in our Mercer Island remodel. Handis met us at Pental to walk the slab yard for the right book-match. Used white thinset so no mineral-line bleed through the translucent stone, unsanded grout, sealed with Miracle 511 Impregnator. The shower is the design centerpiece of the whole renovation. Twelve months in, no etching, no staining, the seal is still beading water.
Large-format 24x48 porcelain in our three-wall master walk-in. Two other contractors had quoted the job and both said they would not run large-format that big on a wall, only on a floor. Handis did it — medium-bed LFT thinset, MLT clips on every joint, substrate self-leveled before the membrane went on. Almost no grout lines, dead-flat walls, looks like a slab. Best tile install we have ever paid for.
Subway tile shower in our 1925 craftsman bathroom restoration. White 3x6 ceramic in a stacked layout (we wanted modern stacked, not historic offset), pencil-trim accent strip across the niche, brushed-nickel bullnose at the niche rim. Handis matched the install to the home's era while keeping the layout contemporary. Eight working days, under budget by a small margin.
Mosaic accent feature wall in our master walk-in remodel — Calacatta marble mosaic on the back wall behind the showerhead, large-format porcelain on the side walls and the pan. The mosaic transitions to the porcelain field with a brushed-brass Schluter edge profile that we picked out at the design review. Looks high-end without natural stone everywhere. The Calacatta accent gets the design value, the porcelain gets the easy maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Handis custom tile shower builds — material categories, waterproofing, scheduling, in-wall plumbing handoff, and pricing.