Replacement Shower Advice Sought

Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
6,526
Location
Winnipeg MB CA
Hello all - It's time (actually well past time) to renovate our small en suite bathroom (sink, toilet, and shower).

I'll reuse the toilet - it's a Caroma which has been good since I installed it in 2009.

I'll replace the cabinet, countertop, and sink/faucet. The sink is an old steel American Standard. After 31 years, the enamel coating is dull and starting to wear off. It and the shower base are bone-coloured anyway, which we wouldn't have chosen. The great humourist Dave Barry said something like "Had it ever occurred to the founding fathers that anyone would think to make bathroom fixtures in any colour other than white, they would have written something into the constitution prohibiting it."

The cabinet would be OK to reuse, but the new ones have drawers with U-shaped cutaways to accommodate the undersink plumbing, which will offer way more practical storage space.

I'll replace the linoleum roll flooring too - it's pretty beat up, and curling up at the edges. May go with LVT there, which I installed in the entranceway. Good product so far.

I may open up all the drywall to ensure there's no water damage, and may remove the fiberglass batts and spray foam the cavities. Replacement drywall would be the water-resistant stuff.

The shower is the biggie. It's a corner shower with a bone-coloured base, and instead of tiles or plastic panels, cultured-marble slabs were installed against the room's walls. The cultured marble is also bone-coloured with a swirly pattern of varicose veins. There's a fine mold collection in all of the nooks and crannies. It's time. I'd replace the glass panels and door at the same time.

So, time to select a new shower ... the prices at a dedicated plumbing store are really high compared to Home Depot, etc. A corner shower at Home Depot is about C$700. A similar (in appearance) unit at a local plumbing store would be about C$2500.

A salesperson at the plumbing store said that the difference in part was that the high-end products were made of acrylic, whereas the building-centre ones were made of fiberglass.

The MAAX units as sold at HD did not get many good reviews - 3/5 average, with lots of negative reviews regarding warping, cracking, and the general flimsiness of the product.

I haven't read any reviews on the higher-end MAAX products.

Thoughts from the BITOG community on replacement bathroom fixtures? Thanks!
 
I'm in the process of redoing my small downstairs bathroom. One of those Luxury Bath in a day places quoted me $22,000 for what you want. $13,000 was just the shower. And it's manmade panels. I hired a local guy that built a shower tile base and installed tile on the walls for $2700 plus materials. It was another thou in tile and thin set and another thou for a clear glass shower door. It's beautiful but came out costing more than I hoped. I tried to do the tile myself and failed miserably.
 
FWIW, I just remodeled our master bathroom and spent ~$5K. I am very happy with how it turned out and the wife loves it!
  1. R&R tile floor with new heater tile flooring
  2. R&R toilet with new "tall" toilet
  3. R&R a full size whirlpool tub with a free standing tub
  4. R&R a custom build shower that I did in 2010 with a new custom built shower and glass surround from Glass Warehouse
  5. R&R counter top with an Onyx counter top
  6. R&R 2 sink, 1 shower and 1 tub fixture
  7. R&R exhaust fan
If you are handy and willing to put in some sweat equity you can save a ton of money. Neighbor is doing their master for $30k. Not a chance I would spend that much money...

Just my $0.02
 
I'm bumping this thread - almost two years later. (Blush)

I really am hoping to get to this soon.

Can anyone confirm (or debunk) that the MAXX units sold at dedicated bath & kitchen Reno stores are better than the similar (in appearance) but cheaper (in cost) MAXX units sold at Home Depot, etc ?
 
When I renovated our master I ordered everything from ferguson.com. Came via LTL lift gate and was around 30% less than other options. Might be worth quoting.
 
I'm bumping this thread - almost two years later. (Blush)

I really am hoping to get to this soon.

Can anyone confirm (or debunk) that the MAXX units sold at dedicated bath & kitchen Reno stores are better than the similar (in appearance) but cheaper (in cost) MAXX units sold at Home Depot, etc ?
I don’t really like the store units. I have done 3 custom showers now in my house. I’d go that way for sure. I’ve added some photos. I hope it helps. I detailed the work above.

Just my $0.02

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The custom shower is nice to maximize space. On our remodel the custom glass was very expensive. From homedepot we found a dreamline enclosure that was within a few inches of our finished dimensions. We designed around the off the shelf enclosure.
 
The custom shower is nice to maximize space. On our remodel the custom glass was very expensive. From homedepot we found a dreamline enclosure that was within a few inches of our finished dimensions. We designed around the off the shelf enclosure.
Totally agree. A custom surround by a local glass supplier was ~$4k. We found the one in the picture above from HD for ~$900.

Just my $0.02
 
My contractor steered me away from a tiled floor in the shower. The grout allows water to soak in and under the tiles, which never really dries out and results in a lingering funky smell. He installed a one-piece floor.
 
My contractor steered me away from a tiled floor in the shower. The grout allows water to soak in and under the tiles, which never really dries out and results in a lingering funky smell. He installed a one-piece floor.
I don't believe that. My shower floor, which is currently being replaced for a total remodel, was 40 years old! When the old floor (tile/grout) was removed, it was bone dry underneath.
 
I don't believe that. My shower floor, which is currently being replaced for a total remodel, was 40 years old! When the old floor (tile/grout) was removed, it was bone dry underneath.
Agree 100%, when I removed the tile shower floor to put the one above in it had been down for 14 years. It was dry and no funky smell. I prefer the tile floor and the rubber membrane.

Just my $0.02
 
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