Free written scope consultation - allowances, timeline, and change-order rules on paper before a single trade is scheduled
Schluter Bathroom Remodeling: The Jacksonville Owner’s Guide
Schluter bathroom remodeling in Jacksonville typically runs $9,000 to $28,000 installed, depending on shower size, substrate condition, and whether we’re pulling tile back to the studs or working over existing framing. Most jobs take 7 to 14 working days once the scope is locked. When a homeowner calls us about a Schluter system, it’s usually one of two situations: they have a leaking shower pan that was never waterproofed correctly in the first place, or they have a failed Kerdi membrane installation where water got behind the tile and started wicking into the drywall or subfloor. Both have a fix. Neither is a weekend patch job.
We stock Schluter Kerdi board, Kerdi membrane, Kerdi-Band, Ditra underlayment, and the associated corners, collars, and drains on the truck for Jacksonville jobs. If you’re in Riverside, Ortega, San Marco, or out toward Mandarin, we can match your existing Schluter system to the correct series and get the waterproofing envelope rebuilt properly. We’re an independent contractor, not a Schluter distributor, but we’ve installed and repaired enough of their systems to know exactly what fails and why.
Which Schluter Models This Applies To
The Schluter bathroom systems we work with break into two families: the Kerdi waterproofing line (Kerdi-Board, Kerdi membrane, Kerdi-Shower kits, Kerdi-Line drains) and the Ditra underlayment line for floor tile. The compatibility gotcha most homeowners hit is mixing Kerdi membrane with Kerdi-Board without the correct Kerdi-Band overlap at every seam. The minimum overlap on a Kerdi-Band seam is 2 inches. Cut it to 1.5 inches because you were trying to save material, and you’ve created a wicking path that will fail inside five years, especially in a Jacksonville bathroom where humidity runs high from April through October.
For OEM vs. aftermarket: use genuine Schluter components when the system is still under the manufacturer’s 10-year limited warranty. Schluter’s warranty is transferable and tied to the original materials, but only if installation followed their published detail drawings. Once we’re past warranty or repairing a section, quality aftermarket membranes from comparable sheet-applied waterproofing brands can work, but we default to Schluter-to-Schluter on any repair because the bond chemistry and fleece backing are engineered as a system. Aftermarket thinset matters too: Schluter requires unmodified thinset over Kerdi membrane. Using modified thinset between Kerdi and tile is the single most common installation error we correct in Jacksonville bathrooms, because modified thinset needs air to cure and Kerdi doesn’t breathe.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Schluter Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Efflorescence or dark staining at the shower base: Water is wicking behind the tile and carrying minerals to the surface. This means the waterproofing layer was breached or the pan was never properly sloped. Left alone, the subfloor underneath starts rotting.
- Loose or hollow-sounding tiles on the shower floor: The bond between tile and thinset has broken down, usually from water intrusion and repeated thermal cycling. If you tap a quarter across the floor and hear dead spots, the system is compromised.
- Musty smell that won’t leave the bathroom even after cleaning: That’s organic material (drywall, wood, old adhesive) staying damp behind the tile. In Jacksonville’s humid climate, this becomes a mold source fast.
- Grout cracking at wall-to-floor transitions: That seam takes the most movement. Schluter specifies a flexible sealant at plane changes, not grout. If someone grouted it, the cracks are the tell.
- Water staining on ceiling below the bathroom: This is the late-stage sign. By the time you see a ceiling stain on the floor below, the shower pan or drain collar has been leaking long enough to soak insulation and drywall.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
For a full Schluter shower rebuild in Jacksonville, you’re looking at $9,000 to $28,000 installed. A standard 3×5 shower with Kerdi-Board walls, Kerdi pan, and a new Schluter drain falls in the $9,000 to $14,000 range. Larger custom showers with benches, niches, and Kerdi-Line linear drains run $15,000 to $28,000. What drives the difference: shower footprint, whether we’re stripping to studs or repairing a section, tile choice, and whether the subfloor needs replacement after water damage.
Every Bradford remodeling quote includes the same line items: demolition and debris removal, substrate and waterproofing materials (Schluter by name), tile and setting materials, plumbing rough-in if the drain or valve needs moving, and finish work. Our written price covers the full scope before we start. No numbers move at the door. Every Schluter bathroom remodel carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the waterproofing or installation fails within one year, we return and correct it at no charge. That’s in writing, on the page, before the first tool comes out.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterDIY or Call Us?
A homeowner can reasonably check for loose tiles, visible staining, and a soft subfloor. You can also run the shower for 20 minutes with the access panel off (if you have one) and watch for drips at the drain collar. What you shouldn’t do is pull tile off a Schluter wall without understanding that you’re cutting through the waterproofing membrane in the process. Once the Kerdi layer is compromised, the repair scope expands. If the shower pan is DIY, leave it alone. A pan that doesn’t slope correctly will leak slowly for years before you see it, and by then the subfloor is shot.
If you’re in Jacksonville and you suspect water is getting behind your Schluter system, the cheapest move is to have someone who installs this system every week take a look. We’ll open the lowest-risk access point, assess the damage, and give you a written repair or rebuild scope. Call us at (904) 337-5929 and we’ll get it scheduled.
FAQs
A properly installed Schluter Kerdi shower system should last 20 to 30 years in Jacksonville, with the tile surface and grout being the first things to show age. The waterproofing membrane itself is rot-proof and doesn’t degrade under normal use. What shortens lifespan here is humidity-driven mold behind improperly sealed seams and the movement of slab foundations, which causes cracking at plane changes. If the system was installed correctly, the waterproofing outlasts the tile.
If your shower is failing at year five, it was almost certainly an installation error. Call (904) 337-5929 and we’ll identify exactly where the breach happened.
Yes, when the failure is isolated to one wall or the drain collar, we can cut out and replace that section of Kerdi-Board or membrane and re-bond with Kerdi-Band at every seam. The catch is that the repair area must extend to the next stud or plane change to get a proper overlap. If the pan is the failure point, that’s a full shower floor rebuild. Curtis Lane has repaired partial Kerdi failures in Riverside homes where the rest of the system was sound, and that’s the cheapest fix when it’s possible.
Call (904) 337-5929 for an assessment, and we’ll tell you honestly whether you need a section repair or a full rebuild.
Most Schluter shower rebuilds in Jacksonville take 7 to 14 working days from demo to grout, with the waterproofing layer usually installed by day 3. The timeline depends on shower size, whether plumbing moves, and tile size, since larger-format tiles slow the setting phase but speed the installation. We schedule the work in fixed days, not windows, and you get a written schedule with the written price.
Call (904) 337-5929 and we’ll give you a day-by-day scope for your specific bathroom.
We stock Kerdi-Board in 1/2-inch and 2-inch thicknesses, Kerdi membrane rolls, Kerdi-Band, inside and outside corners, pipe collars, mixing valve seals, and both Kerdi-Drain and Kerdi-Line drain kits on the truck for Jacksonville service calls. We also carry Ditra and Ditra-Heat underlayment for bathroom floors. If your project requires a non-standard Schluter profile or a specialty drain grate, we order it and it’s typically on site within 3 to 5 business days.
Call (904) 337-5929 and we’ll confirm we have the exact Schluter component you need before we schedule.
No. The written price you approve before we start is the price you pay at closeout. The only exception is if demolition reveals damage that was impossible to see beforehand, and even then, we stop, show you what we found, and get written approval on any added scope before proceeding. Surprise line items at the end are not how we work. It’s part of The Garrison Standard: every price, every guarantee, in writing before a single tool comes out. Scope it right the first time – the job goes a lot smoother when nobody’s surprised.
We also work with the brands homeowners ask for by name: KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone for the vanity and countertop side of a Schluter bathroom remodel, alongside the full Schluter waterproofing system.
Get Your Jacksonville Schluter Bathroom Remodel Priced
If your Schluter shower is leaking, failing, or you’re planning a new build-out, call us at (904) 337-5929. We’ll walk the bathroom, assess the waterproofing condition, and give you a written scope with a fixed price. Live person answers the phone, 24/7. No estimate fee for Jacksonville homeowners. You’ll know exactly what it costs, what we’re replacing, and when it’s done, before you commit to anything.
Written by Curtis Lane, Owner, Bradford Remodeling Co Jacksonville at Bradford Remodeling Co Jacksonville, serving Jacksonville and nearby areas.
