Waterproofed first. Tiled second.

Around Duvall the installed figure runs $14 a square foot on the low side and $26 at the top — tile, setting supplies, substrate prep and labor all in, the labor line alone from $11 a square foot. Standard tub-shower surrounds span $3,200 up to $6,800, and a bathroom finished complete — floor, shower, niche — totals in the $6,500–$14,000 neighborhood. Shape sets cost faster than price does: mosaics and large-format tile both chew through labor quicker than 12×12.

In Duvall, set aside $3,200–$6,800 for an alcove shower of standard size — the figure covers demo, a bonded waterproofing system, a sloped pan, the setting work, a niche and grout. Steam, benches, full-height stone and curbless designs price above that. The waterproofing runs about a tenth of the cost, and it's what prevents the five-figure failure down the road.

Yes — and the proof precedes the tile. A bonded waterproofing system goes into each shower: sloped base underneath, membrane run in sheet or liquid form up the full wall, every corner, seam and pipe penetration sealed tight, then a photographed 24-hour flood test before setting begins. Waterproof is a word for membranes, not for tile or grout — the membrane is what stands between shower and framing.

The honest schedule for a Duvall bathroom reads four to six working days — dust control and demolition take the first, substrate plus waterproofing with its 24-hour flood test take the second, setting fills one or two more, and grout with silicone and trim finishes. The shower stays off another 24 hours while grout cures. Just a floor? One or two days.

Where water or traffic lives, porcelain wins: denser body, chips rarely, absorption under 0.5% — worth plenty in a valley bathroom damp from fall through spring. Ceramic serves well at lower cost on walls and backsplashes, the lighter duty. Every floor and shower pan we set gets porcelain; above them, ceramic or glass can do the decorating.

Gladly — heated tile is the best answer to a dark valley morning. Installed, it adds $11 to $16 per square foot including the thermostat. The mat lays over an uncoupling layer, gets resistance-tested on either side of the tile work, and runs on its own circuit. The only affordable moment to add it is while the floor is open, so it pays to decide early.

Usually. Old tile out and hauled costs about $3.50 a square foot, and it's the only way to actually see the subfloor — checking for rot and movement, and getting the finished height right where floors meet. Tile-over-tile can succeed on a flat, well-bonded, solid base, but it builds up the floor and keeps problems out of sight until they're expensive. We take it out.

For Duvall kitchens, the typical 30 square foot backsplash comes in from $1,100 to $2,200 installed, counting outlet cuts, edge trimming and grout matched to color. The swing is cutting time: herringbone, mosaic sheets, a picture-frame detail at the range or slab-look porcelain run full height all push the price toward the ceiling of that band.

Yes, often. From $8 per square foot up, repair-and-regrout handles stained or crumbly grout, the stray impact-cracked tile, and shower corners that ought to carry silicone instead of grout. It stops helping when the base layer has failed — hollow-ringing tiles, a spreading loosening, sponginess in the wall — because a patch there merely delays. Before writing any number we tell you which of the two you're facing.

Every part of Duvall — the blocks around Main Street downtown, Big Rock, Cherry Valley, Duvall Highlands and the plats up the hill — plus Lake Marcel, Stillwater, English Hill, Novelty Hill, Redmond Ridge and Cottage Lake. We also tile in Carnation, Monroe, Fall City, Woodinville, Maltby and elsewhere in the Snoqualmie Valley.

OC Flooring's tile warranty is a 2-year workmanship promise — carpet's window is shorter, since tile trouble takes until year two, not week two, to speak up. Full manufacturer waterproofing assemblies bring the maker's coverage along beside ours. Membrane and flood test both get photographed on every job, so when the house someday changes hands the proof travels with it.