Waterproofed first. Tiled second.

Seattle installations span $14 to $26 a square foot installed — combining tile, setting materials, prep and labor, labor being $11/sq ft of it at the least. Figure a shower surround somewhere in the $3,200–$6,800 area; a finished bathroom with floor, shower and niche generally runs in the $6,500–$14,000 zone. Format shifts your bill more than unit price ever will — mosaics and oversized planks each carry far heavier labor than 12×12 field tile.

Standard alcove showers in Seattle span $3,200 to $6,800 — with demolition, bonded waterproofing, a pre-sloped base, setting, niche and grout inside. Steam units, benches, curbless entries and full-height stonework exceed the range. The waterproofing piece is near a tenth of the spend, and it's what blocks the tens-of-thousands repair.

Without fail — a bonded TCNA / ANSI A118.10 assembly, never cement board with optimism on top. In practice: pre-sloped base, sheet or liquid membrane run wall-high, corner and seam and penetration sealing done tight, then the drain plugged and the pan left standing full for 24 hours — photographed — before thinset touches tile. Grout is porous; waterproofing is the membrane's job.

A Seattle bathroom typically needs four to six working days — demolition and dust walls, then substrate plus membrane with the flood test sitting overnight, then one to two days of setting once the test passes, and finally grout, silicone and trim. The shower cures another 24 hours before first use. In craftsman homes, add a contingency day for what the old floor hides.

Porcelain wherever water or traffic lives: it absorbs less than 0.5% water, resists chips, and carries heavy use without complaint. Ceramic is the sensible wall-and-backsplash material at a friendlier price. Our Seattle rule of thumb — porcelain underfoot and in showers, ceramic and glass up on the walls where they belong.

Yes — and older, draftier Seattle houses repay it quickest. Electric radiant adds roughly $11 through $16 per square foot installed, thermostat counted, laid over an uncoupling membrane with resistance checks on either side of setting, powered by its own circuit. The window for sensible economics is while the floor sits open; make the decision during the remodel, never after.

Almost always — and in older Seattle homes especially, where original mud-set floors conceal the subfloor's condition. Removal with haul-away is about $3.50 per square foot and buys the only honest inspection you will get, plus correct finished heights at doorways. Tiling over tile is reserved for genuinely flat, tightly bonded floors, and even then it hides what demolition would reveal.

For the common 30-square-foot run, Seattle backsplashes come in at $1,100 to $2,200 installed — outlet cuts, edge trim and matched grout included. Mosaic sheets, herringbone lays, picture-frame details behind ranges and slab-look full-height porcelain land at the top of that band on cutting and layout time alone.

Regularly — repair and regrout starts around $8 per square foot and suits stained or failing grout, isolated impact cracks, and shower corners due for silicone. The exception: tile sounding hollow, popping loose in a spreading area, or walls with flex underneath. That is the substrate talking, a patch merely delays it, and we will identify which conversation you are in before any quote.

Across the city: Ballard, Wallingford, Fremont, Green Lake, Phinney Ridge, Greenwood, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Capitol Hill, Ravenna, Maple Leaf, Wedgwood, Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Mount Baker and West Seattle among them — plus Shoreline, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Renton and the Eastside when the job calls.

A 2-year workmanship warranty backs every OC Flooring tile job — longer than our carpet coverage on purpose, since tile defects reveal themselves in the second year rather than the first fortnight. Complete manufacturer waterproofing assemblies add the system warranty from the maker, and our photos of the membrane and flood test keep the record straight for any future sale.