Calacatta Shower Surround in Columbine
About This Project
This Columbine home near W Ken Caryl Avenue was built in 1982. The original bathroom had a three-piece fiberglass tub surround that was discolored, cracked at one corner, and no longer cleaning up properly. The homeowners wanted tile that would give the bathroom a timeless look without requiring high maintenance.
The tile is a Calacatta marble-look porcelain in a 12x24 format. The veining pattern in Calacatta-look porcelain is printed, which means we sorted the tiles before installation to distribute the veining direction across the wall without concentrating the same pattern in one section. A shower or tub surround with identical tile repeating obviously reads as artificial. Mixing the orientation of tiles that have directional veining breaks up the repeat and gives the wall a more natural stone character.
The existing framing cavity was in good condition. We installed new cement board, applied Schluter Kerdi sheet membrane to all three wet walls and the tub ledge, and set the tile in white polymer-modified thin-set to prevent mortar color from telegraphing through the light tile body.
Project Details
| Service | Bathroom & Shower Tile |
|---|---|
| Area | Columbine, CO |
| Materials | 12x24 Calacatta marble-look porcelain, cement board, Schluter Kerdi membrane, white polymer-modified thin-set, white unsanded grout |
| Scope | Residential tub and shower surround replacement |
| Timeline | Three-day install including waterproofing cure |
What We Did
- Removed fiberglass surround, inspected framing cavity, installed new cement board on all three surround walls
- Applied Schluter Kerdi sheet membrane across all wet surfaces, including the tub ledge and the lower 6 inches of the floor
- Sorted tiles before installation to distribute veining direction; set in white polymer-modified thin-set
- Grouted with white unsanded grout at 1/16 inch joints and installed Schluter Jolly trim at all outside edges
Have a fiberglass tub surround in your Columbine home that you'd like replaced with tile? Call (970) 579-7341 or send us your project details.
