Shower Remodeling & Tub-to-Shower Conversion in Duluth, MN & Superior, WI

Look outside the shower for the clues. Loose or hollow-sounding tiles, grout that keeps cracking in one spot, peeling paint or soft drywall beside the shower, a musty smell and a stain on the ceiling below all point to water getting past the surface. To find the source, we test one path at a time: drain, valve and supply lines, then walls and floor. A leak that never stops points to the supply side; one that appears only during showers points to the drain, pan or walls.

Only if the tile is still firmly bonded and the wall behind it is solid and dry. Grout fills the joints but isn't waterproof, so a tiled shower depends on the waterproof layer behind it, and new grout over loose tiles or a soaked wall just hides a growing leak. Before regrouting, we press and tap the tiles and check the wall and floor around the shower. Inside corners and the tub or pan joint get caulk, not grout, because those joints move.

Usually the valve. Many single-handle valves have a pressure-balancing part that holds the temperature steady when someone flushes a toilet or runs a sink; when it sticks or wears, the water swings. Older two-handle valves have no such part, so the lasting fix there is a new valve. National guides put a cartridge replacement at $100–$300 (Fixr) or $200–$400 (This Old House), not our prices. Superior's no-permit list includes replacing an existing valve's internal parts.

Usually, yes. Most drips come from a worn cartridge or seals, and those come out from the front once the handle and trim plate are off. Replacing the whole valve is bigger, since the valve body is joined to the pipes in the wall; it's reached through the tile opening or from the back of the wall. Nationally, a valve repair runs $75–$250 and a full replacement $200–$650, according to Fixr, not our prices. Valve replacement is plumbing work done under the required permit.

National cost guides disagree: HomeAdvisor puts most tub-to-shower conversions at $1,500–$8,000, while This Old House puts them at $2,000–$12,000. Those are national ranges, not our prices. The spread comes from the choices: a molded base and panel walls cost far less than a tiled floor, tiled walls and frameless glass, and moving the drain, raising the valve or repairing rot under the old tub adds to any of them. In Duluth, plan on a building permit and a plumbing permit. Your quote in writing is the real number.

Often, but the floor framing decides. A true curbless shower needs the floor under it recessed so it can slope to the drain with no lip at the entry, which means lowering the subfloor between or around the joists. Some older floors allow that; in others, cutting into the joists isn't an option, and a low curb or a very low threshold gets you most of the benefit. A linear drain and well-placed glass keep the water in either way. For accessibility planning, see safety and mobility.

Yes, if the tub itself is in good shape. The old tile or panels come off down to the studs, the tub is protected during demolition, and the walls are rebuilt with backer board and waterproofing that overlap the tub's flange, so water runs into the tub instead of behind it. Then new tile or panels go on, usually multi-piece panels or tile, since a one-piece unit rarely fits through a doorway. If the tub is chipped, stained or leaking, replace it now, while the walls are open.

Usually, as long as the shower itself is sound. We measure the opening at the top, middle and bottom, because walls in older homes are often out of plumb and a tub edge or curb may not be level. Hinged doors need room to swing clear of the toilet and vanity, while sliding doors and fixed panels suit tighter bathrooms, and a hinge side gets anchored into a stud or blocking, not just tile. A new door won't fix a leak, so failed grout or caulk gets fixed first.

A typical sequence runs design and ordering, permit review, tear-out, plumbing changes, inspection, backer board and waterproofing, tile, then grout cure and glass. The City of Duluth requires a building permit to replace a tub with a shower, so review comes before demolition. The waiting is usually in the permit, tile and glass orders, and cure times. Your written quote lists the schedule.

Longer than the tiling alone, because several steps have to wait on the one before. A shower remodel runs in phases: tear-out, repairs to framing or subfloor, plumbing changes and their inspection where a permit applies, backer board and waterproofing, tile, then grout and caulk curing before the glass goes on. Waterproofing membranes, thinset and grout each have cure times set by their makers, and custom glass is usually measured once the tile is done. Ask for those phases to be marked on your schedule.

Plan it before demolition, because the shower is out of service from tear-out until the grout and caulk have cured. A second bathroom is the easy answer. In a one-bath house, the usual options are a gym or community center, family or a neighbor nearby, or a shower at work. We mark the days the shower can't be used on the schedule, so you can line up a backup for exactly those days instead of finding out partway through the job.

It falls within the national shower-remodel ranges: HomeAdvisor puts a typical shower remodel at $2,000–$9,000, and This Old House puts a custom shower remodel at $8,500–$10,000. Those are national ranges, not our prices. A walk-in's price climbs with a curbless entry, which can mean recessing the floor, plus a linear drain, a large fixed glass panel, and a bench or niche. Replacing a tub with a walk-in shower is priced as a tub-to-shower conversion, which has its own question on this page.

Often, yes. A remodel plate, also sold as a cover plate or oversized escutcheon, is a larger trim plate that hides the bigger opening left in the tile when an old valve or trim comes out, so you don't have to retile around it. It has to fit the valve and trim behind it, so the valve's brand and model decide what works; photograph the old handle and trim plate before you shop. If the valve itself is being replaced, plan the plate in from the start.

Yes, all of it. Fresh caulk doesn't bond well to old caulk, soap film or mildew, so a new bead laid over the old one tends to peel away, often with water already trapped behind it. The old caulk gets cut and scraped out, the joint is cleaned and left to dry completely, and a new bead of caulk made for tubs and showers goes in and cures before anyone showers. We recaulk tubs and showers in Duluth and Superior as a repair on its own.

A plumber does the plumbing part; the rest is carpentry, waterproofing and tile. In a conversion the drain usually moves and the valve goes up the wall, and that work is done under a plumbing permit, while Duluth also requires a building permit to replace a tub with a shower (City of Duluth). Removing the tub, repairing the floor, building the base and walls, waterproofing, tile and glass are remodeling work. We run the whole job and schedule the plumbing under its permit, so you have one contact.

No, not Original Medicare. It pays for durable medical equipment, not for changes to the house, and its coverage list denies grab bars and bathtub seats as self-help or convenience items (Medicare coverage database). A Medicare Advantage plan may offer extra benefits, listed in its Evidence of Coverage (Medicare.gov). For eligible veterans, the VA's HISA benefit pays for medically necessary home changes, including roll-in showers; apply before work starts, since the application needs a prescription, a cost estimate and a before photo.

Often, yes. In Duluth, an owner occupant of a single-family home can do most building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical work, but plumbing that alters the water supply, including replacing a shower, still needs a permit (City of Duluth). The hard part of a DIY shower is the wall behind the tile: the IRC requires listed backer boards, such as cement or glass-mat panels, in tub and shower areas, installed to the maker's instructions (IRC R702.4.2). A missed waterproofing detail shows up months later as a leak.

Yes, through a lender you choose. Besides savings or a home equity loan, HUD insures renovation and repair loans through its Title I and 203(k) programs and says to work only with a HUD-approved lender (HUD). Title I loans are made by private lenders and can cover alterations and repairs on single-family homes (HUD Title I). The FTC lists a contractor suggesting you borrow from a lender they know as a scam warning sign (FTC), so shop the loan yourself and bring the lender your written quote.

It depends whether the shower needs a repair or a full remodel. If the tile, pan and walls are sound, regrouting, recaulking or a new valve part may be enough; if water has gotten behind the tile, it becomes a remodel, and the national ranges at the top of this page apply. In an older house, the swing factor is what's behind the old tile, since rotted framing or subfloor adds carpentry. Send photos of the shower and any stains below it for a flat written quote.

For a cosmetic problem like stained grout or a showerhead that drips into the drain, usually yes. Stop using it if water is showing up outside the shower: a stained or sagging ceiling below, soft drywall beside it, or tiles that move when you press them. Every shower then sends more water into the wall or floor, and rot and mold spread while you wait. If there's another bathroom in the house, use it until the leak is found.