Shower Repair & Remodeling in Duluth, MN & Superior, WI

Look outside the shower for the clues. Loose or hollow-sounding tiles, grout that keeps cracking in the same 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: the drain, the valve and its supply lines, then the walls and floor as they get wet. A leak that never stops points to the supply side, while one that shows up only when someone showers points to the drain, pan, walls or showerhead pipe.

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

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 usually have no such part, so the lasting fix there is a new valve. If the shower just won't get hot enough in winter, its temperature limit stop may only need adjusting. 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 worn seals, and those come out from the front once the handle and trim plate are off. Replacing the whole valve is a bigger job, since the valve body is joined to the pipes inside the wall; it's reached through the tile opening, sometimes behind a larger trim plate, or from the back of the wall. Nationally, a shower valve repair runs $75–$250 and a full valve 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 flat written quote 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 without a 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. Then a walk-in shower with a low curb, or a curbless-style entry with 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. One-piece tub-and-shower units usually won't fit through an existing doorway, so remodels use multi-piece units or tile. If the tub is chipped, stained or leaking, this is the time to replace it, 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, and the door needs enough adjustment to seal against both. Hinged doors need room to swing clear of the toilet and vanity, while sliding doors and fixed panels suit tighter bathrooms. A hinged door needs its hinge side anchored into a stud or solid blocking, not just tile. A new door won't fix a leaking shower, so failed grout or caulk gets fixed first.

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.