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Schluter Bathroom Remodeling: The Orlando Owner’s Guide
Schluter bathroom remodeling in Orlando typically runs $9,000 to $28,000 installed, depending on shower size, waterproofing scope, and the condition of the subfloor we’re tying into. We stock Schluter KERDI board, KERDI membrane, DITRA underlayment, and the edge trims needed to do a true waterproof installation, and most Schluter shower systems can be torn out and rebuilt in 5 to 10 working days once we start. The way homeowners usually discover they need us is a tile that lifts, grout that stays dark and damp, or a shower floor that never quite dries, and what they’re actually looking at is failed waterproofing underneath, not just a cosmetic tile problem.
Which Schluter Models This Applies To
If your bathroom was originally done with Schluter products, you’re dealing with one of a few system families: the KERDI waterproofing line (fabric membrane over drywall or cement board), the KERDI-BOARD system (rigid foam panels, often used for tub surrounds and full shower walls), the DITRA and DITRA-HEAT floor underlayments, or the KERDI-DRAIN and KERDI-LINE drain assemblies. Each has its own compatibility rules. KERDI fabric bonds to both drywall and CBU, but KERDI-BOARD panels need specific screws and washers because the board itself is the waterproof layer. DITRA and DITRA-HEAT are 5/16″ and 1/4″ thick respectively, and mixing up the two under a tile floor changes your finished height and can crack the tile plane where they meet. We carry OEM Schluter parts on the truck, and in our experience, generic aftermarket membranes and trims are a false economy. Schluter’s repair process is simpler with their own unstressed polyethylene core and fleece webbing, and the 10-year KERDI warranty depends on the entire system being genuine Schluter. An independent contractor like us, Sawyer Remodel Orlando, is not affiliated with Schluter, but we install their systems the way their spec sheets demand.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Schluter Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Grout stays dark after drying. Water is wicking between the tile and the waterproof layer, meaning the bond has failed somewhere and moisture is trapped.
- Tile sounds hollow when tapped. The thinset has debonded from the KERDI or KERDI-BOARD surface, usually from an uneven substrate or improper trowel coverage during the original install.
- Shower floor feels soft or flexes. The foam tray underneath has compressed or the subfloor below has rotted, which in Orlando’s humidity happens faster than you’d think when water gets past a failed corner seam.
- Dark staining at wall-to-floor corners. The KERDI band or inside corners weren’t applied with proper 2-inch overlap, and water is finding the seam.
- Musty smell that never goes away. That’s mold behind the tile. Once you can smell it, the waterproofing has been compromised for months.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In Orlando, a full Schluter shower rebuild runs $9,000 to $28,000 installed. At the lower end, you’re looking at a standard 32″ x 60″ shower with KERDI membrane over cement board, one niche, a basic KERDI-DRAIN, and standard tile. At the upper end, we’re doing larger walk-in or curbless showers with linear drains, KERDI-BOARD walls, DITRA-HEAT floors, custom glass, and higher-end tile picks. What drives the range most is whether we have to repair rotted studs or subfloor, the tile selection, and whether plumbing needs to move. Every Sawyer Remodel Orlando Schluter job includes tear-out, haul-away, substrate prep, the Schluter system itself, tile, fixtures, grout, and a written line-item quote before we start. The installed price you approve is the price you pay, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the waterproofing and tile work in writing for a full year.
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A homeowner can safely identify the problem: tap tiles to hear hollow spots, mark where grout stays dark, and check corners for cracking. What you should not do is demo a shower wall to “see how bad it is” unless you’re prepared for what’s behind it. In Orlando homes built before the 2000s, we regularly find mold spreading once water has been sitting behind tile, and cutting into a wall without proper containment sends spores through the house. Tile and waterproofing work is also one of those trades where the mistake is invisible until it isn’t: a single seam with less than 2-inch overlap, a corner that wasn’t banded right, and you’re remodeling the bathroom again in three years. If you’ve got tile coming loose or a shower that smells, call us at (850) 809-0306 and we’ll assess it honestly, even if the answer is that you can live with it a while longer.
FAQs
A properly installed Schluter system should last 30+ years, but that assumes the original installer followed the seam overlap rules, used the right thinset, and nothing behind it was already compromised. In Orlando’s humidity, the systems hold up well, but failures we see are almost always installation errors, not product defects. If your shower was done as part of a flipper renovation, it’s worth having us check the corner seams before you trust it long-term. Call (850) 809-0306 and we’ll inspect it.
Sometimes, yes. A failed corner seam or a small debonded area can often be cut out, patched with new KERDI band, and re-tiled. But if the subfloor or studs are rotted, or the original waterproofing failed in multiple spots, a patch is just delaying the full replacement. We’ll open the area, show you photos of what we found, and give you a written price for both the patch and the full replacement before you have to choose. Estimates are free.
Most Schluter shower rebuilds in Orlando take 5 to 10 working days once we start, mostly because the Schluter system requires specific dry times between waterproofing steps. The KERDI membrane needs its thinset to cure before tile goes on, and DITRA-HEAT needs to be tested before you cover it. It’s slower than a corner-cutting contractor’s schedule, but that’s the point. Call (850) 809-0306 for a timeline specific to your bathroom.
We keep KERDI membrane, KERDI band, inside and outside corners, KERDI-BOARD, DITRA, and common drain assemblies on hand, along with Schluter’s KERDI-FIX and their fasteners. If your model needs a less common trim profile or a specific drain height kit, we order it before the job starts so we’re not mid-demo without parts. When you book with Sawyer Remodel Orlando, the parts are on site before the tile crew shows up. Call (850) 809-0306 and we’ll confirm what we have in stock for your specific system.
Call Sawyer Remodel Orlando for Your Schluter Bathroom Remodel
Good work doesn’t need a speech, it just needs to hold up. That’s how Luca Romano and the Sawyer Remodel Orlando crew approach every Schluter shower we rebuild across Orlando, from College Park bungalows with original 1950s framing to newer construction in Lake Nona. We also carry and install parts for KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone work, so if your bathroom remodel touches more than the shower, we’re already equipped. Call (850) 809-0306 today for a free estimate, and you’ll get a written price before any tools come off the truck.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner & Lead Contractor, Sawyer Remodel Orlando at Sawyer Remodel Orlando, serving Orlando and nearby areas.
