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Tamko Bathroom Remodeling: The Orlando Owner’s Guide
If you have a Tamko product in your bathroom and something’s failing, we install and replace Tamko-compatible bathroom components across Orlando, with full bathroom remodels typically running $9,000 to $28,000 installed. Most parts we can source and install within a week, so you’re not living with a broken bathroom for long.
Here’s the reality: Tamko is primarily known in Florida for roofing and waterproofing products, not finished bathroom fixtures. So when an Orlando homeowner calls us asking about “Tamko bathroom parts,” what they usually mean is one of two things: either the Tamko waterproofing membrane or sealant behind their tile has failed, or they have a bathroom that was built with Tamko waterproofing underneath and something above it (tile, grout, a shower pan) has started to give out. The symptom picture is almost always the same: water stains on the ceiling below a second-floor bath, grout that stays dark no matter how much you scrub it, or that musty smell that comes back a week after you bleach everything.
Which Tamko Products This Applies To
Tamko makes several waterproofing and sealant products that end up inside Orlando bathroom builds. The ones we see most often are their peel-and-stick waterproofing membranes (used under tile in shower walls and bathroom floors), their flashing tapes, and their asphalt-based sealants. On a spec sheet, you’ll see names like Tamko TW-60, or their self-adhered flashing rolls in 6-inch and 12-inch widths.
The compatibility gotcha most people miss: Tamko peel-and-stick membranes are designed to bond to specific substrate materials (cement board, certain plywoods, and concrete). If a previous contractor applied it over drywall or green board, it will eventually delaminate, and no amount of caulk on the surface fixes that. You can’t identify the membrane once tile is over it, but if you’re opening up a wall and find a black, rubberized sheet with a release film that reads Tamko, you know what you’re working with.
On the OEM-versus-aftermarket question: for waterproofing membranes, we use what the manufacturer specifies for the substrate, which is often a Tamko or comparable self-adhered product. For the visible parts (tile, grout, shower pans, fixtures), Tamko doesn’t make those, so the brand decision moves to names we install daily: Kohler and Moen fixtures, Schluter edge trim, and tile from local Orlando suppliers. Sawyer Remodel Orlando is an independent remodeler; we’re not affiliated with Tamko, but we work with their waterproofing products regularly and know how they behave in Florida humidity.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Tamko Bathroom Waterproofing Is Failing
- Water stains on the ceiling below a bathroom. This is the number-one call we get in Orlando. The stain means water has already moved through the floor or shower pan and is pooling on the drywall below. By the time you see it, the waterproofing membrane has been compromised for weeks, not days.
- Grout that stays dark or discolored no matter how often you clean it. That’s water trapped behind the tile, not surface dirt. The grout is wet from the back side, which means the membrane behind it isn’t shedding water anymore.
- A musty smell that returns within days of cleaning. That’s mold or mildew feeding on moisture inside the wall cavity. In Orlando’s humidity, a cracked waterproofing layer turns your bathroom wall into a petri dish fast.
- Loose or hollow-sounding tiles. When the membrane behind tile loses its bond, tiles start to move slightly underfoot or when you press on them. You’ll hear a hollow tap instead of a solid one. That’s the adhesive layer failing, not the tile itself.
- Caulk that keeps splitting or peeling at the tub or shower base. Caulk isn’t a waterproofing system; it’s a cosmetic shield. If it keeps failing, the real waterproofing beneath it is already gone, and the water is finding another route out.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In Orlando, a full bathroom remodel that includes tearing out failed waterproofing and rebuilding the wet area runs $9,000 to $28,000 installed. If the failure is contained to a shower or tub surround, you’re looking at $4,500 to $12,000 for a walk-in shower replacement or $3,500 to $10,000 for a tub-to-shower conversion. The range depends on how far the water traveled, what substrate needs replacing, and the finishes you choose.
Here’s the pricing breakdown:
- Demo and disposal of failed tile, backer board, and membrane: $1,500 – $3,500
- New substrate and Tamko or equivalent waterproofing membrane: $800 – $2,000
- Tile and installation for a standard shower surround: $2,500 – $6,000
- Fixtures, valves, and trim: $800 – $3,000 depending on brand (Kohler, Moen, Grohe)
- Glass door or curtain system: $400 – $2,500
Every quote from us includes a written line-item price before work starts, so you see exactly what the parts cost and what the labor costs. We pull permits when the scope requires it, and the work carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it’s not done right, we make it right. That’s on paper, not a handshake.
DIY or Call Us?
You can absolutely handle the diagnosis yourself. Check for soft spots in the drywall on the wall behind the shower valve, look for water staining in the ceiling below, and inspect the caulk lines at the tub or shower base. That gives you a solid read on whether you need a pro.
What you shouldn’t do is tear out tile and try to re-waterproof a shower yourself unless you’ve done it before. The sequence matters: substrate, membrane, corners, penetrations, and the shower pan all have to be built in order, or you’ll be redoing the job in eighteen months. Florida building code also has specific requirements for waterproofing in wet areas, and inspectors will check. If you’re unsure, call us at (850) 809-0306. Luca Romano has pulled apart enough DIY waterproofing jobs in Orlando to tell you: the redo costs more than doing it right the first time.
FAQs
In Orlando’s heat and humidity, a properly installed waterproofing membrane behind tile lasts 15 to 25 years. The bigger risk is what happens above it: grout failure, shifting foundations in older homes, or a previous contractor skipping a detail. Call (850) 809-0306 and we’ll assess what’s failing and what’s still solid, free.
Sometimes, if the failure is caught early and is localized to one seam or corner, we can open that section, patch the membrane correctly, and retile. If water has already migrated behind the tile or into the subfloor, a partial repair just pushes the problem to another corner. The assessment is free.
For a shower or tub surround, plan on 5 to 9 working days from demo to grout. A full bathroom remodel in Orlando runs 2 to 4 weeks depending on the footprint and finishes. We give you a written schedule with the quote, and photo updates before and after each phase.
We stock Tamko-compatible peel-and-stick membrane, corner reinforcement, and flashing tape in 6-inch and 12-inch rolls, plus the primers and sealants that pair with them. If your job needs something outside our standard stock, we have it from a local Orlando supplier within one to two days.
If your bathroom is showing water where it shouldn’t, call (850) 809-0306 for a free estimate. We’ll put the price in writing before we pick up a single tool.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner & Lead Contractor, Sawyer Remodel Orlando at Sawyer Remodel Orlando, serving Orlando and nearby areas.
