Estimate to replace shower bed and liner

[stardog]

I have a small shower stall in the second bathroom with a floor that measures approx. 32" x 24." Due to its age it needs to have the mud bed removed and replaced, along with a new shower liner installed. Can anyone offer an approximation of what this may cost? Everything else I can do myself, such as putting up cement board, tiling, etc. The only part I don't want to tackle myself is replacing the mud bed and installing a new shower liner.

I have absolutely no idea of what to expect to pay if I hire someone to perform this task. $400.00, $1,000.00????? Can anyone offer price guidance for this kind of work just so I can prepare myself for the sticker shock. Thanks.

 

[Jadnashua]

There are shower construction methods that do not use a conventional clamping drain and liner...they use a membrane that has tile attached to it directly, and a different type of drain. Personally, I prefer that type. Many showers were never installed properly. To learn about how they should be done, check out www.johnbridge.com and look in their liberry (sic) that describes various industry approved methods. If you want to see some of the stuff I've mentioned, www.schluter.com has a bunch of videos where they discuss and show their Kerdi Shower System. Laticrete makes a similar system (out a few years, Kerdi came out in the 1980's, so it's not new). Mapei also makes a system and there are a couple of other knockoffs with limited distribution out there. The big advantage of a surface membrane system is that the entire shower becomes waterproof verses only the pan (cement board is NOT waterproof, only water resistant). This means that in a place like Houston, where the relative humidity is often quite high, there's MUCH less that can get damp, and things dry out faster. Drier also means much less susceptible to mildew. There are epoxy grouts and some newer single component ones that work well, too, that never need to be sealed and are easier to clean. IMHO, a conventional shower, while it works, wouldn't be my first choice for construction method.