SERVICE 08 — SHOWERS
Shower renovations in Moorabbin
A shower wears out before the rest of the bathroom does. Bases crack, screens cloud over, mixers drip and grout lets go. A shower renovation replaces the enclosure and its fittings without always rebuilding the whole room. We do this work in Moorabbin, Bentleigh East, Cheltenham and nearby suburbs.
The finished layers of a shower: stone-look tile, recessed niches, a corner bench and a glass door.
08/A — WHAT CHANGES
Four parts of a shower, and what replacing each one opens up
Most shower updates start with one complaint and end up involving more. A new screen can’t seal properly against a base that’s out of level. A new mixer may need the wall opened to move the valve. Before quoting, we check each part of the shower and what sits behind it.
Want level entry rather than an updated enclosure? See Walk-In Showers.
Is water already getting through? Start with Leaking Shower Repairs.
BASE
Bases and hobs
Old moulded bases and tiled hobs come out back to the floor. From there you can choose a new base, a tiled floor with a lower hob, or a hobless floor graded to the waste. Each choice changes how much of the floor comes up.
GLASS
Screens and doors
Framed sliders, semi-frameless screens and fixed frameless panels each fix to the wall and floor differently. Taking out an old screen shows the state of the tiles and silicone beneath it. New glass needs a true, level line to seal against.
TAPWARE
Tapware and shower heads
Mixers, rails, handhelds and overhead rain heads can often be swapped on the existing outlets. If you want to move an outlet, add a second head or change the valve body, the wall has to be opened for the plumbing stage.
NICHE
Niches
A recessed niche is framed between the studs, then lined, waterproofed and tiled like the rest of the shower. We plan it with the tile set-out so grout lines meet its edges cleanly. It’s easiest to add while the wall is already open.
A levelling clip and spacers set between floor tiles over fresh mortar.
08/B — THE MEMBRANE
When a shower update needs full re-waterproofing
Are only the fittings changing?
Swapping a shower head, rail or mixer trim on the existing outlets usually leaves the tiles, and the membrane beneath them, untouched.
Are tiles, bedding or the base coming up?
Lifting tiles and bedding disturbs the membrane underneath. We don’t patch it. We strip it and apply it again across the whole shower area, treating the floor-to-wall junctions and pipe penetrations.
Is the floor changing shape?
Turning a hobbed shower into a hobless floor, or moving the waste, means grading the floor again. The waterproofing is renewed as part of that rebuild.
Is water already escaping?
Swollen skirtings, stained walls or lifting floor coverings in the next room point to a failed seal or membrane. We assess that before any cosmetic work. Our Waterproofing page explains this layer in more detail.
08/C — THE ORDER
The 12 steps, applied to a shower
Every bathroom we renovate follows the same order. For a shower, it’s scaled to the enclosure. See the full renovation process.
BEFORE WORK STARTS
01 Consultation
What bothers you about the shower now.
02 Assessment
Base, tiles, seals, outlets and signs of leaks.
03 Design
Floor type, glass, tapware and niche positions.
04 Quote
Scope set out stage by stage.
OPENING UP
05 Materials
Tile, glass and fittings confirmed and ordered.
06 Demolition
Enclosure stripped, with the rest of the room protected.
07 Plumbing/Electrical
Valves, outlets and waste set in position.
08 Waterproofing
Membrane applied across the wet area.
CLOSING IN
09 Tiling
Floor falls and wall set-out around the niches. See Bathroom Tiling.
10 Fixtures
Tapware, heads and glass fitted.
11 Finishing
Silicone, grout sealing and detailing.
12 Handover
Walk-through and care of the new finishes.
08/D — QUESTIONS
Shower renovation questions
For wider planning questions, see the bathroom renovation FAQs.
Can you replace just the shower screen?
Yes, as long as the base and tiles are sound. If taking out the old screen reveals cracked tiles, hollow-sounding bedding or failed silicone, fix those before new glass goes on.
Can a shower base be swapped for a tiled floor?
Usually. The base comes out, a new bed is graded to the waste, then the floor is waterproofed and tiled. Whether a hob stays depends on the floor build-up and the layout, which we check at assessment.
Will it affect the rest of the bathroom?
It can affect the wall and floor tiles next to the shower. If you can’t get matching tiles, you can make the shower a deliberate contrast zone or carry the new tile further into the room. We work this out at the design stage.
How long will the shower be out of use?
That depends on the scope and on how long the bed and membrane need to cure between stages. Your quote lays out the stages for your job. How Long Does a Bathroom Renovation Take? explains what drives the timeline.
Is a shower renovation the same as a walk-in shower?
A walk-in shower is one possible result: an open enclosure with minimal glass and a level or low threshold. Browse Walk-In Shower Ideas, then see the Walk-In Showers service.
NEXT LAYER
Update the shower, rebuild it or repair it first?
Tell us about the shower, the bathroom it’s in and your suburb. Whether you’re in Moorabbin, Highett, Hampton East or Mentone, we’ll work out which job it really is. Just have a question? Send it through the contact form.