Bathroom remodel materials

Waterproofing is the whole ballgame. Tile and grout are not waterproof. Cement backer board is not waterproof. Water gets through both, every day, by design — the system underneath is what keeps it out of your framing. Under the IRC, a shower receptor lining must be sheet lead, sheet copper, a plastic liner complying with ASTM D4068 or ASTM D4551, hot mopping, or a sheet-applied bonded waterproof membrane meeting ANSI A118.10, and it must extend at least 2 inches beyond the rough jambs and at least 2 inches above the finished threshold.

That is the single most useful question you can ask a bathroom contractor: what waterproofing system are you using behind the tile, and is it ANSI A118.10? A good installer answers instantly and names a product. A vague answer — "we use waterproof board," "we seal the grout" — tells you what you need to know. Ask for a photo of the completed waterproofing before tile goes on. Any competent tile setter takes those photos anyway.

Surfaces. Houzz found 79% choose tile for shower flooring, led by porcelain (39%) and ceramic (26%). Small tiles from 1x1 to 4x4 inches remain the top shower-floor choice at 61%, largely because more grout joints mean more slip resistance on a wet floor. Outside the shower, paint still dominates walls at 71%, and 29% of homeowners pick a non-slip floor.

Tubs. Acrylic leads at 60% of tub materials, fiberglass at 16%, enameled cast iron at 8%, per Houzz. Cast iron is heavy enough to matter structurally on an upper floor; check before you specify it.

How to choose

Ask for the waterproofing product by name

The answer should reference a bonded membrane meeting ANSI A118.10 or one of the other lining methods the code recognizes. Vagueness here predicts failure.

Get photos before tile goes on

Once tile is set, the waterproofing is unverifiable forever. A five-minute photo is your only record.

Small tile on shower floors, for grip

61% of homeowners use 1x1 to 4x4 inch tile on shower floors. More grout joints means more traction when wet.

Match tile to a slip rating, not a photo

Ask the supplier for the slip-resistance rating on any floor tile going in a wet area. Polished stone in a shower is a genuinely bad idea.

Check the floor structure before choosing a heavy tub

Enameled cast iron and stone-composite tubs are heavy when full. On an upper floor, this is a structural question, not a style one.