When Woodstock homeowners ask us for a shower quote, most are pricing the tile. The bigger cost driver is almost always what goes on before the tile: the waterproofing system. It's also the part that's easiest for a lower bidder to skip corners on, because you can't see it once the tile is up.
What waterproofing actually includes
- Substrate — cement backer board or a foam shower system, properly fastened and taped.
- Membrane — a liquid or sheet waterproofing membrane on every wall, the curb, and the pan, not just the floor.
- Drain assembly — a bonding-flange or linear drain tied correctly into the membrane, not just set in mortar.
- Corners and penetrations — pre-formed or hand-detailed seals at every inside corner, niche, and pipe penetration — the spots that fail first when skipped.
What moves the price
Shower size and wall count matter, but so do: number of niches and benches (each is extra waterproofing detail work, not just tile), whether it's new construction or a gut-and-rebuild of an existing leaking shower, curbless/zero-entry design (more substrate work to slope the floor), and material — large-format tile needs a flatter substrate than small mosaic.
Curious what your specific bathroom needs? See our shower tile installation page, or just call — we'll walk you through it honestly, no upsell.