Tile · Maui, Hawaii
A shower is only as good as what sits behind the tile. We build Maui bathrooms from the waterproofing out — sloped, sealed and tested before a single tile goes on the wall.
Tile · Maui, Hawaii
A shower is only as good as what sits behind the tile. We build Maui bathrooms from the waterproofing out — sloped, sealed and tested before a single tile goes on the wall.
Most failed showers we are asked to tear out did not fail because of the tile. They failed because water got past the grout, which is never fully waterproof, and found its way into framing, drywall or the subfloor. In a humid island climate, trapped moisture behind a wall can turn into mold and rot long before anything shows on the surface.
That is why every shower we build gets a continuous waterproofing system: a bonded sheet or liquid-applied membrane that wraps the pan, walls, niches and bench, ties properly into the drain, and is lapped and sealed at every seam and corner. Before tile, the pan is flood-tested so we know it holds water. We follow the TCNA Handbook, the tile industry's reference for installation methods, on every tile job, and the membrane manufacturer's own requirements on top of that.
A good shower floor moves water to the drain without puddles and without feeling tilted underfoot. With a linear drain the floor can slope in one plane, which allows larger tiles; with a center drain we usually use smaller formats or mosaics that can follow the four-way slope. A true curbless entry generally means recessing the floor structure or building up the rest of the room, which is something we look at during the site visit rather than promise over the phone.
Layout is planned before the first cut: where the full tiles land, how the niche and valve line up, where the cuts fall at the ceiling and corners. Changes of plane and perimeter edges get soft movement joints instead of hard grout, which is a Handbook detail that keeps tile from cracking as the building expands and contracts.
Porcelain is the low-maintenance workhorse for showers. Natural stone such as marble or travertine is beautiful but more porous, and it needs sealing and gentler cleaners — we cover that in detail on our natural stone and marble page. For grout, a high-performance cementitious grout works in many baths, while epoxy or urethane grouts resist staining better in heavy-use showers and rentals.
If you want a seamless wall with no grout at all, tadelakt, a burnished lime plaster, is an alternative we install in showers and around tubs. Many clients combine the two: tile on the shower floor, tadelakt or Venetian plaster on the dry walls of the room.
A large share of Maui bathroom work happens in condominiums and vacation rentals, where demolition noise, debris removal and work hours are governed by HOA rules, and a leak can reach the unit below. We plan around those rules from the first visit and treat waterproofing in stacked units with extra care. For owners in Kihei, Wailea and West Maui who rent their units, we can coordinate with property managers to keep the bathroom out of service for as short a stretch as the scope allows.
We generally do not recommend it. Tiling over old tile hides whatever waterproofing problems already exist and adds thickness at the valve and drain. In most cases we remove the old shower down to the framing or slab and rebuild it properly.
Yes. After the membrane is installed and cured, we plug the drain and fill the pan with water to confirm it holds before tile is set.
Often, yes, but it depends on the floor structure, the drain location and the height of the adjoining floors. We assess this on site and explain the options before you commit.
We follow the TCNA Handbook for Ceramic, Glass, and Stone Tile Installation on every tile job, along with the manufacturers' instructions for the membranes, mortars and grouts we use.
It depends on scope: tile tear-out, size, tile selection, niches and benches and drain type. Plumbing changes are done by a plumber and priced separately. We provide a free on-site estimate with a written, itemized quote.