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Schluter Bathroom Remodeling: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
A full Schluter-based bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $9,000 to $28,000 installed, and most jobs take two to four weeks depending on demo scope and waterproofing layers. We stock Schluter KERDI membrane, DITRA underlayment, and the matching edge trims on our trucks, so we can often start waterproofing within days of your estimate, not weeks out. Most homeowners call us after tile starts popping loose or grout keeps cracking along a tub line – things that usually trace back to a failed Schluter layer or a membrane someone skipped entirely.
Key Takeaways
- Installed Schluter bathroom remodels in Fort Lauderdale: $9,000 – $28,000
- We carry Schluter KERDI, DITRA, and edge trims in-stock for faster starts
- Waterproofing failure shows up first as loose tile or persistent grout cracks
- Written price before any work starts, 365-Day Done Right Promise included
Which Schluter Models This Applies To
Schluter makes systems, not single products, and the compatibility question matters more than most homeowners expect. KERDI membrane works with any tile substrate but requires unmodified thinset – if someone sets it with modified mortar, the bond fails and you get exactly the kind of phantom leaks that rot a Fort Lauderdale subfloor in a season. DITRA and DITRA-HEAT underlayment use a different stud grid and need specific trowel notches, and the DITRA-HEAT version adds electric heating cable channels that change floor height by about 1/4 inch. KERDI-BOARD comes in thicknesses from 1/8 to 2 inches, and picking the wrong one for a curb or niche changes how your glass enclosure seats. Aftermarket membranes exist and cost less, but Schluter’s fleece-backed design is what allows the tile assembly to move independently from the framing – which is the single biggest reason Fort Lauderdale bathrooms with Schluter outlast the ones without it.
We install with OEM Schluter materials unless you specifically ask for a mixed system. The part number is printed on every roll and sheet edge – if you’re not sure what you have, take a photo of that edge print before calling anyone.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Schluter Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Grout cracks keep returning along the tub or shower base. The waterproofing layer underneath is flexing or has debonded from the wall. New grout won’t fix it – the movement keeps coming back until the membrane is addressed.
- Tile sounds hollow when you tap it. Tile over Schluter should sound solid, not tinny. A hollow sound means the thinset bond broke, usually from wrong mortar type or a skipped key-in step during install.
- A damp, musty smell from the adjacent wall or floor. Water is getting behind the tile and soaking drywall or subfloor. By the time you smell it, the affected area has been wet for weeks.
- Efflorescence or white crust on the shower floor edges. Mineral deposits wick through cracks and indicate water has nowhere to drain properly. Often tied to a DITRA or KERDI drain assembly that wasn’t bedded tight.
- Loose edge trim (the metal strip where tile meets floor). Schluter trim is designed to lock into thinset behind the tile edge. If it pulls away, the adjacent tile wasn’t properly set or the trim was the wrong profile for the tile thickness.
See the difference
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
A full Schluter-based bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale runs $9,000 to $28,000 installed. The spread comes down to bathroom size, whether you’re gutting to studs or doing a tub-to-shower conversion, and which finish materials you choose. Smaller jobs – a walk-in shower replacement with KERDI waterproofing and new tile – typically land between $4,500 and $12,000. Our written price includes demo, waterproofing layers, setting materials, tile labor, fixture install where in scope, and haul-away. It does not include surprise change orders – the number you approve before we start is the number on your invoice.
Every Schluter remodel we install carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right within the first year, we return and make it right at no charge. That’s in writing, on every job, before a single tool comes off the truck.
Materials from KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone are also available for vanities and countertops if your remodel extends beyond the tile – but nearly every wet-area install we do is built on Schluter as the waterproofing backbone.
DIY or Call Us?
You can safely check a few things before anyone shows up. Look at whether the grout cracks follow a straight line (suggests board seams) or scatter randomly (points to mortar failure). Check if the tile at the bottom of the shower sounds different from tile at eye level. Peel back a floor vent if you have one near the bathroom and look at the subfloor surface – dark staining means water has been sitting. What you should not do is start tearing out tile around a shower pan to inspect the membrane yourself. Shower pans carry a waterproofing layer that runs continuous up the walls; breaking into it without understanding where the next seam lands can turn a $900 repair into a $9,000 redo. High-tension shower door hardware and glass panels are also best handled by a pro – if a glass door lets go, it shatters with force.
If you suspect your Schluter layer failed rather than the tile itself, call (754) 354-7423 and describe the symptom. Luca Romano can usually tell you over the phone whether it sounds like a membrane problem or a surface issue, and estimates are free either way.
FAQs
A properly installed Schluter system should outlast the tile on top of it – realistically 30 to 50 years. Fort Lauderdale’s humidity and occasional salt air exposure stress any bathroom, but Schluter’s waterproof barrier is, collectively, the reason it holds up here. Call (754) 354-7423 if yours failed early – that’s usually an install error, not a product issue.
Small tears up to about 3 inches can sometimes be patched with KERDI overlap, which is a legitimate Schluter repair method when done correctly. Larger failures, especially around the drain assembly or curb, usually mean removing tile back to solid membrane and re-lapping the seam. We’ll tell you which one you have before any work is approved.
A tub-to-shower conversion with full Schluter waterproofing takes about 5 to 7 working days. A complete bathroom gut and rebuild runs 2 to 4 weeks, with drying and cure time between layers built into the schedule. You’ll get photo updates before and after each phase through The Relay Visibility Guarantee.
We carry KERDI membrane, DITRA and DITRA-HEAT, KERDI-BOARD in common thicknesses, and Schluter edge trims on the truck for most Fort Lauderdale jobs. If your project needs a less common profile or a specific drain assembly, we typically have it within 2 to 3 business days through our local suppliers. Call (754) 354-7423 and we’ll confirm what’s available for your install date.
Written by Luca Romano, Owner & Lead Contractor, Sawyer Remodel Fort Lauderdale at Sawyer Remodel Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
