Latest / Around the House with Eric G®: Home Improvement Remodeling & DIY / Master Bathroom Remodel Mistakes: 10 Tips on Showers, Waterproofing, Tile and Ventilation

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Master Bathroom Remodel Mistakes: 10 Tips on Showers, Waterproofing, Tile and Ventilation · Around the House with Eric G®: Home Improvement Remodeling & DIY

• 0:10
  Ready to turn your house into the home you've always dreamed of without the headaches or huge bills.
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  You're tuned to around the House, the nation's number one home improvement radio show and podcast with expert advice that's helped millions tackle everything from remodels to repairs.
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  Hosts Eric G.
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  And John Dudley have got you covered with the best advice and information about your home.
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  Now let's get this hour started.
• 0:37
  Welcome to the around the House show.
• 0:38
  I'm Eric G.
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  Thanks for joining me today.
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  If this is the first time catching us, make sure you check us out@aroundthehouse online.com and if you're on the radio, thank you for tuning in.
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  Because I tell you what, it's the people like you out there that help make this show grow every single year.
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  So do me a favor, share it to your friends.
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  Make sure you subscribe to the podcast.
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  You can go back almost a decade back on the podcast platform.
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  You can see what we've been talking about year after year.
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  Some of our famous people we've talked to, including this last year where we talked to dude, dad, if you didn't catch that, just look it up on your favorite podcast player.
• 1:17
  We did a whole interview with him and it was hilarious.
• 1:21
  Today we're going to be talking about my top 10 master bath remodeling tips for 2026.
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  I'm going to try to help you prevent those big mistakes that people make.
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  And yes, it is the master bathroom.
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  This is a flag that I am going to put on the top of that mountain.
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  So the first one here that I want you to dive into on this episode to really pay attention to is before you start the design process and if this is not the house that you're going to live out
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  the rest of your life in, do me a favor.
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  Jump on Zillow or any one of your favorite real estate apps.
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  Take a look at what you think.
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  Your house is worth around your neighborhood in the general area.
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  And take a look and see what those master bathrooms look like.
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  Are they huge?
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  Do they have a custom shower?
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  Do they have a big tub?
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  What is the comp around your area for your house?
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  Because here's the thing, I don't want you to spend too much money thinking that you're going to get that all back.
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  Now, there are exceptions.
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  My last house, that bathroom is what sold that project.
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  And that was a, that was the asterisk out there.
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  So generally, you're not going to get that money back I did on mine.
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  But it's the rare instance that actually works.
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  So take a little time, look around and see what those comps are.
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  If you under build, you create a pretty big measurable problem, functional obsolescence, as they call it.
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  So make sure that you've got that dialed in.
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  And if you overbuild, you have the opposite problem.
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  All of a sudden you don't have a place that you're going to get that money back.
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  And so unless you're going to be there for the rest of your life, that can be expensive.
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  Now, the next one here is super important.
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  And I don't just say this because I'm a designer.
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  I say it because I see it.
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  Time and time again.
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  And I've had these clients where they were going to hire me for a project.
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  At the last minute they went, I got some friends, we're going to bounce stuff off.
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  And all of a sudden they ghost and disappear.
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  And I go, all right, good luck.
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  I get a call six months later, they fired their contractor, they have the wrong materials in the bathroom, they hate the look of it, and they're starting over.
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  The problem is they're $30,000 into this, or way more than.
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  And you've got material you can't return, you've got materials that's installed, and all of a sudden you're starting over again.
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  So you can pay the designer once or you can pay a contractor twice.
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  That's my rule on that.
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  And the cheapest bid is usually because something got left out of it.
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  On a master bathroom, the thing that gets left out is always behind a wall, and you'll never see it until it fails.
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  So in my experience, when we dove into a house that was over 15 or 20 years old or had some.
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  Newer products that were already outdated, like.
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  Cpvc, like poly pipe, or any one.
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  Of those other things.
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  And I'm not talking about PEX versions of that out there.
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  I want to get in there.
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  Maybe you got galvanized drain lines, whatever, get in there and replace it all.
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  Your designer is going to help walk through, walk you through that, update everything so you don't have to come back and do it later.
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  So electrical, water, all those things are important.
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  Make sure you get into it.
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  So make sure that your designer comes in at the drawing stage, not after demo.
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  And one other thing that I will say, and this is something that you can do, that can save you a ton of hassles.
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  And it depends on your contractor.
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  Now, many contractors out there have financing programs.
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  That's one Thing.
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  But if you have a choice to pay with a check or a credit card, always use the credit card.
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  Here's why.
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  You have some retaliation.
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  If they bail out on you and you might be able to get some miles, I would have no problem paying 3 or 4% more for that project.
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  If I could put it on a.
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  Credit card, then just pay it off, you're fine.
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  Get your airline miles and let the contractor continue the project.
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  If you get burned with somebody taken off, you do have some recourse with a check, you are out of luck.
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  So there's the big one right there.
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  There's another little tip in that.
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  Now, the next thing I want to talk about before we go out to break in a few minutes here is an important one designed for aging in place while the walls are already open.
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  You are never gonna have a cheaper moment than right now.
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  If you're 25 years old and buying your first house, you might not be thinking about this.
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  I'm going, ah, this makes sense.
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  But here's what it is.
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  The one thing I want to say.
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  Is, in my 20s and 30s, I had plenty of surgeries.
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  So having that shower that you can walk into, and maybe I just want to get in there and sit on a stool because I just had knee surgery and I got a plastic bag wrapped around my leg.
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  Or if I want to make sure and I've got a bad back or sore from my latest skiing or surf, putting in grab bars and things like that can really help out.
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  Or if anything, make sure that you put in blocking behind those walls and take some pictures of it that you can save in the cloud on your phone.
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  Then you'll have a good situation right there.
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  So think about these things when you're doing the remodel.
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  If you're already replacing the door and you're doing something in there, how hard is it to make it a little bit bigger?
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  Where are we at with that?
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  These are those things that I want you to take some time and think about as you're doing this project.
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  Because anything else you can add to make it easier, if your mom or grandparents or whoever's coming over make it a little bit better.
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  And you don't have to make it look like it's some crazy big.
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  You don't want to look like a hospital, or you don't want it to look like that ADA room at your hotel that you got stuck with when you booked late.
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  Make sure that you got this.
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  This is why I like curbless showers and things like that.
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  So spend a little Time on the design side of things, and it's going to be a lot better.
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  So that's where that aging in place stuff comes from.
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  Over lighting it and making it where you can dim the lights and set it to a spot, making sure that you've got that set up correctly.
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  That is an important part of this whole process and part of the discussion that I think you should have down the road.
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  If you go to sell the house and maybe you're in your 30s, no big deal.
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  It's just a little bit safer for people.
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  And there's nothing wrong with that.
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  And with today's products, you can make it look killer and not like a hospital bathroom.
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  So these are things to think about when you're designing out.
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  That aging in place component could be.
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  Super smart, and it might make it easier down the road if you get hurt or have some medical issues.
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  It happens to all of us.
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  Now, one more thing before we go here, and this is super important.
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  Here is a trick that I've used for decades.
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  While you got the drywall out, insulate the bathroom with Rockwool.
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  Yes.
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  Or any one of those spun mineral wool.
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  I think other companies make it as well.
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  Everybody knows it as Rockwool.
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  It's kind of like Kleenex and facial tissue.
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  So here's the thing.
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  Insulating does a couple things.
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  One, it gives you a fire break in the house, which is kind of cool because that to some extent will keep The Rockwool is literally fireproof.
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  So it does fill up that cavity and make it.
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  So it's a little bit more efficient that way.
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  Now, here's the biggest reason I do this.
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  It's not for fire.
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  We don't have that many bathroom fires.
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  Here's the thing.
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  The biggest thing is noise.
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  If you have a hall bathroom, for instance, it's even more important because guess what, You've got a bedroom, usually on one side or even both sides of that.
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  And you want to make sure that you've got that where it's quiet.
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  That can be a huge game changer.
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  It keeps the sound down.
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  If somebody's in there listening to the radio or listening to music or they're just having a bad health care day, guess what?
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  This can really help keep that quiet in.
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  For a master bathroom, it's even more important because one, if somebody's up getting ready in the morning and the other person is sleeping due to work schedules or things like that, it really gives you a little bit of
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  a break there from that.
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  And then, of course, that also is just extra durability in that space anyway.
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  So insulate, insulate.
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  It'll make a huge difference.
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  And for the few hundred bucks that you'll spend in there, it's completely worth the effort.
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  It will quiet things up and really make your bedroom a better place.
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  Now, when we come back, guys, we've.
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  Got a lot more to talk about.
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  With my tips for your master bathroom in 2026.
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  We'll do that just as soon as around the House returns.
• 9:55
  Don't go anywhere.
• 9:58
  Kids these days.
• 9:59
  You'll never understand what it's like to play an instrument.
• 10:09
  What's up?
• 10:10
  This is Sticks it in you and Satchel from Steel Panther.
• 10:14
  And you are listening to around the House with Eric G.
• 10:18
  Yeah, we love.
• 10:20
  Eric G.
• 10:20
  And you should, too.
• 10:25
  Welcome back to the around the House show.
• 10:27
  I'm Eric G.
• 10:27
  We've been talking today about my top 10 tips for that master bathroom remodel coming up and what you should be doing and what you should be paying attention to here in 2026.
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  So the next one here that I want to talk about is an important one, and that's wire it for 2030, not for the showroom floor.
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  When you're remodeling a master bathroom, on average that should last you 25 years, the fixtures in it are going to turn over two or three times in that span.
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  So wire it for the thing you're going to buy in 2030, not for the thing that you're buying this month.
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  And this is where you can make things so much easier.
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  Let's say you don't have it in the budget to put a heated towel warmer in.
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  Can't do it.
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  Don't have the thousand dollars or $500 or whichever one you're looking at out there.
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  But you want to add it maybe later or it might be fun later.
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  Wire it for it.
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  You're already redoing some stuff in there anyway.
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  You might as well have the electrician while they're at it, get it prepped for it, put it for the plan, and make sure that you have enough power for it.
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  Most of the time, that's going to take its own dedicated circuit.
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  So run that while you're running everything else.
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  And that's the thing.
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  If you're doing heated tile floors, which is something I recommend for most homes if you're in Florida, maybe it's not that big a deal, but I sure like jumping out of the shower in the morning and having a
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  warm floor versus that cold one.
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  And that can also heat that room.
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  And it can also help Dry that room out a little bit.
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  If you've always got people jumping out of the shower, maybe there's two or three people using that in a hall bathroom or even in your master shower.
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  This is one of those things that making sure that you've got all those circuits run for it is really important.
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  There are so many new things out there that have been coming out where we're talking about having a for instance, I've seen people put in the insta hot so they can have their morning tea in the bathroom or
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  any one of those kind of things.
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  Plan for it, put a few of those outlets in or put in a circuit to have it pre wired so you can add to it later.
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  These are the things.
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  And so many times you need a new circuit for that.
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  So take care of it on the front end and think about what you're going to be doing.
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  Are you going to be putting in a medicine cabinet that's going to have refrigeration for medication, or maybe even having something that's for high end makeup, run.
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  A circuit for it.
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  So plan ahead for that.
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  And the same thing goes for all your plumbing in there.
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  If you're going to add a steam.
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  Shower, that's a whole other deal.
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  You got to plan that from day one.
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  You're not going to just add that later and make that easy.
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  But if you're planning for the smaller stuff, going to make it a heck of a lot easier for what you're doing.
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  And when in doubt, if you're going to be putting some smart stuff in there, run some conduit.
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  Maybe you can run in some Cat 6 into that room.
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  So if you've got a music player or something else like that, you can just plug it in, wire it right in.
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  Not going to be that big a deal.
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  And of course the biggest one always and always put in that outlet behind the master bathroom toilet.
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  So that way you could put a bidet seat in at one point, maybe you don't want it, maybe you go, I'm never putting one of those things in.
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  You know something, the heated toilet seat is a really cool deal.
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  And in the middle of the night,.
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  The little light that's in there that can keep the bowl lit up without having to turn the bathroom lights on can be super cool as well.
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  You'll get back to sleep way faster if you're getting up in the middle of the night.
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  So always add that outlet whether you need it or not when you go to sell the house later.
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  It's an added benefit that people will Appreciate.
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  Because over the last 10 years, America has finally come around to the bidet toilet or bidet toilet seat.
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  And that's something I would plan for every single time.
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  So double check, make sure you're up to code.
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  Make sure your electrician knows that you're up to code, because everything in there is going to have to be on a GFCI protected receptacle.
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  So make sure you're good to go.
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  So have it all dialed in.
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  You'll be happy later.
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  Now the next one is set.
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  A real timeline for your project and a real contingency.
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  Many times when you're doing that master bathroom, there's usually at least another bath in there.
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  But when does this become a problem?
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  It becomes when you have a house that's a one and a half bath, you've got the bedrooms upstairs maybe, and a powder off the living room downstairs, and that's all you got.
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  This is where my project fell off the plan a little bit.
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  When I did my master bathroom during COVID I was already planning it before COVID hit started to tear into it.
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  I was just gonna go and my ex was just gonna go hit the gym for showers in the morning before we go to work, go work out, hit a shower for a couple weeks while the shower was down.
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  It wasn't gonna be that big a deal.
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  Yeah, that worked until all of a sudden it was demo day.
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  And I could see on the horizon that maybe things were going to shut down.
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  That means the gym option was gone.
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  So what did I do when I.
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  Took out the bathtub?
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  I set it up in the garage.
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  Yeah, I took the bathtub out, put it up on a pallet, got it in there sturdy, built a surround for it.
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  Out of two by fours, hung black, not black plastic.
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  I put a blue tarp in there.
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  And then off the water heater, I plumbed in a temporary water so we could go right into that.
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  Then for the drain, I ran that out into a floor drain and it worked really well.
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  Did that meet code for the gray water?
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  Yeah, probably not.
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  It was just shower water, so I wasn't so worried about it.
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  And probably a little bit cleaner water than what was coming off the garage floor, so I wasn't so worried about that.
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  So for two weeks, that worked great.
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  Now, the problem was it was in the wintertime.
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  And I tell you what.
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  Ooh, that garage was a little cool out there when you'd go out there, but it worked out pretty well and it was a good plan B.
• 16:47
  Now, that doesn't work for everyone, but Think about how you can do it and if there's a way to do it so you're comfortable and come up with a plan.
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  So create your realistic schedule and make sure you give enough time for inspections.
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  Many times if you're doing a bathroom, there's going to be multiple expense inspections there.
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  You're going to get the permit turned in.
• 17:09
  You're probably going to have a shower pan inspection or rough plumbing, you're going to have rough electrical.
• 17:14
  You'll have all those different things, including your final inspection.
• 17:18
  Find out what the delay is on those things.
• 17:21
  Sometimes when you call it in, they'll be there within 48 hours.
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  That's pretty cool.
• 17:25
  What can happen though, is you can get behind on some of that stuff.
• 17:28
  You call it in, you got a.
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  Weekend, you got a holiday, you can lose four or five days in the schedule.
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  So make sure, depending on where you are, that those things are going to work out correctly.
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  And a good contractor is going to walk you through that.
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  Just make sure it's a realistic.
• 17:42
  If someone's telling you they're going to do the bathroom remodel in two days run, unless it's a little tiny powder room and you're just changing on a couple fixtures, that's not realistic.
• 17:53
  Many of these master bathroom remodels are a four at a minimum to eight week project.
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  I've seen them be more depending on what, what's happening.
• 18:04
  Because here's the thing I don't want to have in these smaller rooms.
• 18:07
  It's not like a kitchen where maybe you could have an electrician and plumber working at the same time in the bathroom.
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  Nope, one trade at a time in there.
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  So they get their job done and get work done.
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  Because otherwise you're paying for both those people to be working over the top of each other and it's going to be a mess.
• 18:23
  So make sure you got the right timeline and a real contingency.
• 18:27
  Don't try to have this thing done right before some major event in your house.
• 18:32
  When we come back, I'm going to talk about one of the most important things you should be considering inside that bathroom.
• 18:38
  Because this is one of the mistakes people make and they go, oh my gosh, I didn't plan ahead for this.
• 18:44
  This can save you a lot of.
• 18:46
  Headaches and make that room a little bit more valuable around the house.
• 18:50
  Be right back after these important messages.
• 18:51
  Don't change that dial.
• 19:06
  Welcome back to the the around the House Show.
• 19:08
  I'm Eric G.
• 19:08
  Hey, if you want to find out more about us, Head over to aroundthehouse online.com.
• 19:13
  You can find the website there.
• 19:14
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• 19:17
  If you're out there, just look for.
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  Around the house show.
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  The podcast out there.
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  And your favorite podcast player we got.
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  Depending on the player, we've got about 2,000 episodes.
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  So if there's something you're looking to.
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  See, maybe you're planning on a ditch.
• 19:30
  Remodel, we covered that a few weeks ago.
• 19:33
  Maybe you're working on a foundation, stuff like that.
• 19:36
  We've got a lot of great stuff back there.
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  So if you need help on that next project, we do some really big.
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  One of the biggest rooms here in your house far as health, safety, luxury, feeling good, refreshing.
• 20:11
  Is that master bathroom and probably the most important one here, that is the one that can go sideways and is the most expensive to fix.
• 20:22
  Is the towel work on that shower.
• 20:25
  So here is where the train comes off the tracks, in my opinion.
• 20:29
  I know there's that tile installers out there.
• 20:31
  They're gonna really throw some rocks at me.
• 20:33
  And do I care?
• 20:33
  Not a bit, because this is my personal opinion.
• 20:36
  After doing this for, sheesh, 35 plus years, this is where I've seen the biggest problems with projects.
• 20:44
  You need to waterproof.
• 20:46
  That shower is one system and not a pile of parts.
• 20:51
  This is 2026, not 1978.
• 20:55
  We don't need a guy with a tar kettle in the house.
• 20:58
  We sure don't need a rubber liner.
• 21:00
  Buried under a mud bed.
• 21:02
  These newer foam systems out there for showers and there's some caveats here that we need to really pay attention to, I think do a better job and more and are more reliable and easier to install than those other
• 21:18
  systems.
• 21:19
  I'm not a hot mop fan.
• 21:20
  I know people in California do it other places.
• 21:24
  I just don't like bringing all that stuff inside the house.
• 21:28
  And I think that yes, it can work.
• 21:31
  I just think it's old technology and there's more reliable systems out there.
• 21:36
  If you're installing that mud pan and you've got the liner and you've got all this one little nick One little mistake, one trade in there during the time that they're doing the water test can absolutely cause a leak
• 21:51
  down the road, which will most likely cause you to tear this thing.
• 21:56
  So that's the key.
• 21:58
  So what I like about it, the liners you put in with these new systems, whether it's WEDI versus the Ardec system or Schluter or there are so many other brands out there, they all make good products.
• 22:14
  And I want to make sure that your tile installer is familiar with the one that you're using most of the time.
• 22:21
  I've used personally on my house, I've used Ardex and I've used wedi.
• 22:26
  When I built my steam shower, I used their vapor radius 85 so steam would not go through it because vapor is different than water.
• 22:33
  So it's something to consider with what you're doing on the project.
• 22:36
  So you don't have to worry about pre slope.
• 22:38
  You don't have to worry about clogged we poles or a punctured liner.
• 22:42
  This is one of those things.
• 22:44
  Now the mistakes that I see people make is they start mixing systems so they'll use the Schluter walls and a Wedi pan, or they'll use something off the shelf or they'll use the wrong adhesives, the wrong sealant.
• 23:01
  You need to use this as a system.
• 23:03
  You wouldn't want your car dealer, let's say it's a Ford putting Chevy parts on and say that'll be good.
• 23:10
  You want to have a system that's going to have a warranty, that's going to have a company that's going to stand behind it.
• 23:17
  So from start to finish, use that brand all the way through.
• 23:22
  And that's the key.
• 23:23
  So if you're doing a shower and you're using wedi, great.
• 23:27
  Use the WEDI throughout that project, all the pieces and parts you need.
• 23:32
  That way you've got a warranty that stands behind it.
• 23:35
  That is the mistakes that I see being made on this.
• 23:38
  And then the installer needs to follow those instructions.
• 23:41
  I want to make sure they're trained.
• 23:43
  Were they trained by the wrap?
• 23:45
  Have they used it for years?
• 23:47
  This is where I think homeowners can go sideways is they've got an installer that they've hired and let's say all they've ever done in their life is Schluter.
• 23:57
  And you go, nope, I want the Wheatie.
• 24:01
  Now they've got to learn some on your project.
• 24:05
  In that case, what I want to.
• 24:07
  Do is call the WEDI rep up.
• 24:10
  As the tile installer and have them out there on the job site walking it through.
• 24:15
  So maybe give them the opportunity to help train you.
• 24:18
  Done right, that's where the mistakes happen.
• 24:21
  So be really careful.
• 24:23
  We don't want to make this a big problem.
• 24:26
  And then maybe the installer swaps out a cheaper tape, skips sealant, and then you got a problem.
• 24:33
  Now the other problem you got to pay attention to if you're going to use little tiny tiles.
• 24:38
  To be honest, I'd stay away from it.
• 24:41
  Little tiny, like 1 inch tiles do not work well with foam bases or many of the other systems.
• 24:49
  So why get yourself in a problem?
• 24:52
  Why put it down there?
• 24:53
  Use a different tile.
• 24:55
  That's where your designer can help you work through picking the tile, getting the right system with your tile people, so.
• 25:02
  That way you're good.
• 25:04
  So here's the other thing.
• 25:06
  I want you to pay attention with this.
• 25:07
  It's super important.
• 25:09
  Pick a drain that works with that system.
• 25:13
  Because that drain, if you're using a WEDI system, you want to use the WEDI drain.
• 25:19
  That way you're not mixing those things in.
• 25:22
  So make sure early on that if you're going with a specialty color on the shower fixtures, the bathroom, that drain.
• 25:30
  Is going to work in the right color for you.
• 25:33
  Do you have something that holds up?
• 25:35
  One thing that I've done too, and we talked about this earlier, is when you're doing that shower system, I like to put Rockwell insulation behind it.
• 25:43
  I did that in my shower.
• 25:44
  It made it really quiet.
• 25:45
  It made it stay warmer in there as well.
• 25:48
  The heat didn't tend to radiate out and I think it just ended up.
• 25:51
  As a better project.
• 25:53
  So these are little things that make a huge difference.
• 25:56
  Another tip, where's your storage in there?
• 26:00
  Most people have that have hair, at least have different hair products.
• 26:04
  And if you've got a couple in there, there's two sets of hair products and soaps and everything else.
• 26:10
  Make sure that you've got a niche in there that works.
• 26:13
  If you're doing something luxury, don't forget to put lighting in that niche.
• 26:16
  You can put LED low voltage lighting.
• 26:19
  In there and light those things up.
• 26:21
  Looks killer.
• 26:22
  High end, not that much more money to do it.
• 26:26
  Make systems for that so that can look really cool without causing another place for a leak.
• 26:32
  And don't go cheap on the fixtures.
• 26:35
  When you put that shower drain in, you want to get the good one.
• 26:39
  Because if it's a matte black finish.
• 26:41
  On all your fixtures, you don't want.
• 26:42
  Cheap paint to come off.
• 26:44
  So use the right one.
• 26:46
  Get something that's going to be durable.
• 26:47
  That's it.
• 26:48
  If you're doing large format tiles or slabs, make sure you know that going in.
• 26:53
  And you want to make sure that the plumber has got things set up correctly.
• 26:57
  So that plumber tile installer need to work together to make sure that is set up correctly.
• 27:03
  Especially if you're doing like a higher end trough drain or things like that where you've got that long linear drain where maybe the shower is all going to go to the back, front, back side.
• 27:16
  However that's sloped, you need to make sure that system's going to work with what you've got going, the framing, which can be huge and everything else.
• 27:25
  Now when we come back here, this is where I think I see some of the biggest mistakes.
• 27:31
  And we're gonna start talking about some tile installers here because I tell you what, on all the social media pages that I see and the stuff that I see where I'm a moderator in a few groups and I'll
• 27:45
  see the homeowner in tears.
• 27:48
  Look at this.
• 27:49
  It's just like my friend that went through boy bunch of years ago, probably.
• 27:54
  Five or six now, had the repo.
• 27:57
  Contractor out there who did one of.
• 28:01
  The worst tile installs I've ever seen.
• 28:04
  And then he made it on TV.
• 28:06
  Going back because she kicked him off the job site.
• 28:09
  He broke into the house, ended up smashing the shower system out because she.
• 28:16
  Said, stop, this is looking bad.
• 28:18
  We got to figure it out.
• 28:20
  And he got between a hard place and he did some bad decisions.
• 28:25
  He'd done this before and he trashed her shower all while doing it on camera.
• 28:32
  And these days you'd go, oh, it's AI.
• 28:35
  Except this guy got convicted and gotten serious trouble down there in Denver.
• 28:40
  So these are things you want to.
• 28:41
  Be careful with around the house.
• 28:42
  We write back, we're going to talk about installers, what to look for, just.
• 28:46
  To see soon as around the House return.
• 29:04
  Welcome back to the around the House.
• 29:05
  Show, your trusted source for everything about your home.
• 29:08
  I'm Eric G.
• 29:09
  Hey, if you're catching us for the first time, you can find us at around the house online.com if you're on the podcast.
• 29:16
  Thanks for tuning in.
• 29:17
  And for all you on the radio, thanks for tuning in to your local radio station and catching us right here in your hometown.
• 29:24
  Now, we've been talking about my tips, my top 10 tips for taking care of the design and remodel of your master bathroom.
• 29:33
  If you're Thinking about redesigning, fluffing up, making it look better.
• 29:38
  That master bathroom.
• 29:39
  This show is for you.
• 29:41
  Now here's the thing that I see one of the biggest issues online, and we were talking about this a little bit earlier, but I am in a ton of different online groups, Facebook groups, that kind of stuff, where
• 29:53
  there's lots.
• 29:54
  Of homeowner questions, problems, that kind of stuff.
• 29:56
  It's kind of the new call in version of what talk radio used to be years ago.
• 30:01
  Here's the thing, One of the biggest problems I see are the wrong people getting hired for tile installation.
• 30:09
  That's where the train comes off the tracks many times and the contractor maybe hires somebody that isn't so good or they send the wrong guy out to the job site or the wrong girl.
• 30:20
  And now you got a hot mess.
• 30:22
  So here's the thing.
• 30:23
  Here is my insider trick.
• 30:26
  Hire a certified tile installer, not just somebody's tile guy.
• 30:31
  There are about 2000 certified tile installers in the entire country.
• 30:35
  Ask yourself what the odds are that the low bidder is one of them.
• 30:40
  A master bath shower is not a floor.
• 30:42
  It's a waterproof assembly that happens to have tile on it.
• 30:45
  And if a person building it doesn't understand the membranes, the slope, the pan detailing, and you don't get a repair, you get a tear out all of it.
• 30:53
  That's where you got to start over.
• 30:55
  And in a master bath, the water that gets past it can, can land on the living room ceiling below.
• 31:00
  So here's one of the biggest issues out there.
• 31:03
  There's no license for tile work in most states.
• 31:06
  Anybody can print a business card.
• 31:07
  The one thing that separates the real installer from a guy with a wet saw is a third party certification.
• 31:14
  So who I like are the Ceramic Tile Educators foundation, backed by the TCNA and the nta.
• 31:22
  So what you're looking for is a cti, a Certified Tile installer.
• 31:27
  It's the only third party assessment of installer skills in the tile industry that they recognize.
• 31:32
  It's just not a class you sit through.
• 31:35
  It's 155 question open book exam on ANSI and TCNA standards, plus a hands on test graded by senior evaluators.
• 31:45
  It's hard, deliberately hard.
• 31:48
  And in the first seven months of 2025, 123 installers attempted it and and 52 passed.
• 31:54
  Since 08, it has certified roughly 2,000 installers nationwide.
• 32:00
  Now, of course, there's even higher grades for this kind of thing.
• 32:05
  So the credential to ask for, of course, is the certified tile installer if you want to take it up another notch, ask about act.
• 32:12
  ACT Advanced Certification for tile installers is the next tier up and you have to already be a CTI to sit for it.
• 32:22
  There's seven specialty areas and three of them are what could hold your master bath together.
• 32:29
  Shower Receptors, which covers curbs, curbless membranes, and large format tile and substrate prep.
• 32:37
  The last one matters because prep is the step that never shows up in the before and after photo and usually the reason why that project fails the later on.
• 32:47
  So how do you find them?
• 32:49
  CTEF runs a zip code locator at ceramic tile foundation.org Enter your city zip, pick your radius, get certified tile installers near you.
• 33:01
  So that's the big one right there.
• 33:03
  Look for the COA marker.
• 33:05
  COE marker.
• 33:06
  That means that they've signed the code of ethics.
• 33:09
  So it's really good.
• 33:11
  So four questions you ask that tile installer.
• 33:15
  What's your CTI number?
• 33:17
  Real one has one and we'll give it to you.
• 33:19
  They've worked their butt off to get it.
• 33:22
  They'll proudly hand it over.
• 33:24
  Which waterproof system are you using and are you certified on it?
• 33:29
  One manufacturer's system, end to end, not a mix and match.
• 33:33
  That's a big one.
• 33:35
  So take your time, work through it, and ask the right questions for your bathroom.
• 33:41
  Now here's the next one here for you guys.
• 33:44
  Two sinks, but only if the wall math actually works.
• 33:48
  Now, your bathrooms that were made, oh, before 1980 in the Master bathroom can be inherently small.
• 33:56
  There might be a shower little 36 by 36 or even in the 70s.
• 34:02
  You'll see the 32 by 32.
• 34:04
  A toilet and a 36 inch vanity.
• 34:07
  Tiny by today's standards, so this won't apply to you.
• 34:12
  But everybody wants two sinks in there.
• 34:15
  Almost nobody measures the wall first.
• 34:18
  So here are my rules for this.
• 34:21
  60 inches or 5ft is not a double vanity.
• 34:24
  It's two sinks apologizing to each other.
• 34:28
  So here's the thing.
• 34:30
  Code minimum between sink center lines is 30 inches.
• 34:33
  I wouldn't do it unless there's at least 36.
• 34:37
  Now here's the code minimum as well.
• 34:39
  Center line of that sink to a sidewall, 15 inches.
• 34:42
  Designed for at least 20.
• 34:44
  Total vanity wall needed for two sinks.
• 34:46
  They say 60 inches is code minimum.
• 34:49
  I think you need 76 for it to even make sense.
• 34:53
  So there's the thing.
• 34:56
  Code minimum in front of that is 21 inches.
• 34:58
  If you can get 30, you're better off.
• 35:01
  Now that has to do with where the toilet is.
• 35:04
  Maybe the toilet's behind you or there's a narrow hallway kind of feel to it that can really get you.
• 35:11
  So run those numbers and you can see the trap immediately.
• 35:14
  Somebody measures that 60 inch wall, sees that a 60 inch double vanity exists and orders one right offline.
• 35:21
  And I tell you what, it's legal most times, but you got nothing to spare and you end up with two people standing there shoulder to shoulder in a tight space.
• 35:32
  It's not comfortable.
• 35:33
  Did you check a box?
• 35:34
  Yeah.
• 35:35
  Does it look horrible?
• 35:36
  Is it functional?
• 35:37
  Absolutely.
• 35:39
  So under 60 inches of vanity wall, put in one great sink with counter on both sides, it'll function better every single morning than two cramped bowls.
• 35:49
  If you're between 60 and 72, you're on the fence.
• 35:52
  It's a judgment call.
• 35:53
  And this is where the tip number 10 comes back.
• 35:56
  Because every comp in your neighborhood has a double, you may want to find the wall for it, even if it's tight.
• 36:03
  Two things people, nobody.
• 36:04
  Two things that nobody warns you about too.
• 36:06
  Two sinks, two drains, two traps, two sets of supply lines.
• 36:10
  You lose real cabinet storage to plumbing and then you have little tiny storage areas on the side.
• 36:18
  So that can be an issue.
• 36:20
  So measure the wall before you fall in love with that vanity that you saw at Costco or at the home improvement store.
• 36:27
  76 inches is the comfortable double.
• 36:30
  60 inches is the legal one.
• 36:32
  If you're below that, just go with one sink because that's going to save your behind every single time.
• 36:38
  Now the last one I want to touch on here is over building the ventilation and then run it longer than you think.
• 36:46
  The fan is not there to clear the fog off the mirror.
• 36:48
  It's there to keep the mold out of your fifty thousand dollar room you just built.
• 36:53
  So here's the thing.
• 36:55
  Spend the time and the money on the ventilation.
• 36:58
  And here's why that is what's going to keep that room healthy and free of mold and mildew.
• 37:04
  What do I do?
• 37:06
  And this isn't a sponsor.
• 37:07
  I get that Panasonic vent fan, put it up in there and get it ducted right outside the house as quickly as I can with as little elbows as possible.
• 37:16
  And follow your building code.
• 37:18
  In most places that has to be maybe an insulated flex duck, depending on how cold it is.
• 37:24
  If you miss this part up.
• 37:25
  This is the issue.
• 37:27
  If you're in a cold area in a humid one, maybe it's near freezing up in your attic space.
• 37:34
  If you're taking high humidity up there, that's cool.
• 37:38
  And you're running, for instance, that hot humid Air up into it and it's not insulated.
• 37:43
  Here's what happens.
• 37:45
  That will condense in the cold metal.
• 37:47
  And now you're wondering, why do I have water dripping in the middle of my bathroom floor out of my vent?
• 37:52
  That's why.
• 37:54
  So make sure you got it and size it as big as you can.
• 37:58
  I usually like to put in 120 CFM fans.
• 38:01
  No matter the size of the bathroom, they're quiet, you'll barely hear them, and it's going to do a better job.
• 38:08
  I always joked that Panasonic killed the heated bath mirror industry by just getting the humidity out of there.
• 38:16
  But it's not all about humidity.
• 38:18
  This is where you need to spend the time.
• 38:20
  This is going to take out the chemicals from the hair products, the smells from the bathroom.
• 38:27
  Somebody uses the bathroom in front of you, you come in, it's not going to smell like it's torn up if the fan's been running.
• 38:33
  And of course, building code usually requires you have a timer on there to make this work.
• 38:39
  Right.
• 38:39
  So you want to have that thing running 20 minutes or a half hour beyond that time that you're in there.
• 38:46
  So make sure that it's drying out the shower, that it's doing all that.
• 38:50
  Now if you have hard water and you're tired of squee that shower.
• 38:54
  Another part of this you can put in the air.
• 38:56
  Modest system.
• 38:57
  This is a drying system for the shower.
• 38:59
  So you can take that squeegee and throw it away or put it out for when you're cleaning outside.
• 39:04
  No need to squeegee if it's drying the water droplets off.
• 39:08
  So take a look at airmada.
• 39:10
  That's a great way to go.
• 39:11
  All right, guys, we're running out of time.
• 39:13
  If you want to make a comment on this, head over to aroundthe house online.com and you can reach me there in the Contact Us page.
• 39:20
  And of course, you can find us on social media, including our YouTube channels.
• 39:24
  We've got two of them.
• 39:25
  I'm Eric G.
• 39:26
  Thanks for tuning into around the House.
• 39:28
  We'll see you next time.
• 39:36
  Take this good time and turn it up louder.
• 39:40
  No one ever talks about the night Stay with the bed counting them.