What a tile shower costs in Bastrop County (and what moves the number)

The ballpark is $5,000 to $10,000

A ballpark for finishing out a shower ranges from $5,000 to $10,000, depending on size and materials. That is the number we give people across the counter, and it covers most of the showers we do around Smithville, Bastrop and La Grange.

It stays a range until somebody measures. A small alcove shower in a straightforward porcelain, with a simple floor and no pattern work, sits near the bottom. A larger walk-in with a bench, a niche, a mosaic floor and trim on every exposed edge sits near the top. Two bathrooms that look the same from the doorway can carry very different amounts of work once the old surround is out, which is why we confirm a firm number after measuring and scoping the job instead of quoting off a photo.

Three things move the number

Tile pricing varies by size, material, layout complexity, surface prep, waterproofing needs and finish details. In practice that sorts into three buckets.

Surface prep

Flatness, repairs, demo and whatever else has to be addressed before tile goes in. Prep is the least interesting line on a quote and the one most likely to decide whether the finished shower still looks right in five years. It is also the part nobody can see from the hallway, so it is the first thing a cheap number quietly leaves out.

Layout complexity

Patterns, mosaics, trim profiles and lots of cuts all take more time. Straight rows of subway tile on three flat walls go quickly. A herringbone run, a mosaic band that has to land at the same height on every wall, or a floor full of small pieces means more measuring, more cuts and more edges that have to look clean from two feet away. The tile itself may cost the same either way; the hours do not.

Finish details

Niches, benches, accent bands, the waterproofing a shower needs, and the edge and transition details at the curb, the ceiling and the corners. A niche is one small rectangle on a sketch and a real piece of work in the wall, with waterproofing and trim on every side of it. Benches are the same story. They are worth having, and they are not free.

Spend it on what you cannot see first

In wet areas the part you cannot see matters most. Waterproofing and slope to drain get done properly, and then the visible work, straight rows, consistent spacing, clean edges and corners, sits on top of a build that will last.

That order is worth keeping in mind when you compare quotes. It is easy to move money out of the assembly behind the tile and into a fancier tile, because only one of those two shows up in a photo. Tile shows everything: if the layout is off or the cuts are sloppy you notice it every time you walk in the room. A shortcut behind the tile does not announce itself at all until it has already done damage. If a number comes in well under the range, ask what is going in behind the tile.

Tile choice changes the price and the cleaning

Material is the easiest lever to pull in either direction, and it moves two things at once: what you pay and what you wipe.

Both polished and matte tile are easy to clean, but polished needs more day to day attention. It shows soap scum, fingerprints and water spots more readily than matte. We recommend a matte finish on floors and either polished or matte on walls, so a matte floor with polished walls is a common answer in a shower where somebody wants some shine without chasing water spots.

Natural stone is its own decision. It looks the way nothing else looks, and we recommend sealing it. Porcelain and ceramic ask less of you. And remember that a small mosaic floor is not cheap just because it is small: the square footage is low, the piece count is high, and the labor follows the piece count.

Pier-and-beam is not a reason to skip tile

Pier-and-beam is common in older Central Texas homes, and some builders shy away from tile over it because of foundation movement. With an uncoupling membrane and extra subfloor material, the assembly absorbs the natural shifting and deflection of the wood framing. We install over pier-and-beam regularly.

It does show up in the quote, because the membrane and the extra subfloor material are real materials and real hours. Mention the house when you send the request and the number you get back will already account for it.

How to get a firm number

Three steps, and none of them take long:

• Send the request. Tell us what you are doing and your timeline. Photos of the space and rough dimensions speed everything up, and you can attach them to the quote form or email them to the shop.
• Confirm scope and details. We confirm measurements, layout, prep and finish details so the quote matches the real job. Estimates are free, and the measurement happens at your place.
• Install and walkthrough. We install clean and finish clean, then walk the job with you so everything looks right before we leave.

For Bastrop, Smithville and La Grange homeowners

Bastrop, Smithville, Cedar Creek and Rosanky are all in Bastrop County, and La Grange is the seat of Fayette County next door. We install in all of them, and the showroom that serves them is at 301 Cleveland St. in Smithville, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 5:00.

Bastrop is about 15 minutes from the showroom on Highway 71 and La Grange about 25 minutes east on the same road, which makes it an easy trip to hold two tiles against your paint chip and a cabinet door instead of deciding off a phone screen. If you want the town version of this, we have pages for flooring in Bastrop and tile and flooring in La Grange, and the tile shower service page has more on how we build them.