How much does a tile shower cost in Virginia?

There is no published or standard price for a tile shower in Virginia. No state agency sets one, and a shower is priced as a custom job: the same small shower can be a modest retile or a full rebuild, depending on what is behind the old tile and what you want in front of it. The useful answer is to know what drives the number, describe your shower the same way to every installer, and compare written bids line by line.

What drives the price

Size. Installers price by the area to be tiled, so a tall shower tiled to the ceiling costs more than one tiled to just above the shower head. Measure the floor and each wall before you ask for quotes.

Demolition and what it uncovers. Tearing out an old shower, hauling away the debris and protecting the rest of the house all take time. The real unknown is the framing and subfloor: a shower that has leaked for years often has soft wood behind it. Ask how each bid handles rot found during demolition and at what rate the repair is billed.

The pan and waterproofing. A traditional mortar bed with a liner, a pre-sloped foam tray, and a liquid or sheet membrane over backer board are different systems with different material and labour costs. All of them can work. What matters is that the bid names the system and the product, so you know what is being built under the tile.

Tile choice. The tile's price per square foot is only part of it. Small mosaics take longer to set and grout, and patterns, borders and mitred edges add labour. Large tiles need flatter walls: industry flatness tolerances for tile under 15 inches allow 1/4 inch of variation in 10 feet, while tile 15 inches and larger allows only 1/8 inch in 10 feet,^[6] so big-format tile can mean extra wall preparation.

Features. Each niche, bench, curbless entry or linear drain adds waterproofing detail and cutting. Glass doors or panels are usually a separate trade with their own quote, and often their own wait while the glass is measured and made.

Plumbing changes and permits

Keeping the drain, valve and shower head where they are is the cheapest path. Moving them is a different job. Virginia's building code requires a permit for work that alters the water supply, drainage or vent system,^[3] while it lists replacement of plumbing fixtures without altering those systems, and replacement of floor and interior wall finishes in homes, among ordinary repairs that need no permit application.^[3]

Plumbing work also brings in a licensed plumber. Virginia requires a master tradesman licence as a condition of licensing plumbing contractors,^[2] so a tile installer without a plumbing licence will either subcontract that part or ask you to hire a plumber.

Permit fees are set locally. As one example, Montgomery County's Building Inspections office inspects construction in the unincorporated parts of the county,^[5] and when we checked its fee page on October 27, 2026, a residential plumbing trade permit was $0.03 per square foot with a $45 minimum,^[4] plus a 2% Virginia State Levy and a 2% technology fee with a $10 minimum.^[4] Towns and cities with their own building offices set their own fees, so check with yours.

In an older house, the old tile, mastic or wall materials can add a cost before any new work starts. EPA says you generally cannot tell whether a material contains asbestos by looking at it,^[7] and removing or disturbing asbestos-containing materials during construction also needs a permit.^[3] If testing is needed, it belongs in the budget.

Who you hire changes the paperwork, not only the price

A Class C contractor licence covers jobs over $1,000 and under $30,000.^[2] DPOR says that work valued at $1,000 or more needs a valid Virginia contractor's licence for the category of work,^[1] so check that a business quoting a tile shower holds one. Check it before you sign; see how to check a Virginia contractor's licence, and the questions worth asking in what to ask a tile installer before a shower job.

Getting bids you can compare

DPOR advises getting at least three written bids using identical plans and specifications.^[1] For a shower, that means the same measurements, the same tile or tile allowance, and the same decisions about the drain, valve, niche, bench and glass. Ask each bid to name the waterproofing membrane, the pan method, the setting mortar and grout, and to list demolition, repairs, plumbing and cleanup as separate lines.

Then check the payment terms. DPOR's rule of thumb is a deposit of no more than 10% of the total price or $1,000, whichever is less, and up to 30% when the job needs custom-made items or special orders.^[1] More on that in how much deposit a Virginia contractor can ask for.

Doing part of it yourself

Some homeowners save money by doing the demolition or the waterproofing themselves and hiring out the tile setting, or the other way round. If you go that route, read how to waterproof a shower before tiling, and agree in writing who is responsible for a leak.

Stop and call a pro if

• The drain, valve or water lines need to move. That is permit work for a licensed plumber.
• Demolition finds rotted studs, subfloor or joists, or the floor sags.
• The old materials may contain asbestos.
• There is water damage or mold spreading beyond the shower itself.

You can browse shower tile installers, look up flooring and tile businesses around Blacksburg, or read the other flooring and tile answers. Loclis's own fees are on the pricing page. To get quotes from licensed businesses, describe your shower on Loclis.