What should I ask a tile installer before a shower job?

Before you hire anyone to build or rebuild a tile shower, ask five things: whether the business is licensed in Virginia, how the shower will be waterproofed, who handles the plumbing and the permit, what insurance and warranty come with the job, and whether you can see showers they have already built. Then get the answers into a written contract. A shower that leaks behind the tile usually does so for years before anyone notices, so the questions you ask before work starts matter more than they do for most jobs.

Are you licensed, and for this work?

Virginia's Class C contractor licence covers jobs over $1,000 and under $30,000.^[2] Virginia's tile, marble, ceramic and terrazzo specialty (TMC) covers installing ceramic and other tile and cementitious board,^[3] and the home improvement (HIC) specialty and the residential and commercial building classifications also provide for that work.^[3]

Ask for the licence number and look it up yourself. DPOR's own guide warns: "A license number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the contractor’s license is valid."^[1] Check the class and specialty as well as the status; the Board for Contractors also has information on past complaints and disciplinary actions.^[1] Step-by-step help is in how to check if a contractor is licensed in Virginia.

Who does the plumbing, and who pulls the permit?

If the drain, valve or shower head is moving, ask who is doing that part. The HIC specialty does not provide for plumbing,^[3] and Virginia requires a master tradesman licence as a condition of licensing plumbing contractors,^[2] so a tile installer without a plumbing licence should name the licensed plumber they work with.

Ask who will apply for any permit. DPOR's guidance is that licensed contractors should apply for and obtain all building permits, not the homeowner,^[1] and it warns that the permit holder becomes the general contractor and takes on responsibility for the job.^[1]

How will you waterproof it?

This is the question that separates installers. A good answer names the system: the membrane or pan product, the board on the walls, how the corners, niche, bench and drain are treated, and how the floor is sloped. Be wary of "the tile and grout keep the water out": membrane makers state that mortars and grouts are not replacements for a waterproofing membrane.^[5]

Ask whether they flood test the floor before setting tile. HYDRO BAN's data sheet, for example, says to flood test prior to applying tile or stone,^[5] and says tile installations must include movement joints at coves, corners and other changes of plane.^[5] In practice that usually means flexible caulk, not grout, in the inside corners and where the walls meet the floor. Ask to see the membrane, or a photo of it, before the tile covers it.

Can I see showers you have built?

Ask how long the installer has been setting tile and whether they have built showers like yours, not only floors or backsplashes. Ask for photos of finished showers and look for even spacing, straight grout lines, no lippage (edges of neighbouring tiles at different heights) and a balanced layout. Look closely at niches, corners and the curb, where the hardest cuts are.

Call references. Ask whether the work finished on schedule, whether the price held, and whether the shower has leaked or the grout has cracked since.

What insurance and warranty come with the job?

Ask what liability and workers' compensation insurance the business carries and ask to see the certificate. Ask what the installer's warranty against leaks covers and how long it lasts, and get the length and the terms into the contract.

What about lead and asbestos?

If your home was built before 1978, tearing out a shower usually disturbs painted walls. EPA's lead rule requires anyone paid to do work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 to be certified,^[6] so ask for the firm's lead-safe certification. Ask too how they will handle old tile and adhesive that might contain asbestos.

Get the answers in writing

DPOR advises getting at least three written bids using identical plans and specifications.^[1] Once you choose, Virginia's contractor regulations require a written contract for residential work that includes, among other things:^[4]

• when work is to begin and the estimated completion date
• the total cost of the project
• the amounts and schedule of progress payments, including the down payment
• a list of the specified materials and work
• a statement that the contractor will comply with local permit, inspection and zoning requirements
• the contractor's name, address, licence number, class of licence and specialty
• a statement that any change to cost, materials, work or completion date must be in writing and signed by all parties

For the deposit, DPOR's rule of thumb is a deposit of no more than 10% of the total or $1,000, whichever is less.^[1] For what the job may cost and why bids differ, see how much a tile shower costs in Virginia.

Stop and call a pro if

• An installer suggests you pull the permit yourself, or wants to move plumbing without a licensed plumber.
• Demolition turns up rot, a sagging floor or damaged joists. That needs repair before any tile work.
• Your current shower is already leaking into a ceiling or wall. Have the leak traced first; see why a tile shower leaks.

You can browse shower tile installers, look up licensed flooring and tile businesses around Blacksburg, or read the other flooring and tile answers. To have licensed businesses quote your shower, describe the job on Loclis.