The Project
A homeowner reached out about a master bathroom that needed more than a paint refresh. The shower stall walls were dated, the texture was inconsistent, and the homeowner wanted a clean, contemporary finish with custom tile detail and a built-in niche — without the disruption of a full gut remodel.
The scope settled into three phases: waterproofing the shower assembly, custom tile install with a recessed niche and pebble accent wall, and finishing details (drain, fixtures, paint integration with the surrounding bathroom). All three phases delivered as one continuous project with one crew on a single timeline.
Phase 1 — Waterproofing the Shower
The waterproofing phase is the part most homeowners never see, and it is also the part that determines whether the bathroom holds up over time. We installed a Schluter-grade waterproofing membrane across all shower walls and the base, with full coverage on every seam and around the niche cutout. Screw spots were treated and sealed before any tile went up.
Tile install with leveling system — large-format porcelain laid with red leveling clips for a flat, even surface. Sarasota, June 2023.
Why this matters: most shower failures trace back to an inadequate waterproofing layer behind the tile. By the time the homeowner sees a stain, water has been migrating behind the wall for months. We do not skip this step, and we do not let it become an upcharge buried in the proposal.
The waterproofing phase determines whether the bathroom holds up. Everything visible above it is built on what is hidden below.
Phase 2 — Tile Install with Custom Detail
Once the waterproofing was sealed and inspected, tile install began. The homeowner had selected a large-format porcelain in a cream wood-grain pattern for the main walls, paired with a pebble-stone mosaic accent wall on the right side and matching tile across the floor.
Large-format tile is unforgiving. If the substrate is even slightly out of plane, the tile lippage shows under any sidelight and the result reads as amateur. We use a tile leveling system (the red clips visible in the install photo) to hold each tile flat against its neighbors during cure. The result is a wall plane that reads as one continuous surface, not a grid of individual tiles.
- Waterproofing membrane applied to all walls and the base before any tile
- Built-in recessed niche for shampoo and storage
- Large-format porcelain in cream wood-grain — main walls and floor
- Pebble-stone mosaic accent wall — right side, with drain inset
- Tile leveling system used throughout for a uniform plane
Phase 3 — Finishing Details
The finish phase is where most projects either come together or fall apart. The drain inlet had to integrate cleanly with the pebble mosaic. The transition between the wall tile and the ceiling needed a clean line, not a caulk smear. The recessed niche needed flat, square interior corners with no visible texture variation.
Detail of a second shower in the same home — white marble-look porcelain with a recessed niche. Sarasota, June 2023.
This is also where homeowners get blindsided by separate trades. A drywall trade finishes the wall, a tile trade installs the tile, a paint trade comes in for the surrounding bathroom — and the boundaries between them become the failure points. Because Presiado handles the integrated scope, the boundaries get the same attention as the centers.
What This Project Tells Us About the Process
This was not a custom new-construction bathroom. It was a remodel of an existing space where the homeowner wanted a contemporary finish with real durability behind the visible surface. Three things made the difference:
- Waterproofing first, always. No tile goes up until the membrane is verified.
- Leveling system on large-format tile. Lippage is what separates an amateur job from a professional one.
- Single crew across all phases. The boundaries between phases are where most bathroom remodels fail.
The same disciplined process applies whether the scope is a full bathroom remodel, a shower stall replacement, or a focused drywall repair with paint integration. The standard does not change with the scope.
About the Homeowner Trust Factor
One detail Sarasota homeowners often ask about: who is on-site, and who is accountable. Presiado Home Improvement LLC is a registered Florida LLC carrying general liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage. Documentation is provided with every proposal, and the same crew that starts the project finishes the project. There is no subcontractor handoff at the boundary between phases.
Looking at a Bathroom or Drywall Project of Your Own?
If you are evaluating a bathroom remodel or a related drywall and painting project, the dedicated service pages below cover the most common scopes Sarasota homeowners ask us about. Or call (941) 704-3464 for a free on-site walkthrough.