Floor Replacement, Start to Finish
Old floor out at the wall line. New floor sloped to drain.
This page walks the full replacement sequence we run on every Southington floor: how we protect your walls and glass, what the substrate inspection covers, the waterproofing assembly, tile and grout choices that survive bare feet and shampoo, and the flood-and-flow tests before handoff. If your pan liner is sound, we keep it and prove it; if it's not, the pan page explains the rebuild.
- Surgical removal. Floor out to a clean wall line; sound walls and glass preserved.
- Substrate rebuilt. Sloped bed verified or re-poured — ponding is never 'normal.'
- Waterproofed assembly. Membrane lapped up walls and clamped at the drain.
- Full-coverage setting. No spot-bonding, no hollow tiles — ever.
- Epoxy grout standard. Stain-proof joints that stay clean under daily use.
- Tested handoff. Flow test to drain + walkthrough before final payment.
Southington notes
Hall baths carry the load in Southington family homes: original tub walls with soap-scum grout, floors with cracked tiles at the doorway. Primary-bath shower floors from the 90s boom are delaminating on schedule now. Most Southington replacements run day-one rebuild, day-two tile and grout: Southington's 90s primary showers are failing in waves — loose floor tile and musty grout that no cleaner fixes. Re-tile the floor, save the walls. Shower again 24 hours after grout — timed to the hour at walkthrough.
The Southington floor rebuild
Six Southington shower floors, from workhorse mosaic to spa pebble.
Common questions
Minimum 1/4 inch per foot to the drain — verified with water before tile, not eyeballed. Ponding anywhere means re-do, on us.
Shampoo, body oils and hard water destroy cement grout on floors within years. Epoxy is stain-proof and waterproof — roughly $100–$200 more per floor, worth every cent.
We inspect every drain; clamping drains get cleaned and re-sealed, tired drains get replaced ($200–$600) while the floor is open — never tiled around and hoped about.
Cure times rule: base, membrane, setting and grout each need their hours. Rush them and you buy the next leak. Day one rebuild, day two finish.