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Tamko Bathroom Remodeling: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
Tamko bathroom remodeling projects in Fort Lauderdale typically run $9,000 to $28,000 installed, with most full-gut renovations landing between $12,000 and $18,000. We stock Tamko-compatible waterproofing membranes, backer boards, and shower pans on our trucks, which means the moisture-barrier materials behind your tile are ready when your walls come open. Most homeowners discover a failed Tamko component the hard way: grout cracking at the floor line, a soft spot in the drywall behind the vanity, or water staining on the ceiling of the room below.
What we see most often in Fort Lauderdale is a shower pan or waterproofing membrane that gave out years before the tile showed any sign of trouble. By the time you see the damage, the substrate has been wicking moisture for a while. We’re an independent service provider, not affiliated with Tamko, and we work with their membranes and pans because they hold up in South Florida humidity when installed correctly. The key word there is correctly, and that’s where a lot of previous remodels in this area went wrong.
If you’re standing in a bathroom with failing tile or a floor that flexes when you step, call us at (754) 551-2922. We’ll give you a written price before any work starts, and the number on day one is the number on the invoice.
Which Tamko Models This Applies To
Most Tamko bathroom work we handle in Fort Lauderdale involves either the Tamko waterproofing membrane (the orange or blue sheet membrane applied behind tile in wet areas) or a Tamko shower pan liner. These are not branded by model numbers the way faucets are; they’re identified by thickness, width, and material spec. The membrane comes in rolls, typically 3 to 6 feet wide, and the liner is sold by the square foot. If you have the original material from your remodel, check the roll or packaging for the mil thickness. That number tells you what was buried in your walls.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha most owners never hear: not all Tamko membranes are rated for steam showers. If you’re converting a standard walk-in to a steam shower in Fort Lauderdale, the existing membrane may not be spec’d for the sustained vapor load. We check this before we open the wall, because installing a non-steam-rated membrane behind a steam shower is exactly how you get mold inside your framing by year two. When it comes to OEM versus aftermarket, Tamko’s product is priced reasonably enough that we don’t see a reason to substitute. The membrane is the cheap part of the job. The labor to rip out and redo failed tile is the expensive part.
We also stock parts and hardware for KraftMaid and Cambria installations, along with Silestone countertops, so if your Tamko membrane failure means replacing a vanity or a top, we can handle the whole job without scheduling three different contractors.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Tamko Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Grout cracking at the floor-to-wall seam. This is the first visible sign of shower pan movement or water swelling in the substrate. The grout fails because what’s under it is moving. Re-grouting alone won’t fix it the water has already gotten behind the tile.
- A soft or spongy spot in the floor outside the shower. Water that escapes a failed pan liner travels along the subfloor. In Fort Lauderdale homes built before the 1990s, that subfloor is often plywood, and plywood rots fast once it stays damp. You’ll feel it give before you see any staining.
- Mold or mildew odor that comes back within days of cleaning. Persistent odor means moisture is trapped somewhere you can’t see: behind tile, under the pan, inside the wall cavity. Surface cleaning can’t reach it. The colony is feeding on wet building material.
- Loose or hollow-sounding tiles on the lower shower wall. Tap the bottom two feet of your shower walls with a knuckle. If they sound hollow or the tile flexes, the adhesive has lost its bond to the substrate. That happens when the membrane behind it has been saturated for months.
- Water staining on the ceiling or walls of the room below. By the time water shows up on the ceiling of the floor below, the leak has been active for weeks. This is the stage where a $400 patch becomes a $9,000 replacement because the damage is structural, not cosmetic.
See the difference
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After
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
A Tamko bathroom remodeling replacement in Fort Lauderdale typically costs $9,000 to $28,000 installed. The spread comes down to three things: how much of the old waterproofing has to come out, whether adjacent surfaces (vanity, flooring, drywall) were damaged, and the materials you choose for the finished surfaces. A straightforward shower pan and membrane replacement in a small bathroom usually falls between $9,000 and $14,000. A full tear-out with new tile, vanity, and plumbing rough-in work can run $18,000 to $28,000.
Here’s what you should expect included in that number, written on paper before any work starts:
- Tear-out and disposal of the failed tile, backer board, and membrane
- Inspection and repair of damaged framing or subfloor (we’ll tell you what we found, show you photos, and price any additional framing work before we touch it)
- New Tamko waterproofing membrane installed to spec, including corners, seams, and the pan
- New cement board substrate, the moisture-resistant layer behind your tile
- Tile, grout, and trim work to your material selections
- A written 365-day guarantee on the entire installation
Every job gets a written price before a single tile is pulled. If the number changes because we found rotted framing behind the wall, you’ll know before we spend a dollar. We don’t do change orders that show up on the invoice without a conversation first.
DIY or Call Us?
An honest split: you can safely check the visible signs yourself. Tap your shower tiles and listen for hollow spots. Run a bead of water along the shower floor and watch how it drains. Check the ceiling below the bathroom for discoloration. What you cannot safely do is open your own shower wall and rebuild the waterproofing envelope correctly without training. A membrane seam that’s lapped the wrong way, or a pan liner folded instead of properly dammed at the curb, will fail within eighteen months, and you’ll pay to do the job twice.
There’s a real safety difference here too. A shower that has been leaking for months often has mold in the wall cavity. Disturbing that material without respirators, containment, and proper disposal gives you a lungful of spores and spreads them through the house. Our crews are equipped for that on day one. We’re background-checked, uniformed, and we show up in the window we gave you. If you’ve been burned before by a contractor who disappeared after the check cleared, Trevor Nash runs this job the other way: a written scope, a realistic number, and a guarantee in writing. Tell me what you need, I’ll tell you what it costs, then we’ll get it done.
Call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll come take a look. The estimate is free, and it’s a written number, not a verbal ballpark.
FAQs
A correctly installed Tamko membrane behind tile should last 20 to 30 years in Fort Lauderdale’s climate, but the tile and grout above it will typically show wear before the membrane fails. The membrane’s lifespan is only as good as the installation, which is why we pull permits and document every step before the tile goes back on.
In most cases no, because a failed pan means water has already saturated the substrate and likely the subfloor beneath it. You can patch the visible tile, but the leak continues behind the wall. The only honest fix is to open the shower, replace the membrane and pan, and rebuild the assembly. Call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll tell you straight whether your situation is an exception.
A full shower pan and membrane replacement in Fort Lauderdale typically takes 5 to 7 working days from demolition to grout, plus 24 to 48 hours for the new membrane and tile adhesive to cure before the shower is used. We give you a defined arrival window before work starts and we hold to it.
Yes, we carry standard Tamko membrane rolls, corner seals, and pan liner material on our trucks, along with backer board and the fasteners rated for humid Southern Florida conditions. For larger projects, we’ll order exact quantities so you’re not paying for leftover material you don’t need.
Ready to get a written price? Call (754) 551-2922 for a free estimate on your Tamko bathroom remodeling in Fort Lauderdale. A real person answers, 24/7.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale at Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
