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IKO Bathroom Remodeling: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
If you have an IKO bathroom product that’s failed or is starting to show its age, we’ll replace it and rebuild the surrounding area properly. For Fort Lauderdale homeowners, a full IKO bathroom remodel typically runs $9,000 – $28,000 depending on the size of the space, the fixtures you choose, and how much of the old plumbing and substrate needs to come out. Most owners discover a problem the same way: a soft spot under the tile near the shower curb, a vanity door that no longer closes square because the cabinet has swelled, or water staining on the ceiling below a second-floor bathroom.
Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale is an independent contractor. We’re not affiliated with IKO, but we’ve worked with their products in South Florida bathrooms for years, and we know what fails first in this climate. The humidity here doesn’t cause problems on its own; it just finds whatever was installed wrong and makes it obvious within a season or two.
Which IKO Models This Applies To
IKO makes a range of bathroom-adjacent building products, most commonly known for roofing and waterproofing membranes, but many Fort Lauderdale homes have IKO underlayment or water barriers beneath their tile and shower pans. The compatibility question that matters most isn’t the model number stamped on a box; it’s what’s behind your tile and how the layers were assembled. When we open a wall in a bathroom remodel, we check the substrate (the moisture-resistant layer behind your tile), the shower pan liner, and the condition of the subfloor.
For IKO specifically, the key spec to match is the membrane thickness. Their shower and wet-area membranes come in different mils (thickness ratings), and using a thin membrane where a thick one was specified is a common DIY mistake that shows up as moisture weeping through grout lines within a year. If you’re replacing an IKO membrane, we match the original spec rather than substituting whatever’s on the shelf. Quality aftermarket equivalents exist, but in a humid climate like Fort Lauderdale, we default to the manufacturer’s spec unless there’s a documented reason to deviate. One thing to know: IKO’s waterproofing products are designed to work as a system. Mixing a different brand’s drain assembly with an IKO membrane can void the warranty on both. We verify compatibility before ordering anything.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your IKO Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Grout that won’t stay dry in the corners. Corners are where waterproofing membranes get folded and fastened. If the grout darkens after every shower and doesn’t lighten back up, moisture is getting behind the tile and the membrane has likely failed.
- A musty smell you can’t source. In Fort Lauderdale’s humidity, trapped moisture behind tile starts smelling within weeks. If the smell returns hours after cleaning, there’s water sitting where water shouldn’t be.
- Loose or hollow-sounding floor tile near the shower or tub. This usually means the wood subfloor underneath has swelled and separated from the tile. The tile itself is fine; the structure beneath it is not.
- Staining on the ceiling below an upstairs bathroom. By the time you see a ceiling stain, the leak has been active for a while. This is not a caulk-and-paint fix; it’s a membrane failure.
- A shower pan that flexes when you stand in it. A properly set pan is rigid. Flex means the mortar bed beneath the membrane has broken down or was never compacted correctly.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
In Fort Lauderdale, here’s what we see on IKO bathroom remodels:
- Small bathroom remodel: $5,000 – $12,000
- Full bathroom remodel: $9,000 – $28,000
- Walk-in shower installation: $4,500 – $12,000
- Tub-to-shower conversion: $3,500 – $10,000
- Shower replacement: $3,000 – $8,500
- Bathroom vanity installation: $800 – $3,000
What drives the number up or down: the square footage of tile, whether the old waterproofing membrane needs full removal, the condition of the subfloor once we open it, and the fixture lines you choose. We install Kohler and Moen fixtures, and our pricing includes the written quote before any work starts. That number on day one is the number on the invoice. Every job carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the work fails inside that year, we come back and fix it at no charge. It’s in writing, on every project.
DIY or Call Us?
If you suspect an IKO waterproofing failure, you can safely check a few things. Look for grout that stays dark after the bathroom has been dry for a few hours. Check corners and where the wall tile meets the floor tile. If the shower pan flexes under foot, stop using the shower and call us. What I’d caution against is pulling tile to investigate on your own. Once you break the tile surface, you’ve compromised whatever waterproofing remained, and now the clock is running on water damage to the subfloor and potentially the ceiling framing below. That’s the point where a $3,500 membrane replacement becomes a $15,000 structural repair. If it’s suspect, call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll come tell you what’s actually going on.
FAQs
A properly installed IKO membrane should last 20 years or more, but a poorly installed one can fail within two years in our humidity. Installation quality matters more than the brand. If the original installer used the wrong fasteners, didn’t seal the corners correctly, or used an incompatible drain assembly, the membrane fails early. Call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll tell you what failed and why.
No. A waterproofing membrane is a continuous barrier, and once it’s compromised, patching one section means water finds the seam eventually. The repair is a replacement. The cost is in the labor and tile work, not the membrane itself, so repairing a section saves very little. For an exact number based on your bathroom’s size and condition, call (754) 551-2922.
A small bathroom with a straightforward membrane replacement and tile work typically takes 3 to 5 workdays. A full gut remodel with new fixtures, cabinetry, and custom tile runs 1 to 2 weeks. We provide a defined arrival window before we start, and Trevor Nash walks you through the schedule in writing before the first day.
We stock common IKO membrane thicknesses on the truck, along with Kohler and Moen fixtures, KraftMaid cabinetry, and Cambria or Silestone countertops for bathrooms that call for them. If your job needs an uncommon spec, we order it and give you the exact lead time in the written quote. Call (754) 551-2922 for a free estimate.
Tell me what you need, I’ll tell you what it costs – then we’ll get it done. The fastest way to get an exact price for your IKO bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale is a phone call to (754) 551-2922. A live person answers, we’ll schedule a time to look at the bathroom, and you’ll get a written price before anything gets pulled apart.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale at Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
