Tile & Bathrooms

Tile Installation, Made For The Way You Live.

From waterproof shower systems to heated bathroom floors and detailed backsplashes, Bennett & Sons Installations handles the preparation and finish work needed for a clean, durable installation in Port Alberni and across Vancouver Island.

Request an EstimateCall David 778-676-3676

Tile & Bathroom Services

Four Kinds Of Tile Work, Each In Detail.

Each has its own page: what the job involves, how it goes in, real photographs and the questions people ask about it.

Custom Showers & Bathrooms

Showers Built From The Substrate Up.

Bathroom tile has to handle water, movement and daily use. The preparation underneath a shower matters as much as the tile you see, and both get attention here.

  • Shower walls and floors
  • Bathroom floors
  • Niches and feature details
  • Clean tile transitions
  • Renovation and new-installation projects
Finished shower in marble-look large-format tile with a rainhead, handheld and recessed niche

Waterproofing Systems

Water Management Comes First.

Water management is one of the most important parts of a tiled shower. Proper preparation and waterproofing help protect the structure behind the finished tile and support a longer-lasting result. Bennett & Sons is a Schluter-Certified Installer and uses Schluter waterproofing products and installation methods.

  • Schluter membrane and board systems
  • Seams, corners and penetrations detailed as part of the installation
  • Preparation completed before any tile is set
  • Shower floors sloped to drain
Schluter waterproofing board lining a shower enclosure, with the drain set and heating cable laid over the uncoupling membrane, photographed before tiling

Heated Floors

A Warm Floor Underfoot.

Electric floor warming is one of the few upgrades homeowners notice every single morning. It is installed under the tile, so it is worth deciding on before the bathroom is rebuilt rather than after.

  • Cable and mat systems installed under tile
  • Laid out to suit the room and the fixtures
  • Protected during installation and embedded in the setting bed
  • Best planned at the start of a bathroom project
Electric heating cable run back and forth across a bathroom floor, clipped into an orange uncoupling membrane before tile
Electric heating cable threaded across an uncoupling membrane over a whole bathroom floor, before tile

Kitchen Backsplashes

The Detail Work Is The Whole Job.

A backsplash is a small area with a lot of obstacles. Outlets, window returns, upper-cabinet edges and inside corners are where a tidy installation separates itself from a rushed one.

  • Layout set out so the pattern lands where it should
  • Clean cuts around outlets and switches
  • Inside and outside corners finished properly
  • Edges and terminations considered before starting
White subway tile backsplash running behind a sink with a black faucet, under white cabinets
White subway tile backsplash running behind a range and up to the microwave

How The Process Works

Four Steps, No Surprises.

  1. 01

    Discuss the project

    What the space is, what you have in mind, and roughly how much area is involved.

  2. 02

    Review the space and materials

    A look at existing conditions, the substrate and the tile or product being considered.

  3. 03

    Prepare and install

    Preparation, waterproofing where it applies, layout, then the tile itself.

  4. 04

    Complete the finishing details

    Grout, transitions, edges and a walkthrough of the finished work.

The finished walk-in shower in large white wall tile with a mosaic floor, two corner shelves, a chrome grab bar and a round drain

Step By Step

A walk-in shower, rebuilt from the studs out

Most of a tiled shower is buried before the tile goes on. These are the five stages of one rebuild, including the waterproofing layer nobody ever sees again.

Step By Step

A walk-in shower, rebuilt from the studs out

The same bathroom photographed at five stages over five days — demolition through to the finished room.

  1. A shower alcove stripped to bare studs, with a vapour barrier over the back wall, blue water lines run to a rough-in valve, and the orange Schluter curb already set on the floor

    Step 1 of 5

    Stripped back to the framing

    The old enclosure comes out entirely and the framing is checked before anything goes back in. Plumbing is roughed in and blocking goes between the studs now, because a grab bar fixed to tile alone is not fixed to anything.

  2. Looking down into the shower base: new plywood decking with the drain body set through it, bounded by an orange Schluter curb

    Step 2 of 5

    A base built to drain

    A plywood base goes down and the drain is positioned before anything else, because every surface above it has to fall toward that one point. The curb is set square to the opening.

  3. The shower walls fully lined in orange Schluter KERDI-BOARD with the brand name printed across it, every joint and fastener covered in grey sealing compound, and the pan bedded ready for tile

    Step 3 of 5

    Waterproofing — the layer nobody sees again

    Schluter KERDI-BOARD goes over the framing and every seam, corner and screw head is sealed. This is the layer that decides whether water leaves through the drain or through the wall, and it is completely invisible once the tile is on.

  4. The shower floor tiled in small square mosaic sloping to a central drain, with the walls still in orange waterproofing board above it

    Step 4 of 5

    The pan goes in first

    Small-format mosaic on the floor because it follows the fall to the drain without any single tile sitting proud of the next. The pan is finished before the walls start.

  5. The finished walk-in shower in large white wall tile with a mosaic floor, two corner shelves, a chrome grab bar and a round drain

    Step 5 of 5

    Handed back

    Large-format wall tile over the waterproofing, corner shelves set into the field rather than stuck on afterwards, and the grab bar anchored to the blocking that went in on day one.

Common Questions

Tile & Bathroom Questions

Do you install tile supplied by the homeowner?

In most cases yes — plenty of homeowners choose and buy their own tile. It is worth confirming the specific product before purchasing, since size, format and material affect preparation and installation.

Can you install a heated floor beneath tile?

Yes, electric floor-warming systems can be installed under tile. The system and layout should be discussed early, because it affects the preparation and the build-up of the floor.

Do you handle shower waterproofing?

Yes. Waterproofing is part of a tiled shower installation. Bennett & Sons is a Schluter-Certified Installer and uses Schluter products and methods. The exact approach depends on the shower, the substrate and the plan for the space.

Can you help plan tile layout?

Yes. Layout is worth sorting out before anything is set — where the lines land, how cuts fall at edges and corners, and how the tile meets adjoining surfaces.

What information is needed for an estimate?

The type of tile or flooring, the approximate square footage, the location, photos of the current space, and whether materials have been selected. Anything you already know about the subfloor or previous repairs helps too.

Measure your roomWork out the square footage before you ask for an estimate. Room by room, in feet or metres.

Planning New Floors Or A Tile Project?

Tell us what you are working on and approximately how much space is involved. We’ll help identify the next steps for an accurate estimate.

Request an EstimateCall David 778-676-3676
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