8 Tips and Ideas to Help You Plan Your Keller Shower Remodel

Are you thinking about starting a Keller shower remodel? For some homeowners, the shower is the best place in their entire house. It's where they go to unwind, rejuvenate, and wash away the stress of the day. But it isn't easy to relax in a place that is less like your own personal spa and more like a dark, dingy, little booth that you can't wait to get away from.

If that describes your shower—or you're just looking for a way to upgrade your bathroom and increase your property value—you will be impressed by how drastically the right shower remodel changes the appearance and functionality of the entire room. Your bathroom remodeling project doesn't necessarily need to be a complete overhaul. By just focusing on a shower remodel, you could get a lot closer to your dream bathroom.

Planning a shower remodel can be challenging, so this guide covers eight steps that will ease the planning process, along with tips and ideas to help you get to the bottom of how you really want your results to be. When you are ready to start, you can count on our experienced, multi-skilled team of Keller handyman service professionals at Mr. Handyman of Keller, Roanoke, and Alliance to turn your Keller shower remodel vision into reality.

1. Think About What You Will Need in the Future

This may seem obvious, but many people forget to consider what they and their families will need and want a few years down the road. Your shower remodel will be around for a while, and it should meet your current and future needs as much as possible.

Suppose you are approaching your golden years or may have a family member with reduced mobility living with you someday. In that case, it makes sense to consider options that are easily accessible or can be easily converted to add safety and mobility features.

Or, maybe you are planning to sell your home within the next few years. If that's the case, choose classic, neutral finishings to increase property value and encourage potential buyers to imagine themselves living there. Not sure how to accomplish that? White tile is a good place to start—in fact, all-white bathrooms are increasingly popular for their clean, modern aesthetic. If that feels too bland, remember you can always add some bright colors with decor and textiles.

Pro Tip: Adding a Shower to a Half-Bath Increases Home Value

This is technically more of an installation than a remodel, but it is good to know if you plan to raise your property value before selling. If you have a half-bath with just a sink and toilet, you can add significant value to your home by putting in a shower and converting it to a "three-quarter" bath. Even if the current room is too small for a shower stall, you may be able to steal just enough space from an adjoining room or closet.

2. Get Rid of Your Bathtub (or Not)

A common concern is whether to keep the bathtub or replace it with a walk-in shower. If you don't enjoy taking baths and never use your tub for its intended purpose, then, by all means, get rid of it! Use that extra space for a large, glass-walled stall that will make the entire room feel more open and inviting.

That said, there are two situations in which you should consider keeping your tub (or replacing it with a bathtub-shower combination) during a Keller shower remodel, even if you don't like taking baths:

• You are planning on having children. We're going to level with you here—babies and toddlers are slippery, and it is not easy to bathe them without a bathtub.
• You are selling your home soon, and it is the only bathtub in the house. Many buyers in Keller, especially young families, want at least one bathtub for the exact reason we listed above. But, if you have another bathtub, you could eliminate one of them without hurting your selling price.

3. Install New Tile

A tile shower is undoubtedly a classic and standard for an upgraded bathroom, from walls to the floor. If you've already started looking around at tile options for your Keller shower remodel, you have probably noticed it comes in a staggeringly wide variety of colors, sizes, shapes, textures, patterns and materials. It might feel overwhelming at first, but it also presents an opportunity to infuse your home with your personality and sense of style.

Not sure where to start? Glass is too delicate for the floor, but it adds depth and interest to your wall with its translucent appeal. It is, however, one of the more expensive options, so many people choose to add an accent strip of glass tiles rather than cover the entire wall with them. Porcelain and ceramic tiles are the most popular choice for bathrooms because they consist of highly durable materials and are practically maintenance-free. That is not the case with natural stone tiles such as slate, which are strikingly beautiful but more easily damaged, and they need to be sealed regularly.

Pro Tip: Mosaic Tile Works Best on Shower Floors

When it comes to your floor, mosaic tile is usually the best choice. We can install tiny tiles right over the top of shower pans, and they are far better suited to the curvature of the floor than larger tiles. They also look excellent and add some additional interest when combined with matching or contrasting larger tiles on your walls.

4. Don't Forget About Caulking

You may be wondering if grout is really going to be able to prevent water from leaking in your shower. That's a fair question—grout looks (and is) porous, so it doesn't appear to be the most watertight material. Grout is a masonry product that forms a strong bond with the backboard and thin-set behind tiles. If it sat soaking in water for a long time, it would crumble or crack apart and spring a leak, but spray from your shower isn't likely to cause an issue.

That said, it is still a good idea to give it a little extra protection. By having your Keller handyman caulk over top of grout lines during a shower remodel, you can avoid any potential moisture seepage. More importantly, the silicone barrier formed by caulking will prevent dirt and bacteria from getting into the tiny, porous holes of grout and festering, making grout look dingy and discolored. Since silicone provides a smooth, watertight surface, it also makes cleaning easier—no need to scrub away at grout with a brush when you can simply spray down the surface of the caulk and wipe it clean.

Pro Tip: Caulk Needs to Be Replaced Every Five Years

The one potential downside of caulk is that it does need replacement every five years or so. Any longer and it will start to peel off the grout, which looks bad and compromises all the nice qualities that made it worthwhile to install in the first place. But the good news is that our team of service professionals is practiced at efficient, smooth caulking, so we can get the job done quickly and correctly when the time comes.

5. Maximize Natural Light

Windows in bathrooms can be a puzzle. We all like to enjoy natural light coming in from outdoors, but the bathroom is a very private area, and we certainly don't want prying eyes looking in while we are showering. If you have a window where you would like to install or expand a shower, you don't have to get rid of it or use a plastic curtain over it. By frosting the glass, you will still get that pleasant natural light coming in and keep your privacy at the same time.

6. Find In-Shower Storage Solutions

While some people in Keller limit themselves to just soap, others need a lot more than a bar of soap to make it through their shower routine. Either way, it is really helpful to have enough built-in storage for all the bottles and other items you may need in there. You may not be able to add a lot of storage space during your Keller shower remodel, but at the very least, don't eliminate storage. Some possible ideas for shower storage are:

• Built-in, tiled cubby holes in the wall for bottles, soap, and other bath products.
• A storage rack, set of hooks, metal shelves hanging underneath the showerhead, or attached to the wall.
• Shampoo and soap dispensers attached to the wall. They don't have to look industrial— some nice-looking ones that will blend in with the bathroom decor and help you avoid that problem of accidentally kicking over bottles that are lined up on the floor.
• A small stool, which doubles as a place to sit or rest your foot while shaving.
• In a bathtub-shower combo, you can get a tray that spans the bathtub and rests on the sides, which is convenient because you can remove it when you don't need it or use it while taking a bath.

7. Seat Yourself

Of course, the priority is making sure you have ample standing space. But if you do have the room—for example, when you are replacing a bathtub with a walk-in shower—consider adding a shower seat in the form of a tiled bench. It gives you the option to sit when even just standing there is a little much, and it also adds some extra storage space for bottles so they can be kept off the floor.

Pro Tip: Portable Shower Seats Are an Accessible Keller Shower Remodeling Option

Suppose you are looking for ways to make your bathroom handicap accessible, but you don't really have space for a built-in seat, or some people in the household prefer to have the additional floor space. In that case, portable seats are a shower remodeling alternative that can be a huge help. In many cases, they are more comfortable and accessible than a bench for someone with reduced mobility, and they can be easily folded up and stowed away in a closet when they are not needed.

8. Opt for Glass Shower Doors

There are few shower violations more unpleasant than accidentally getting wrapped up in a dirty plastic curtain—just grazing it is bad enough. Do away with the curtain altogether and add a set of simple glass doors as part of your Keller shower remodel, either hinged or sliding. They are relatively easy to keep clean, brighten up the bathroom and make it feel more spacious, and most importantly, they aren't plastic curtains.

Pro Tip: Go Barrier-Free Instead

If you have room for it, there is another option—no curtain, no doors, no barriers at all between the shower and the rest of the bathroom. There might be a half or partial wall, but there can also be literally nothing. That is called a wet room, and basically, the entire room is waterproof with a drain in the floor. This is a good option for shower remodels in large bathrooms or very small bathrooms that don't have room for a shower door. Still, it is not necessarily the best choice if you have small children or family members with mobility issues. Also, consider a textured tile for the floor to reduce slippage.

Count on Mr. Handyman of Keller, Roanoke and Alliance to Complete Your Next Keller Shower Remodel!

Whether you are in Keller or a nearby area such as Roanoke, Haslet, or Alliance, you can rely on the skilled service professionals at Mr. Handyman of Keller, Roanoke and Alliance for expert craftsmanship and customer care that goes the extra mile during every bathroom remodel. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we have the remodeling experience to ensure that the final reveal of your next Keller shower remodel is exactly what you were hoping for—or even better!

Pick up the phone and give us a call today to book a service appointment with our friendly customer service representatives or find out more about why we are the best choice for reliable home improvement services such as a beautiful shower remodel.