Contractor selection
How to Choose a Custom Shower Contractor in Oklahoma City
Choosing a custom shower contractor in Oklahoma City requires looking beyond pretty portfolio pictures to inspect the waterproofing method behind the tile. A credible contractor plans the complete assembly from the studs forward: framing correction, pre-slope mortar bed, 2-inch drain line, bonded Schluter-KERDI membrane, and a 24-hour water test.
The short answer
What matters most
Choose an OKC custom shower contractor who provides an itemized studs-out scope, uses certified bonded waterproofing (like Schluter-KERDI), upgrades your plumbing to a 2-inch drain, performs a mandatory 24-hour pan flood test before tiling, and does not subcontract your build to unvetted day labor.
Planning the work in Oklahoma City? Compare our custom tile showers, tub-to-shower conversions, and full bathroom remodels before choosing the scope for your room.
Start behind the tile
Tile and grout are the finish surface. They are not the waterproofing plan. Ask what substrate, membrane, drain connection, seam treatment, corner treatment, and water test will be used. A credible answer names a complete method and explains how its parts connect.
Be cautious when the answer is only a brand name. Buying one roll of membrane does not create a system. Penetrations, fasteners, changes of plane, niches, benches, curbs, and the drain connection are where incomplete work usually becomes expensive work.
- Who prepares or corrects the framing before wall board is installed?
- How is the shower floor sloped and tied into the drain?
- How are valve openings, corners, seams, and fasteners sealed?
- Will the waterproofed base be water tested before tile covers it?
Compare scopes, not bottom-line totals
Two proposals can describe very different rooms while using the same phrase, custom shower. One may include demolition, disposal, framing correction, plumbing coordination, waterproofing, tile labor, grout, trim, glass preparation, drywall repair, paint touchups, and final silicone. Another may include tile labor only.
Ask each bidder to separate included work, owner-supplied materials, allowances, exclusions, and unknown conditions. A lower number is not a savings if the missing work returns later as change orders.
Look for evidence from the middle of the job
Finished photographs help with style and layout. Progress photographs reveal whether the builder documents framing, backing, membrane coverage, seams, corners, drain integration, and the water test. Ask for both.
Recent customers are most useful when you ask about communication, schedule changes, dust control, change orders, and how the contractor responded when the old room revealed a problem.
Five warning signs before you sign
A good interview should make the project clearer. These answers make it riskier.
- The contractor says tile, grout, or backer board is waterproof by itself.
- The proposal has one total with no meaningful scope or allowances.
- No one is clearly responsible for the drain, pan, glass opening, or transitions.
- The schedule leaves no visible time for cure requirements or a water test.
- The warranty sounds broad in conversation but is absent from the written agreement.
Questions homeowners ask
How many quotes should I get?
Three comparable scopes are usually enough. More bids do not help if each contractor is pricing a different assembly.
Should the tile installer also waterproof the shower?
The important point is single-point responsibility. If another trade handles waterproofing, the scope should identify the approved assembly, transition details, inspection, and who warrants the completed system.