Whole-Home Kerdi Shower and Floor Build in Glenora, Edmonton
This Glenora new build was a whole-home tile package that covered three bathrooms, a basement bar floor, a back entrance, and a kitchen backsplash, all coordinated as a single tile project across the trades schedule. The centrepiece is the ensuite shower, a 3 by 6 subway-tiled enclosure with marble mosaic floor, built on a fully waterproofed Schluter Kerdi system that wraps the walls, ceiling, bench, and pony wall. The Tile Experts handled the membrane install, the substrate prep, the layout, and the finish across every surface in the package.
Why a Kerdi Shower Is the Right Build for a Custom Ensuite
A Schluter Kerdi shower is a bonded waterproofing membrane system that lives on the surface of the substrate, between the cement-board wall and the tile. That is a different philosophy than the traditional “water management” approach, where moisture is allowed to penetrate the tile and weep through the wall to a clamping drain. Kerdi keeps the water out at the surface, which has three consequences. The substrate stays dry. No long-term hidden moisture, no mould, no failure five years in. The walls can carry any tile. Subway, mosaic, marble, glass, large format, any of them, because none of them are doing waterproofing duty. The bench and pony wall are sealed. Horizontal surfaces in a wet zone are the highest-risk failure points in any shower, and the Kerdi sheet wraps them in a single continuous membrane. The Tile Experts installed the Kerdi Membrane across every wet surface in the ensuite before the first tile was set.
Premium Plus Mortar: The Setting Material the Membrane Specifies
Both the Kerdi membrane and the subway tile over it were set with Premium Plus Mortar. Purpose: Premium Plus is a polymer-modified thinset rated for the Kerdi system. Schluter’s published assemblies require an unmodified or polymer-modified thinset that meets ANSI A118.11; Premium Plus meets that spec. Property: the mortar has the open time to roll out a Kerdi sheet, press it into the bond coat without trapping air, and burnish the seams in a single pass. Relationship: the membrane is the waterproofing layer; the mortar is the bond layer above and below it. The two together form the watertight envelope that lives behind the visible subway field. Using a non-spec mortar voids the Kerdi warranty and risks delamination at the membrane.
Floors: 6×48 Plank and 12×24 Format Throughout
The bathroom and laundry floors run a 6 by 48 plank-format tile in a 60/40 staggered pattern, set with VersaBond LFT Mortar. Purpose: VersaBond LFT is a large-and-heavy-tile rated mortar formulated to support long-format plank tiles without slump or lippage, which a standard thinset cannot reliably do on tiles of this aspect ratio. Property: the medium-bed capability lets the mortar fill any minor variation in subfloor flatness so the tile sits in a true plane across the full plank length. Relationship: the 60/40 stagger breaks the natural bow of long-format tile across more reference points than a 50/50 lay, which is the recommended layout for any plank format over 18 inches long. The basement bar floor, back entrance, and secondary bathroom floors run 12 by 24 tile in the same 60/40 stagger, set with 253 Gold Laticrete Mortar.
Backsplash and Tub Surrounds: Three Patterns, One House
The kitchen backsplash carries a Baroque-style mosaic set with ReliaBond Tile Adhesive, a Type 1 mastic that holds mesh-backed mosaic vertically with the grab needed for a complex pattern. A secondary upstairs bathroom has a floor-to-ceiling tub surround in a 3 by 6 glossy dark subway in a 50/50 brick lay, set with VersaBond Mortar; the basement bathroom carries a 4 by 16 subway in the same brick-lay pattern with the same mortar. The marble bathroom floors are set with 253 Gold Laticrete Mortar, a Laticrete polymer-modified mortar rated for natural stone. See our bathroom tile service page for more on full-bathroom builds.
Planning a whole-home tile package or a Kerdi ensuite in Glenora or anywhere in west Edmonton? Call The Tile Experts at 587-333-9800 or request a quote.
Grouting the Whole House With Prism
Every tiled surface in the project was grouted with Prism Grout once all areas were set and cured. Purpose: using one grout product across the whole project simplifies long-term maintenance for the homeowner and gives the builder a single point of contact for any warranty question. Property: Prism is a calcium-aluminate grout with a color-consistent formulation that resists efflorescence and stains. Relationship: matching the grout color to each tile’s dominant tone lets every surface carry its own visual identity (light grout in the white subway, deeper tones in the marble) without the wall and floor reading as competing finishes.
Glenora Kerdi Shower and Whole-Home Tile FAQ
How much does a Kerdi-waterproofed ensuite shower cost in Glenora?
For a custom ensuite of 40 to 70 square feet of tile with a Kerdi system, full membrane wrap, bench, pony wall, and a tile-in linear drain, plan on 6,500 to 14,000 dollars in labour and material, depending on tile selection and shower configuration.
Can the same tile run across the bathroom floor and the laundry?
Yes, and on a new build it is the right call. A continuous 6 by 48 or 12 by 24 tile field unifies adjacent service spaces visually and eliminates an awkward threshold transition between rooms. We coordinate the layout so the tile breaks fall at door openings where they read as deliberate.
How long does a whole-home tile package take to install?
For a new build with three bathrooms, kitchen backsplash, basement bar floor, and back entrance, plan on three to four weeks of tile work, staged around the other trades. We typically come in after rough plumbing, electrical, and drywall are complete and before the finish carpenter starts on baseboards and casing.
Tile Installation in Glenora and West Edmonton
Glenora sits on the south side of Stony Plain Road between 124 and 142 Street, anchored by Alexander Circle and a stock of high-end character homes and modern infills. Whole-home tile packages on Glenora new builds typically span ensuite showers, bathroom floors, kitchen backsplashes, and feature walls coordinated as a single trade scope. The Tile Experts install bathrooms, kitchens, floors, and Schluter Kerdi shower systems across Glenora, Crestwood, Westmount, and the rest of west Edmonton, plus Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and the surrounding capital region. Contact us or call 587-333-9800 for a free site walkthrough.
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