Bathroom Renovation Edmonton: Project in Glenora

A Luxury Custom Build With Pencil-Bordered Backsplashes and a Full Schluter System in Glenora

Glenora is one of Edmonton’s most prestigious historic neighbourhoods, sitting between 124 Street and the North Saskatchewan River valley west of downtown, with a housing stock that includes some of the city’s most architecturally significant pre-war homes alongside an ongoing wave of luxury custom infill builds. On this Glenora new build The Tile Experts handled the full custom tile package: a kitchen backsplash with a 3 by 6 subway field, a custom pencil-tile border, a mosaic stone fill, and a herringbone 3 by 6 inset; a bar backsplash with a 4 by 16 subway in ReliaBond; a Jack-and-Jill shower and basement bathroom with a glossy 3 by 6 brick lay accented by a 3 inch mosaic eye-level insert; full Schluter Kerdi waterproofing on every shower; full Schluter Ditra anti-fracture membrane on every floor; and a 12 by 24 floor tile in a 70/30 stagger throughout the Jack-and-Jill bathroom, back entrance, and basement bathroom set with Custom ProLite.

The Custom Kitchen Backsplash: A Composition Inside a Composition

The kitchen backsplash on this Glenora custom build is the most elaborate tile composition in the house and a layered design rather than a single field. The main field: a 3 by 6 subway tile in a 50/50 brick lay, which is the timeless backsplash format. The border: a custom pencil tile that frames a section of the field, defining an inset feature rather than running uniformly across the wall. The fill inside the border: a mosaic stone, which gives the framed area a tonal and textural contrast against the main subway field. The herringbone detail: the same 3 by 6 subway tile that runs the main field is also installed in a herringbone pattern within the border, layering a third pattern into the composition. Why this layered approach works: a kitchen backsplash framed by a custom pencil border with a mosaic stone fill and a herringbone inset is not a backsplash; it is a feature wall behind the counter. The eye registers it as the focal architectural moment of the kitchen, which is exactly the right move for a luxury custom build where the kitchen is the public room of the house. The bond coat: the main backsplash was set with thin-set, and the bar backsplash (a 4 by 16 subway) was installed with ReliaBond Tile Adhesive, the right chemistry for a vertical interior backsplash.

The Bar Backsplash: A Restrained 4×16 to Counterbalance the Main Kitchen

If the main kitchen backsplash is the elaborate composition, the bar backsplash is the restrained counterpoint that lets the main feature shine. The bar tile: a 4 by 16 subway tile in a 50/50 brick lay, set with ReliaBond Tile Adhesive. Why a longer, simpler subway on the bar: the 4 by 16 format reads as more contemporary than the main kitchen’s 3 by 6, which gives the bar a distinct identity within the same overall tile language. The uncomplicated brick lay layout (no pencil border, no herringbone inset, no mosaic stone fill) keeps the bar reading as a complement to the main kitchen rather than as a second focal feature competing for attention. The relationship between the two backsplashes: both use a subway-format ceramic in a brick lay, both are vertical wet-zone interior installs, both share the same bond coat chemistry through ReliaBond’s compatibility with both tile sizes. The differences (size, complexity, presence of inset details) define the design hierarchy of the two spaces.

Why Every Shower Starts With Schluter Kerdi

Every shower in this Glenora custom build (the Jack-and-Jill shower and the basement bathroom shower) was waterproofed with a Schluter Kerdi Membrane bonded over the drywall before any tile was set. Purpose: Kerdi is a bonded waterproofing sheet that creates a continuous waterproof barrier across the entire wet zone. Drywall by itself (even moisture-resistant green board) is not a waterproof substrate; it slows water but does not stop it, and over a decade of daily shower use that distinction matters. Property: the Kerdi sheet bonds to the drywall with a polymer-modified thinset, then accepts the tile on top with the same bond coat, creating a continuous waterproof and tile-bondable surface. Why every shower in a custom build gets Kerdi: a luxury custom build has a multi-decade horizon, and the cost of waterproofing a shower properly at install is a fraction of the cost of remediating a shower that has been leaking into the wall cavity for years. Kerdi is the right specification on every shower in a custom build, full stop.

Why Every Floor Starts With Schluter Ditra

Before any floor tile went down anywhere in this Glenora custom build, the substrate received a Schluter Ditra Membrane anti-fracture membrane. Purpose: Ditra is a molded polyethylene uncoupling membrane that mechanically separates the tile from the subfloor so that any seasonal subfloor movement (and a wood-framed Edmonton subfloor moves through a measurable annual cycle) does not transfer to the tile. The result: tile that does not crack, joints that do not open, and a floor that performs across decades rather than seasons. The bond coat: the 12 by 24 tile floors in the Jack-and-Jill bathroom, the back entrance, and the basement bathroom (all set in a 70/30 stagger) were installed using Custom ProLite Mortar, a polymer-modified thinset rated for large-format tile over membrane systems. Why ProLite on the membrane: ProLite is a lightweight, polymer-modified thinset with the working time the setter needs on a 12 by 24 over Ditra, plus the bond strength a multi-decade install demands.

The Glossy 3×6 Brick Lay With a 3 inch Mosaic Insert

The Jack-and-Jill shower and the basement bathroom share a glossy 3 by 6 tile in a 50/50 brick lay, accented by a 3 inch mosaic insert installed at eye level across the back wall. Purpose of the glossy 3 by 6: the high-gloss face throws light around the shower enclosure, making the space read brighter and larger than a matte tile would. Purpose of the eye-level mosaic insert: a horizontal band of mosaic at eye level on the back wall of a shower is the single most effective focal-detail move available to a shower designer. The eye lands on the mosaic when someone enters the shower, and the rest of the field reads as the supporting composition around that focal moment. Layout discipline: the mosaic band has to be set so the 3 by 6 courses above and below it land full, with no cut tile immediately adjacent to the mosaic. This is the layout planning that makes the insert read as a deliberate feature rather than as a patched-in afterthought. Bond coat: the field and the mosaic band were set on Kerdi-waterproofed walls with a polymer-modified thinset chemistry the system supports.

Planning a luxury custom-build tile package with custom borders, Schluter waterproofing, and integrated mosaic features in Glenora or anywhere in west Edmonton? Call The Tile Experts at 587-333-9800 or request a quote.

Why the Full Schluter System Is the Right Spec on a Custom Build

The combination of Kerdi on every shower and Ditra under every floor is what separates a custom-build tile package from a builder-grade one. The cost difference at install: the Schluter membranes add a meaningful but bounded cost (typically 8 to 15 percent of total tile-scope labour and material) at install. The cost difference over the life of the build: the membranes prevent the two most expensive tile failures (shower leaks into wall cavities, cracked floor tile from subfloor movement) that drive most multi-thousand-dollar remediations on tile work that was installed without them. The right calculation: a custom build is a multi-decade investment, and the right tile specification accounts for the lifecycle cost of the assembly, not just the install-day cost. Where Schluter belongs: on every shower wall and shower floor (Kerdi), and on every tile floor over a wood-framed subfloor (Ditra). On this Glenora build, that meant the full system across every tiled surface in the house.

Glenora Luxury Custom Build FAQ

How much does a luxury custom-build tile package cost in Glenora?
For a project of this scope (custom kitchen backsplash with pencil border and herringbone inset, 4 by 16 bar backsplash, glossy 3 by 6 Jack-and-Jill shower and basement bath with eye-level mosaic insert, full Schluter Kerdi on every shower, full Schluter Ditra under every floor, 12 by 24 tile in 70/30 stagger across multiple rooms set with Custom ProLite), plan on 28,000 to 52,000 dollars in tile-scope labour and material, depending on tile selection and total square footage.

Why use Schluter Kerdi on a new-build shower?
Kerdi is a bonded waterproofing sheet that creates a continuous waterproof barrier across the entire shower wet zone. On a custom build with a multi-decade horizon, Kerdi is the right specification because it prevents the slow, hidden leaks into wall cavities that drive most expensive shower remediations.

Why use Schluter Ditra under a new-build tile floor?
Ditra is an uncoupling membrane that mechanically separates the tile from the subfloor, so any seasonal subfloor movement does not transfer to the tile as cracks or open joints. On a custom build over a wood-framed subfloor, Ditra is the right specification under every tile floor in the house. See our floor tile installation service.

Tile Installation in Glenora and West Edmonton

Glenora sits between 124 Street and the North Saskatchewan River valley west of downtown Edmonton, with neighbours in Westmount, Crestwood, North Glenora, and Groat Estate. Luxury custom-build tile packages, full Schluter system installs, custom-border backsplash compositions, and integrated mosaic feature work are some of the most common projects in this prestigious west-central neighbourhood. The Tile Experts install bathrooms, kitchens, floors, custom showers, fireplaces, and feature walls across Glenora, Westmount, Crestwood, Groat Estate, and the rest of west Edmonton, plus the full capital region. Contact us or call 587-333-9800 for a free in-home walkthrough.