Bathroom Renovation Edmonton: Kerdi Shower in Beverly

Kerdi-Waterproofed Tub Surround and Mosaic Floor in Beverly

Beverly is one of north-east Edmonton’s oldest neighbourhoods, sitting north of the river along 118 Avenue with a housing stock that runs from inter-war bungalows to post-war infill. Bathrooms in this stock typically arrive at renovation time with original substrates, no waterproofing membrane behind the tile, and tub surrounds that have lived a full lifecycle of bath water and humidity. On this Beverly project The Tile Experts ran a full bathroom tile rebuild: a Schluter Kerdi waterproofing envelope behind the tub surround and vanity splash, a 3 by 6 subway tile in a 50/50 brick-lay pattern, a 6 inch decorative mosaic insert as the surround’s design accent, and a mosaic tile bathroom floor finished with a high-performance stain-resistant grout.

What a Kerdi Tub Surround Actually Is

A Kerdi tub surround is not the same as tile bonded directly to drywall or to a cement board. It is a bonded waterproofing system where a sheet membrane is set to the substrate before any tile goes on the wall. The membrane wraps the entire wet-zone perimeter, every seam is sealed with Kerdi-Band, and every internal corner is reinforced with a preformed Kerdi-Kereck. The result is a continuous watertight envelope behind the tile, so any water that finds a path through the grout (and over years of use, water does find a path) hits the membrane and runs back to the tub rather than soaking into the framing. On a Beverly home where the existing wall assembly has already lived 40 to 60 years of bath cycles, starting the new install with a bonded waterproofing envelope is the discipline that buys the homeowner another full lifecycle.

Setting the Kerdi Membrane With Premium Plus Mortar

The Kerdi sheet was bonded to the wall substrate with Premium Plus Mortar. Purpose: Premium Plus is a polymer-modified thinset rated for bonding sheet membranes like Kerdi to drywall and to cement board. Property: the polymer modification gives the bond coat the open time to comb the substrate, lay the membrane in, and smooth out any trapped air before the mortar starts to grab. Relationship: matching the bond coat to the manufacturer’s recommendation for the membrane is what makes the waterproofing assembly perform as one engineered system rather than as a stack of separately specified components. The same Premium Plus then carried the 3 by 6 subway tile across the membrane face.

The 3×6 Subway in a 50/50 Brick-Lay Pattern

The tub surround and vanity splash were tiled with a 3 by 6 subway in a 50/50 brick-lay pattern (each course offset by exactly half a tile from the course below). Purpose: the 50/50 brick lay reads as a classic, low-key pattern that lets the tile face do the work rather than the layout. It is the right choice on a Beverly bathroom where the homeowner is looking for a timeless finish rather than a trend-of-the-year statement. Property: the brick offset distributes any minor variation in tile sizing across the wall, so the eye never lands on two cuts stacked in a single vertical line. Relationship: the tile setter ran the tub surround and the vanity splash off a single laser reference so the tub end-wall layout came up to the vanity with a full tile rather than a sliver cut. The tub surround and the splash read as one continuous, intentional install.

The 6-Inch Mosaic Insert in the Tub Surround

The clients asked for a 6 inch decorative mosaic band inserted horizontally across the back wall of the tub surround, breaking up the field of brick-lay subway with a single line of detail at eye level. Visual story: a mosaic band gives the surround a focal accent and lifts the install from “tiled tub” to “designed tub” without the cost or complexity of running the mosaic across the full wall. Layout discipline: the mosaic band has to land at a height that reads correctly relative to the tub rim, the showerhead, and the field tile coursing above and below, so the height was set off the same laser reference that ran the rest of the surround. The mosaic course was set with Premium Plus alongside the field, and the surrounding subway courses were re-cut so the mosaic landed clean on a full subway course above and below.

The Mosaic Bathroom Floor With VersaBond and Prism

The bathroom floor was tiled with a mosaic, set with VersaBond Mortar and grouted with Prism Grout. Purpose: a mosaic floor in the bathroom is the right pairing with the mosaic surround insert because it ties the two design moves together as one composition rather than as unrelated accents. Property: VersaBond is a polymer-modified professional-grade thinset rated for ceramic and porcelain in wet-zone applications, with the bond strength to hold a small-format mosaic across the full bathroom floor including the area immediately in front of the tub. Relationship: Prism is a high-performance, stain-resistant calcium-aluminate cement grout that cures harder than standard portland-cement grout and resists efflorescence across the high joint count that a mosaic floor inherently has. With this many joints, the grout choice does most of the long-term work of keeping the floor looking new.

Planning a Kerdi tub surround or a mosaic bathroom floor in Beverly or anywhere in north-east Edmonton? Call The Tile Experts at 587-333-9800 or request a quote.

Beverly Bathroom Renovation FAQ

How much does a Kerdi tub surround with a mosaic insert and mosaic floor cost in Beverly?
For a project of this scope (full Kerdi waterproofing across the tub surround and vanity splash, 3 by 6 subway in a brick-lay pattern, 6 inch mosaic insert, plus a mosaic bathroom floor), plan on 7,500 to 13,500 dollars in tile-scope labour and material, depending on tile selection.

Why use Kerdi behind a tub surround instead of tiling directly to drywall or cement board?
Tile and grout are not waterproof on their own. Over years of bath cycles, water finds a path through grout joints; Kerdi creates a continuous watertight envelope behind the tile so any water that gets through hits the membrane and runs back to the tub rather than soaking into the framing. On a Beverly home with an older wall assembly the membrane is what makes the renovation last another lifecycle. See our bathroom tile installation service.

How long does a Beverly tub surround and mosaic floor renovation of this scope take?
For a full Kerdi tub surround, a vanity splash, a mosaic accent band, and a mosaic floor, plan on five to eight working days of tile work, plus separate windows for the demolition and any plumbing rough-in.

Tile Installation in Beverly and North-East Edmonton

Beverly sits along 118 Avenue in north-east Edmonton, with neighbours in Rundle Heights, Bergman, Beacon Heights, and Abbotsfield. Full bathroom rebuilds, Kerdi tub surrounds, mosaic floor installs, and 3 by 6 subway renovations are some of the most common projects in this older housing stock. The Tile Experts install bathrooms, kitchens, floors, custom showers, fireplaces, and feature walls across Beverly, Rundle, Beacon Heights, and the rest of north-east Edmonton, plus the full capital region. Contact us or call 587-333-9800 for a free in-home walkthrough.