Bathroom Remodeling in the Baltimore Area

What does a Solomon bathroom remodel include?

A full Solomon bathroom remodel runs from demolition through the final walkthrough. We remove the old tile, tub or shower, vanity and flooring, open the walls and floor where needed, and repair what we find. Then we rebuild in order: framing and blocking, backer board, waterproofing, tile, vanity and top, fixtures, glass, lighting, paint and trim.

On tiled tub and shower walls we install cement backer board and roll on a liquid waterproofing membrane before the first tile goes up. That membrane keeps water out of the wall cavity. Without it, tile can look fine for years while the wall behind it rots. Our leaf-tile bathroom is a tub surround tiled over that membrane.

Older rowhouse and county bathrooms

Older bathrooms in Baltimore rowhouses and Baltimore County homes tend to need work below the finishes. Floors slope and supply lines are often old galvanized pipe. Tubs sit on framing that has been wet for decades, and a narrow stairwell can make carrying a vanity upstairs a project of its own. We look for all of this at the estimate so it’s in the scope from the start.

Narrow rowhouse bathrooms also reward good layout decisions. A long vanity on one wall, a tub or shower across the end, and a glass enclosure instead of a curtain can make a 5-foot-wide room feel open. Our navy-vanity bathroom started as a fully gutted room with cement board on the walls. It ended with a marble-top vanity, gold fixtures, a glass walk-in shower and a wood-look tile floor.

How do you tile a shower or tub surround?

We set tile over a flat, waterproofed backer and plan the layout before the first piece goes up, so cuts land in the corners. On large-format tile we use leveling clips to keep the surface flat. We’ve installed large-format marble-look tile, patterned accent walls, subway tile and wood-look plank tile.

Choices we’ve installed recently include:

• Patterned accent walls behind the tub, with plain tile on the side walls to keep the look calm
• Marble-look porcelain tub surrounds with matte black fixtures and trim
• Wood-look plank tile floors that handle water better than real wood (see flooring installation for floor prep)
• Recessed niches built into the framing so shampoo bottles stay off the tub ledge

Vanity, fixtures and the final walkthrough

Once tile is done, the vanity and top go in. The faucet, toilet, mirrors, lighting and glass doors follow. Plumbing and electrical permits are pulled by licensed plumbers and electricians, as the law requires. Our guide to bathroom remodel permits in Baltimore explains which work needs which permit in the City and the County.

Before we leave, we adjust the glass doors so they close without drag and check that faucets don’t drip and the toilet sits solid. Paint, caulk and trim are the last step. For the City’s bathroom permit rules in a table, see our Baltimore City bathroom remodeling page.

What affects the cost of a bathroom remodel?

Scope sets the cost of a bathroom remodel, and size comes second. A full gut with new waterproofing and floor-to-ceiling tile is a different job from new fixtures in the same footprint, and moving the toilet, tub or shower adds plumbing work. The main drivers:

• What’s behind the walls. Rotted subfloor, wet framing or old galvanized lines found at demolition add repair work.
• Layout changes. Moving a drain or adding a fixture means new plumbing, and in Baltimore City it’s an alteration that needs floor plans.
• Tile area and pattern. Full-height tile, niches, accent walls and large-format tile take more labor than a plain surround.
• Fixtures and glass. Vanity, faucet and shower-door choices vary widely, and you can supply your own.
• Permits. Plumbing and electrical permits are part of the job wherever fixtures are replaced or moved.
• Access. A third-floor rowhouse bathroom up a narrow stair takes longer to tear out and stock.

We give a written price after the site visit, once we’ve seen the room and the plumbing.

Do you remodel half baths and powder rooms?

Yes, we remodel half baths and powder rooms. Swapping a dated powder room vanity or retiling a half-bath floor is often a few days of work, and so is putting new fixtures and paint in a hall bath. Permits still apply to the fixtures in a small room, as they do in a full bathroom (Baltimore County PAI).

A small bathroom is also a good way to see how we work before you plan a bigger project, such as a whole-floor renovation.