Resource
Bathroom remodel glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms that come up during a bathroom remodel, waterproofing systems, plumbing configurations, tile substrates, and the fixtures and finishes you will be asked to choose between.
- Schluter Kerdi
- A sheet-membrane waterproofing system from Schluter Systems that provides both a waterproof barrier and a tile substrate. Applied to the framing and folded into the corners; tile goes directly onto the Kerdi with thinset. Well-documented, extremely reliable, and the current industry standard for shower waterproofing on higher-end residential work.
- RedGard
- A liquid-applied waterproofing membrane from Custom Building Products. Rolled or brushed onto cement board or similar tile substrate. It works, but the film has to go on thick enough and evenly enough, which is what the second coat is for. Cheaper on material than Kerdi and more sensitive to how it is applied. Common on tighter-budget residential shower work.
- Cement board (Durock, HardieBacker)
- A rigid tile substrate made from cement and reinforcement fibers. Used behind tile on shower walls, floors, and other wet-area applications. Needs a separate waterproofing membrane (RedGard, Hydro Ban) applied over it, cement board itself is not waterproof.
- Thinset
- The cement-based adhesive used to bond tile to the substrate. Different formulations for different tile types (standard, modified, unmodified, large-format). Large-format tile requires a specific "medium-bed" or "LFT" thinset because standard thinset cannot support the weight of large tiles during cure.
- Grout
- The material that fills the joints between tiles. Standard cementitious grout is common for most residential applications. Epoxy grout is more expensive but is fully waterproof and stain-resistant, useful for shower floors and high-durability applications. Grout should never fill wall-to-wall or wall-to-floor joints, those get silicone, not grout, because they need to flex.
- Curbless (or zero-entry) shower
- A shower where the floor is flush with the bathroom floor, no curb at the entrance. Because the entrance is not raised, the shower floor has to drop instead, sitting down inside the joists so water still falls away from the doorway. Adds $1,500 to $2,500 versus a curbed shower but is the standard for aging-in-place remodels and increasingly common in higher-end primary baths.
- Linear drain
- A long, narrow shower drain running along one wall or the entryway of the shower rather than sitting in the middle of it. Enables a single-plane slope across the shower floor (rather than the four-corner-to-center slope required by a point drain), which makes large-format tile installation possible on shower floors.
- Point drain
- A traditional round shower drain in the center of the shower floor. Requires the shower floor to slope from all four corners toward the drain, which means the tile has to be small enough to follow compound curves, so mosaic in practice. Cheaper than a linear drain but limits the tile options on the shower floor.
- Comfort height toilet
- A toilet whose bowl sits taller than the traditional one, close to the height of a dining chair. Easier to sit down on and to stand up from, the usual specification for aging-in-place remodels and increasingly the default in new residential construction. Also called "chair height" or "right height."
- Undermount sink
- A sink mounted from below the countertop, with the counter overhanging into the bowl. Cleaner look than a drop-in (self-rimming) sink and easier to clean because there is no rim to trap debris. Requires a solid-surface counter (quartz, granite, solid-surface acrylic) because the sink is supported by the counter cutout.
- Vessel sink
- A bowl-style sink that sits on top of the countertop rather than being mounted into or below it. Design-forward but requires a taller vanity to compensate for the sink height. Common in powder rooms and design-driven primary baths.
- Floating vanity (wall-mount vanity)
- A vanity mounted to the wall studs with no legs touching the floor. Creates the appearance of more floor space and is easier to clean beneath. Requires solid stud backing behind the wall, with blocking added during rough-in for floating vanities.
- GFCI outlet
- Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, an outlet that cuts power the instant it detects current leaking to ground. Standard in bathrooms for obvious reasons, and a remodel is the natural point to add them. Usually paired with putting the bathroom on its own 20-amp circuit so a hair dryer does not trip half the house.
- Trim-out
- The stage near the end of a build when the visible plumbing and electrical go on: shower valve trim and head, taps, toilet, light fixtures, switches and outlet covers. The rough work behind the wall was done weeks earlier; trim-out is when the room suddenly looks finished.
- Water test
- Filling a finished shower pan and leaving it to stand, usually overnight, to confirm the waterproofing holds before any tile covers it. It is the last moment the membrane is reachable. A leak found here costs an afternoon; the same leak found after tile costs the shower.
- Pressure-balancing valve
- A shower valve that holds the hot and cold mix steady when pressure changes elsewhere in the house, so flushing a toilet does not turn the shower scalding. Standard on new shower installations, and one of the things being replaced when a conversion is described as needing valve work.
- Allowance
- A dollar figure written into the contract for a selection you have not made yet, most often tile, fixtures or the vanity. You pick later against that number. Spend under it and the difference comes back; spend over and you owe the balance, which is why an allowance stated as a real figure rather than a vague line is what keeps a quote honest.
- PEX repipe
- Replacement of existing water supply lines with cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) tubing. Common in older Roanoke homes with galvanized-steel or polybutylene supply lines. Often done as part of a full bathroom remodel when the plumbing is already exposed. Adds $1,500 to $4,000 depending on the extent.
- Cast-iron waste stack
- The vertical drain pipe running from the bathroom to the sewer, made of cast iron. Common in pre-1970 Roanoke homes. Long-lasting but can crack, corrode, or clog over decades. Sometimes needs replacement as part of a remodel, especially if the tub or toilet drain shows signs of failure during demo.
- Subfloor
- The plywood or OSB layer beneath the tile or LVT floor. On older Roanoke homes with cast-iron tubs, the subfloor beneath the tub is often rotted from decades of minor leaks and needs replacement during a tub-to-shower conversion. This is typically discovered during demo and priced through a written change order.
- Blocking
- Solid wood pieces installed between wall studs to provide anchor points for grab bars, floating vanities, heavy tile, or other items that need more structural support than drywall alone can provide. It goes in while the studs are exposed and it is nearly free at that moment. Once the wall is closed, adding it means opening the wall again.
- Kerdi-Board
- A pre-waterproofed foam tile substrate from Schluter. Lighter than cement board, and it collapses substrate and membrane into one product, so the separate waterproofing step disappears. That is why it turns up in modern shower construction: fewer steps means fewer places for the waterproofing to go wrong.
- Curbed shower
- A traditional shower with a low wall (curb) around the entryway to contain water. Cheaper and easier to build than a curbless shower because the floor structure is left alone; the curb does the containing instead of the slope. Standard configuration for most hall bath remodels.
- Niche
- A recessed shelf built into the shower wall for shampoo, soap, and other bathing supplies. Sized and located during the design phase, and it wants to land in the gap between two studs, at whatever height the people using the shower reach without stretching. Tiled to match or contrast the surrounding shower walls.
- Bench seat
- A built-in seat in the shower, often at the end wall or the corner. Structurally framed and waterproofed like a wall. Can be full-width (bench across the whole shower) or corner-mount. Important for aging-in-place designs; increasingly popular in primary suites as a design element.
- Vanity backsplash
- The strip of material (tile, stone, or the same material as the counter) that runs up the wall above the vanity counter. Protects the wall from splash and adds a design accent. A short strip along the top of the counter is the traditional treatment; carrying it all the way up to the mirror is the more contemporary one.
- Bull-nose tile edge
- A tile with a rounded, finished edge used to trim exposed tile edges (top of a wainscot, edge of a shower niche, etc.). Alternatives are Schluter metal trim (contemporary look) or mitered edges (highest labor cost, cleanest result).
- Coefficient of friction (COF)
- The slip-resistance rating a tile manufacturer publishes for a floor tile, measured wet rather than dry, because a wet floor is the only condition that matters in a bathroom. It lives on the technical sheet rather than the display board, and it is the specification that separates two tiles that look identical in a showroom.
- Freestanding tub
- A tub that stands independently on the bathroom floor, not built into a wall or alcove. Contemporary design element for primary suites. Filled, with someone in it, it is a heavy load concentrated in one part of a room that was framed for a tub bolted to three walls, so older Roanoke floors sometimes need help underneath before one goes in.
- Alcove tub
- A standard bathtub built into a three-walled recess. The most common tub configuration in Roanoke homes built between 1940 and 2010. Cheaper and easier to install than freestanding or drop-in tubs, but limits the design options.
Ready to plan your bathroom remodel?
Call (540) 384-4486 or use the quote form for a free written quote on any bathroom project in the Roanoke Valley.