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IKO Bathroom Remodeling: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
A full IKO-compatible bathroom remodel in Fort Lauderdale typically runs $9,000 – $28,000 installed, depending on whether you’re updating a small guest bath or gutting a master suite down to the studs. We carry and install IKO-compatible waterproofing membranes, shower systems, and backer materials, and most remodels wrap in two to four weeks once we start. You usually discover a failed IKO membrane the hard way: water stains on the ceiling below the bathroom, a musty smell that won’t quit, or tile that’s started to cup and loosen in the shower pan.
Here’s the thing most homeowners don’t realize until it’s too late: an IKO waterproofing failure rarely announces itself at the tile surface. By the time you see the stain, the water has already been working through the substrate for weeks, sometimes months. In Fort Lauderdale’s humidity, that means mold gets a head start. We tell you what we found, what it takes to fix it, and what it will cost – before we touch a thing.
Which IKO Models This Applies To
IKO makes a few waterproofing and underlayment lines that show up in South Florida bathrooms, most commonly the IKO AquaBarrier sheet membranes and their foam backer systems used under shower pans and behind tile walls. If you don’t have the original product label, look for the membrane color behind the tile or at the shower base edge: AquaBarrier is typically a dark gray or blue-gray sheet with a textured surface. Thickness matters for compatibility. The standard residential membrane runs about 40 mil thick, while the commercial-spec version pushes closer to 60 mil. Using the thinner sheet on a second-floor remodel over occupied space below is a mistake we still catch in Fort Lauderdale homes built in the 90s and early 2000s.
If the original installer used an aftermarket membrane instead of IKO, that’s usually fine, but you need a membrane rated for continuous water exposure and 100% adhesive coverage at the seams. We prefer OEM or equivalent-spec for anything going under a shower pan in a Fort Lauderdale multistory home, where a leak means water cascading through two floors, not a slab you can mop up. Mason Remodeling Co Fort Lauderdale is an independent contractor, not affiliated with IKO, so we’ll tell you plainly when a part needs to be genuine IKO and when an equivalent does the same job for less.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your IKO Bathroom Remodeling Is Failing
- Water stains on the ceiling below the bathroom. This is the classic Fort Lauderdale signal. In a two-story house, a shower pan membrane failure shows up as a yellow or brown ring on the first-floor ceiling before you ever feel a soft tile.
- Tile at the shower floor edges lifting or sounding hollow. Water has gotten underneath and broken the thinset bond. In humid air, this accelerates fast. A hollow tap near the drain is usually the first spot.
- Musty smell that returns within hours of cleaning. Moisture is trapped in the substrate behind the tile or inside the curb. Fort Lauderdale’s heat turns a small leak into a musty room within a week.
- Grout cracking along the shower pan perimeter. The pan is flexing because the waterproof layer underneath has delaminated or never fully bonded. Grout does not flex; it fails instead.
- Skirting tiles popping off the wall base outside the shower. Water is wicking out from the shower through the wall cavity and pushing the tile off. By this point, the framing is usually wet.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In Fort Lauderdale, expect the following installed ranges for IKO-compatible bathroom work:
- Small bathroom remodel with IKO membrane replacement: $5,000 – $12,000
- Full bathroom remodel including waterproofing, shower, vanity, and floor: $9,000 – $28,000
- Walk-in shower replacement with new IKO waterproofing: $4,500 – $12,000
- Shower pan membrane repair only (small failures caught early): $3,000 – $8,500
What drives the range: whether we’re pulling the entire shower or just the pan, whether the subfloor needs replacement after the leak, and whether you’re moving plumbing fixtures or keeping the existing footprint. Every Mason Remodeling project gets a written price before we start, no verbal estimates that grow on the final bill. The work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it isn’t right within a year of completion, we make it right at no cost to you.
See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
You can check a few things safely: pull the shower drain cover and look for standing water or a visible gap in the membrane at the drain throat, and press on the shower floor tiles to feel for movement. Stop there. A waterproofing failure is not a caulk-and-paint fix. Doing this yourself usually means pulling tile, which means disturbing the membrane, which means you now have a bigger leak than you started with. If the pan is compromised, the shower needs to come out, the substrate needs to dry or be replaced, and the new membrane needs to be installed with proper seam lap and slope. That’s licensed contractor work in Fort Lauderdale, and it’s why the price isn’t a patch job.
For the homeowners reading this who would rather we handle every step: call (754) 354-3720 and we’ll schedule a free estimate. We’ll look, we’ll tell you exactly what’s wrong, and we’ll give you a number in writing.
FAQs
A properly installed IKO AquaBarrier membrane typically lasts 15 to 20 years in South Florida conditions, but heat, humidity, and standing water in a poorly sloped pan can cut that to 10. Call us at (754) 354-3720 and we’ll inspect your shower for free before you guess.
Small failures caught at the drain can sometimes be repaired, but most membrane failures in the pan or curb mean removing the shower floor tile and replacing the membrane. Call (754) 354-3720 and we’ll tell you which camp yours falls into.
Most small bath remodels run one to two weeks; a full master bath with waterproofing and custom tile is three to four. Schedule a free estimate at (754) 354-3720 and we’ll map the timeline before any commitment.
Yes, we stock IKO-equivalent membranes, backer materials, and the standard tools to match your existing system, plus products from KraftMaid, Cambria, and Silestone for cabinets, surfaces, and countertops. Call (754) 354-3720 and we’ll confirm what’s in stock for your project.
Contact Mason Remodeling Co Fort Lauderdale
If your IKO bathroom waterproofing is failing or you’re planning a remodel around an existing IKO system, call Isaac Pruett and the team at Mason Remodeling Co Fort Lauderdale at (754) 354-3720 for a free estimate. A live person answers, every time. We’ll give you the price in writing, tell you exactly who’s coming to your door – name and photo included – and back the whole job with the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling Co Fort Lauderdale at Mason Remodeling Co Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
