Stinson Plumbing
Shower Remodeling & Tub-to-Shower Conversions
Walk-in showers, shower replacements, doors and pans, and tub-to-shower conversions across Benton, Paducah and western Kentucky.
A shower is a waterproofing problem first and a tile project second. If the valve, the drain and the pan are not set right, no amount of nice tile will keep water where it belongs. We handle the plumbing and the pan so the surface everyone sees has something solid underneath it. This page is part of our bathroom remodeling work, and a shower can be a standalone project too.
The reason showers fail is almost never the tile. It is water finding a path the builder did not seal, through a pan that was not sloped, a drain that was not bonded or a valve set where water can wick behind it. Once water is in the wall it rots framing and feeds mold long before a stain shows on the ceiling below. Getting the plumbing and the waterproofing right is the whole job, and it is the part you cannot redo without tearing the finished work back out.
What shower remodeling covers
- Walk-in shower installation. New valve, drain and supply, plus the pan or curbless base. We set the slope so it actually drains instead of pooling.
- Shower replacement. Tearing out an old fiberglass surround or a leaking unit and rebuilding it right, including any pipe behind the wall that has seen better days.
- Tub-to-shower conversion. Pulling the tub, moving the drain to the new shower location and resetting the valve height for standing use. This is the most common remodel we do, and it is plumbing before it is tile.
- Shower pan and curbless drains. Standard pans and linear drains for curbless, wet-room layouts where the waterproofing depends on getting the drain dead-on.
- Doors and surrounds. Final fit of glass doors, surrounds and trim once the tile is set.
Tub-to-shower conversions
This is the job most homeowners come to us for. A tub nobody uses takes up the best real estate in the bathroom, and stepping over a high wall gets harder over time. Converting it to a walk-in shower opens the room up and removes the climb. The work is real plumbing, not a swap: we pull the tub, relocate the drain to the shower layout, reset the valve at standing height and build the pan with the right slope. If you are still deciding between keeping a tub and going to a shower, we can price both against each other, and our bathtub services page covers the tub side.
Walk-in and curbless showers
A curbless, walk-in shower looks clean and makes the bathroom easier to use, but it is the least forgiving layout to build. With no curb to hold water back, the slope and the drain placement carry the whole job, and a linear drain has to land exactly where the tile and the slope agree. Done right, a curbless shower drains fast and stays dry outside the wet zone. Done wrong, it sends water across the bathroom floor. We set the drain and the pan so the finish holds up to daily use.
Accessible and aging-in-place showers
A lot of shower remodels are really about staying in the home longer. A low-threshold or curbless shower removes the step-over that becomes a hazard with age or an injury, and it pairs well with a built-in bench and a handheld sprayer on a slide bar. The plumbing side of an accessible shower matters as much as the grab bars: the valve set within easy reach, the drain sized to clear water fast and the floor sloped so it never holds a puddle. We handle the connections and the pan, and we will plan the layout around how the shower needs to work for the person using it, not just a standard template.
Why the rough-in matters
The most expensive shower mistakes are the ones you cannot see. A pan that does not drain, a valve set at the wrong height, a drain that is an inch off from where the tile layout needs it, each one means tearing back out finished work to fix. We rough in the supply and drain lines to the layout before any tile goes up, so the finish crew builds on something correct rather than working around a mistake.
The shower valve
The valve is the heart of the shower, and it has to be the right type, set at the right depth and the right height for how the shower will be used. We set it so the trim sits flush, the temperature holds steady when another fixture runs and the controls land where you reach for them. A valve buried at the wrong depth is a tile-out repair later, so it gets done correctly the first time.
The pan and the waterproofing
The pan is what actually keeps water out of the floor. Whether it is a preformed base or a built pan under tile, the slope has to carry water to the drain and the waterproofing has to be continuous from the pan up the walls. We build the pan and set the drain so the layer that matters most is right before the first tile is ever placed.
Signs your shower needs more than a cleaning
Some showers are past scrubbing. Tile that flexes or sounds hollow, grout that keeps cracking, a musty smell that will not clear or a stain on the ceiling below are all signs water is getting behind the surface. A pan that holds a puddle after the water is off is not draining. When the problem is behind the tile, a remodel that fixes the waterproofing is cheaper than chasing leaks and water damage year after year. A slow drain on its own may just be a clog, which is drain and sewer work rather than a remodel.
Working with your tile and finish crew
We handle the plumbing, the valve and the pan, and we coordinate with your tile and finish crew or your general contractor so the waterproofing and the tile line up. The order matters: the rough-in and the pan come first, the waterproofing is verified, then the tile goes on, and we set the doors and trim at the end. When everyone builds in the right sequence, the shower looks good and stays dry.
If you are running the whole project yourself, we are glad to be the plumbing piece and stay in our lane while keeping the timeline moving. If you would rather one team own the bathroom from start to finish, that falls under our bathroom remodeling work, and we will scope the plumbing so the rest of the job has a solid base to build on.
Serving Benton, Paducah and nearby
We build and replace showers for homes across Benton, Paducah, Mayfield and Owensboro and the surrounding western Kentucky communities, including the lake-area homes and older houses where the existing shower rarely matches a modern layout without some plumbing work. Shower rebuilds in Murray and Hopkinsville follow the same process.
Our work
Recent shower projects
Good to know
Shower Remodel Questions
How long does a tub-to-shower conversion take?
The plumbing and pan work is usually a couple of days. The full timeline depends on tile, glass and how quickly finishes come together, and we coordinate our part around the rest of the job.
Can you move the shower to a different wall?
Yes, but it means moving the drain and supply lines, which is a bigger rough-in. We will walk the space and tell you what is involved before you commit to the layout.
Do you do the tile too?
We handle the plumbing, the valve and the pan. We coordinate with your tile and finish crew, or with your general contractor, so the waterproofing and the tile line up.
Can you build a curbless walk-in shower?
Yes. A curbless shower depends on exact slope and drain placement to keep water in the wet zone, so we set the pan and the linear drain to the layout before any tile goes on.
My shower leaks but the tile looks fine, what now?
A leak with good-looking tile usually means water is getting past the pan, the drain or the valve behind the surface. We find where the waterproofing failed and rebuild that part so the fix lasts instead of returning.
Need a plumber you can count on?
Replacing a shower or converting a tub? Call (270) 356-1204 or request an estimate online. Looking at the tub instead? See bathtub services.
Benton, Paducah, Mayfield, Owensboro & Western Kentucky