Why We Don’t Do One-Day Showers

A while back, I got a call from one of the one-day shower companies. They wanted me to work for them as a subcontractor.

I won't name names — that's not what this is about. But I took the meeting, looked at how they operate, and passed. [LINK: Why We Don't Use Subs] If you want the full story on why Pinnacle doesn't use subs at all, I wrote about that separately. But the short version, specific to those companies, comes down to this: I couldn't do the job the way I believe it should be done and still finish it in a day. That's not a time management problem. That's a physics problem.

The One-Day Pitch Sounds Good. Here's What It Actually Means.

The appeal is obvious. Minimum disruption. One day and it's done. But a shower isn't a pizza order — speed isn't a feature, it's a tradeoff. And what gets traded is almost always quality.

The real issue isn't just that the work is rushed. It's that compressing the job into a single day almost always means not following manufacturer specifications. Those specs aren't a suggestion. They exist because someone engineered and tested a system to perform a certain way, long-term. When your business model is built around finishing in a day, the specs are the first thing to get sacrificed to the schedule.

Let me show you exactly what that looks like.

What Cutting Corners Actually Looks Like

The first is drainage. Oftentimes, these companies are setting their shower pans into quick-set mortar. There's nothing wrong with that on the surface — as long as the base is set properly and level. The problem comes in with how long they wait before stepping on it. Most quick-set mortars need anywhere from one to six hours before they can take even light foot traffic — and that's light. Do you think they're waiting that long?

From guys I've talked to who are getting pressed to finish these in a day, they wait a half hour to an hour — their lunch break — and then they're back on it. I heard a story from a Samuel Mueller engineer about exactly this situation. The base could very well have been level when it was first set. But after they stepped on it before the mortar cured, water started pooling in a corner of the base. This was a completed shower. The only two solutions the engineer could offer were to rip it all out and start over, or have the customer squeegee the water every time they showered.

The company that did the install bought their customer the first squeegee.

The second is the substrate — the material that goes behind your wall panels. It's what everything attaches to, and it's a big part of how solid your walls feel, which ties into [LINK: Why We Only Use Samuel Mueller] — one of the reasons being wall stiffness and how rigid the panels feel. I could go on a long tangent here, so for more on that, click the link above.

The substrate of choice for a lot of the "one-day" companies is OSB — oriented strand board. For those of you unfamiliar, it's a bunch of small wood pieces glued together and compressed. That glue is not moisture resistant in the slightest, and it often causes the OSB to swell and delaminate. Two things you don't want even a chance of happening behind your walls.

Samuel Mueller requires mold-resistant drywall, tile backer board, or marine-grade plywood. Here at Pinnacle, we go for the best — we use marine-grade plywood, for multiple reasons. [LINK: Why We Use Marine Grade Plywood] The main reason we use it instead of OSB is simple: it's what the manufacturer requires. We'll pay the extra $70 or so a sheet so we can sleep at night.

What Our Process Actually Looks Like

Here's what we do instead, and why it takes the time it takes.

Before we touch anything, drop cloths go down on the walking path. Your floors stay clean, and if anything falls during demo, it's contained. Small detail, maybe — but it tells you something about how a person works.

Then we demo down to the studs. Not because we like extra work, but because it's the only way to actually see what's behind your walls. Water damage doesn't announce itself. We've caught problems during demo that would've turned into real structural headaches if they'd just gotten covered back up and ignored. If we find damage, we fix it before anything else goes in.

Once the space is clear, we handle any plumbing that needs to be relocated or replaced. Then we level and set the base — the thing that determines whether water goes down the drain or you end up shopping for a squeegee. Day one ends with the base set. That's not us calling it a day early. That base needs time to cure before we build anything on top of it.

Day two, we install the wall substrate, then cut and hang the wall panels, install accessories, and the door, if time allows. Sometimes the door carries into day three. That's not a problem. That means we're not rushing the finish just to hit a number on a calendar.

Then comes the final silicone pass — every seam, every joint, every spot water could find its way somewhere it shouldn't. Nothing gets skipped.

The whole job typically runs two to three days. That's not a limitation. That's what it actually takes.

Why This Matters for You

If you're comparing options and a one-day shower is on the list, I wanted you to be informed of their installation process. Their sales process is another can of worms entirely. A lot of these companies run the same playbook — pushy, in your face, high pressure, waiting you out until you sign. That's not how we do business. For more on what ours actually looks like, check out [LINK: What Is the In-Home Consultation?]

Now, I'm not saying they're all bad, and I'm not saying none of them are doing a proper install. I know some of them set their bases in foam — I don't know enough about that to speak on it, I haven't personally tried it. Again, this is for information purposes only, to make sure you find a company that's a good fit for you.

Those are some of the main differences. We're not faster. We're not always cheaper. We don't cut the parts that matter. We want you to have a great experience with whoever takes on your shower project, and we want you to have a great shower experience in the years that follow.

If you'd like to talk through your project, reach out to Pinnacle Shower Co. and let's start the conversation.