Frequently
Asked Questions

As an experienced bath remodeler, JDS Bath understands the value in listening to customer concerns. Our process is built around aligning the work we do to your vision of what your bathroom could look like.

Although no two projects are the same, we have a general process that we typically follow to take you from a dream to reality.

1. 1. 1. Give us a call
      2. Presentation of options
      3. Estimate
      4. Answering any of your questions
      5. Approval
      6. Construction
      7. Quality assurance checks

In my experience, the most expensive bathroom you (the homeowner) will ever remodel, is the one you must do twice. What I mean by that is, if you spend X amount of money to renovate your bathroom and then must redo your bathroom 1 to 5 years later, due to faulty workmanship or product failure, the next renovation can cost 2 to 3 times what the first renovation did.

If the first remodel got a water leak, the second remodeler would have to pull out the first remodel, repair any damage and then install the new materials.

I recommend doing your research on any bathroom remodeling company you are looking to hire for your bathroom project.

 I recommend asking these questions:

• • • Is the bathroom remodeling company licensed, bonded and insured?
    • Do they have a warranty on all parts and services?
    • How good is their customer service?
    • How have past clients rated their experience with the company?
    • Does the company use high quality materials?

Not only is JDS Bath a liscensed, bonded, and insured bathroom remodler, but I have also handpicked my team of highly experienced craftsman. They specialize in attention to detail and customer service. To provide the best quality of workmanship, our Installation Crew Members have several different qualifications, including:

• • • • • Master Plumbing License
        • Master Electrician License
        • BCI Certified Acrylic Installer
        • Schluter Certified Tile Installer

Yes! For homeowners with fair, moderate or good credit, we offer financing options so you can afford your dream bathroom.

I have worked with many different bathtub and shower materials over the years but I prefer what we offer at JDS Bath. Both the tile and acrylic. The style of acrylic we use at JDS Bath, I have found homeowners to have the least amount of problems with later down the road.

They both have their positive and negative properties. In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter which you choose. Go with the style you want in your bathroom, since you are going to be using it more than I will.

Acrylic is durable, inexpensive, and easy to keep clean.

The acrylic used by JDS Bath is the strongest in the industry. It is far more resistant to cracking and chipping than fiberglass.

The manufacturer warrants that the surface of the product will not materially fade, yellow, crack, bubble, or peel under normal use when cared for by the manufacturer’s instructions.

Our acrylic is infused with an anti-bacterial product at the factory. That means, the anti-bacterial product penetrates the bacteria cell wall and disrupts the key cell function to reproduce, making it easy to keep clean.

Because every piece of acrylic is custom made at the factory, you are not limited by standard sizing. There are also several different colors and styles to choose from.

There are two drawbacks of acrylic. Since the factory only has a set selection of colors available, your options are more limited than with tile. Your acrylic will also need to be installed by a licensed and factory-certified installer or your acrylic installation may not be covered by a warranty.

The biggest selling point for fiberglass is its affordability. It is, by far, the cheapest bathroom material available.

Fiberglass is not very durable and is very porous. A porous material like fiberglass can trap soap scum, shampoos, body oils, dirt, and water funk. These can and will embed themselves into the fibers of the fiberglass which could create a toxic bathing area.

When fiberglass cracks, the cracks are usually tiny and may not be visible to the naked eye. The problem is usually discovered after the fiberglass has been leaking for years and has caused several thousand dollars in damage to the home.

Since fiberglass only comes in certain stock sizes, there aren’t any custom options. As the sizes and shapes of bathrooms have changed a lot over the years, it can be difficult to match fiberglass to your space.

The design options for tile are virtually limitless. You can purchase tile from a variety of distributors, all with unique offerings. Many people choose tile because it allows them to design their bathroom to fit their personal style.

There are six main types of tiles:

• Ceramic
• Porcelain
• Glass
• Granite
• Marble
• Natural stone

Once you’ve selected a type then you can choose your style and shape. Herringbone is the most popular style of tile patterns, but there is also offset or staggered brick, 1/3 offset, grid (stacked), stacked vertical, pinwheel (hopscotch), random, Versailles (French), and many more.

Your tile can also come in many shapes, including subway tiles, diamond shaped tiles, brick tiles, round ceramic tiles, chevron tiles, fish scale tiles, herringbone tile, and basket weave tiles.

Your customized tile will also be very durable and easy to maintain. The durability of your bathroom tile can also increase the value of your home, should you be looking to sell it at some point.

The biggest downside to using tile is the expense. Bathroom tile really needs to be installed by a properly trained, certified, licensed, and insured professional. Many tile companies will not warranty their tile if it’s not installed by a certified and licensed tile installer.

Also referred to as reglazing a bathtub, resurfacing is the process of refinishing a bathtub’s surface with an epoxy.

Reglazing is a popular option because of the cost. As with a bathtub overlay, the main reason for wanting to reglaze a bathtub is because the existing bathtub has scratches, cracks or has begun to leak.

Once the original surface of the bathtub starts to deteriorate, there can be cracks and microfissures invisible to the naked eye. These cracks can harbor bacteria and water long after the reglazing has taken place.

The water and mold will continue to damage the original bathtub and the flooring below. This damage can go unnoticed for many years, creating a toxic environment in your bathroom. Think of all the heat and moisture in a bathroom every time it’s used. Dark, wet, and warm environments are mold’s best friends.

Eventually, the reglazing will wear down and expose the cracks in the original bathtub. This means all the mold and bacteria that has been growing, possibly for many years, is now leaking into the bath water. When it comes time to replace the bathtub, it will now cost thousands of dollars more because of the necessary repairs.

Now let’s talk about the toxic chemicals used to resurface a bathtub. A major drawback to reglazing is that everyone who lives in the home must vacate for at least 24-48 hours after the reglazing is finished. One of the main chemicals used is Methylene Chloride. According to the CDC, Methylene chloride–based paint stripping agents used in bathtub refinishing have caused at least 13 deaths among U.S. bathtub refinishers since 2000. Because of inadequate ventilation, safe use of a methylene chloride stripping agent in a small bathroom is unlikely.

Also called bathtub liners, overlays are plastic or acrylic covers molded to cover your existing bathtub. These are a popular option because of their price. Often the reason for buying a bathtub overlay is because the existing tub is leaking.

Do you know what happens when water leaks under a bathtub? It can rot the wood joists under the bathtub, cause mold, and it can follow the floorboards into other areas of the house.

By installing an overlay over the existing bathtub without making sure there is no damage under the bathtub, the bathtub could fall through the floor with someone in it, due to rotted floor joists. Look out below!

With an overlay, there is an opportunity for mold and bacteria to continue to grow between the old bathtub and the liner. This is often discovered after causing thousands of dollars in damage.

Have a licensed, bonded and insured company handle the wet area of the bathroom and all the electrical work! Again, the most expensive bathroom you will install is the one you have to do twice.

The wet area of the bathroom is the main water flow area. Meaning the tub/shower area.

If the shower/bathtub isn’t correctly waterproofed or one pipe starts leaking under the bathtub, it can cause thousands of dollars in water damage to the rest of your house.

A licensed, bonded and insured bathroom professional will have the training to know how to correctly install the parts of the wet area so as to avoid problems in the future.

You’re not paying for the hour or two hours it takes them to put in the sink, you’re paying for the years of training and experience they have.

I will look at the construction of your bathroom, listen to what you are wanting to do with your bathroom and determine what will need to be done to create your vision.

Then, I will give you an estimate for the work to be done and provide an estimated start date.

If I don’t know the exact price for a part you want or a style of shower, etc., I will go back to the office and email you a quote for your bathroom project.

As quickly as I can. How quickly depends entirely on the individual parts, how long it takes for a supplier to determine the price and availability, if I must go to several different suppliers to find the parts, etc.

Let us know! Call us, text us or email us. We have no way of knowing if you have received the quote from our end.

Also, please check your email’s spam/trash filter often. About 45% of our clients find their quotes in their junk folder. Even the emails we send from JDS Bath to JDS Bath end up in our own junk filter at the office.

We are working with our tech team to improve this. All the new safety protocols put in place by email providers, to prevent you from getting spam emails, make it very easy for emails from legitimate companies to get filtered to the spam folder.

Ask your question. If we don’t know the answer, we will help you find the answer.

This is a very good question. Before the homeowner signs a contract, I look at the materials they have chosen for their bathroom project, the extent of the project, etc.

Knowing the parts they want in their bathroom, I look to see how long it will take for the parts to come in and that varies greatly.

If they want tile from Italy, it might take longer to get than tile one of our local tile distributors has on hand.

After that, I look at my construction schedule, calculate the time it will take for all the parts to arrive at our warehouse and give the homeowner an estimated installation start time.

A homeowner can expect a 3 to 6 month wait from when they sign with JDS Bath until their bathroom construction starts. The exact time it takes to do the installation is very dependent on what the homeowner wants done in their bathroom. All the construction companies I know are out that long, if not longer, due to their project load and material shortages.

If the bathroom only needs a new bathtub/shower or a simple bathtub to shower conversion, the installation process is a lot quicker than a complete remodel.

I also caution homeowners to be weary of the bathroom remodeling company who can start their project in a few days instead of months.

If someone tells me they can start remodeling my bathroom tomorrow, I would ask them the same questions about finding a bathroom remodeling company. There is usually a reason they don’t have any other bathroom projects to work on.

When the entire bathtub area is gutted to the studs, any damage will become visible and can be fixed.

Often, the plumbing in older homes will need replacing.

If there is water damage, it can be investigated and taken care of.

Many licensed, bonded, and insured bathroom remodeling companies remove bathtubs to the studs so they can warranty the new bathtub, because they know what is under it.

Plus, the most expensive bathtub you will ever get installed is the one you have to pay for twice.